Re: FormCode i18n - TurboGears

Gregor Horvath wrote:
> 1. Message translation time
> 
> The straightforward and standard way of i18n would be to pack the
> strings in validators.py into the function _("some text").
> The problem is that FormEncode executes this function at import time of
> validators.py (because of __classinit__).
> Therefore it is not possible not change the language or the gettext
> function after the import with this approach.
> Also at this time TG's i18n module is not installed yet. TG integration
> is therefore not possible.

OK, I figured this wouldn't work so I'm glad you can confirm that.

> 3. Translation in message
> 
> Another approach is to translate the message on the fly with an outside
> gettext function like it is done in the patch from January.
> 
> The problem is that this does not work for using FormEncode standalone.
> Also I do not see how to extract the messages automatically when there
> are no _("") functions. Also one has to fiddle with the state object,
> and TG has to supply it along with a gettext function.

This seems like the best solution, though _() still confused me in the 
previous patch.  I'd really like someone to revisit that (I won't be 
able to), but that patch was still a bit fuzzy to me.

I think it can go something like this (in formencode.api):

try:
     _
except NameError:
     def _(msg): return msg

class Validator(object): ...

     def message(self, msgName, state, **kw):
         try:
             msg = self._messages[msgName]
         except KeyError, e:
             raise KeyError(
                 "Key not found (%s) for %r=%r %% %r (from: %s)"
                 % (e, msgName, self._messages.get(msgName), kw,
                    ', '.join(self._messages.keys())))
         if hasattr(state, '_'):
             msg = state._(msg)
         else:
             msg = _(msg)
         return msg % kw

Additionally _() can be used around message in validators.py etc, so 
that extraction tools work, but that's generally all it will be used 
for.  If there was a tool that could actually import the module and read 
the messages (e.g., from a "get_i18n_messages" function or something) 
that would be even better, but I don't know if there's conventions for 
that sort of thing.


-- 
Ian Bicking | [email protected] | http://blog.ianbicking.org

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