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List:       kde-i18n-doc
Subject:    Semantic tags in KDE4
From:       Chusslove Illich <caslav.ilic () gmx ! net>
Date:       2007-04-27 20:23:32
Message-ID: 200704272223.32853.caslav.ilic () gmx ! net
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There are several issues that converge to the proposal which follows: to 
introduce semantic tags in messages for KDE4 (like Docbook tags that you see 
in the documentation translations) instead of raw formatting with quotes, 
bolds or italics, and similar. Also, to give an interface context to each 
message, as a mark in message context (the new msgctxt field).

The implementation of this is easy, but there are obstacles in the field use, 
like programmer habits and impact to currently translated stuff. However, 
these changes would come gradually over time (we're talking years), and some 
help by scripts is also possible. I got no negative responses from 
programmers or usability people (none of "Are you nuts?"), and all of those 
that commented, though not many, were positive.

So the first step would be to decide upon a reasonable set of tags and 
contexts. I guess that the translators are having the best overview of the 
things that are found in messages, so we should prepare these tags and 
contexts. I'd like to keep the list short, as programmers should ideally keep 
it all in mind while writing interfaces (so, no detailing as in Docbook). 
Especially look out for something big that I may have missed.

---------- Semantic tags:

  <filename> - any local file or directory path

  <link> - any path using an Internet protocol: http, ftp, etc.

  <application> - application or suite name, be it GUI or command line driven 
(eg. KWrite or GCC)

  <command> - command name (eg. awk or gcc)

  <resource> - a general resource; e.g. document name, session name, color 
scheme, plugin name, bookmark, toolbar name, account, message folder, etc.

  <code> - piece of any code: compiled, interperted, script, markup; shell 
command lines also (as opposed to mere command names)

  <shortcut> - keyboard shortcut (may contain mouse buttons too)

  <interface> - single user interface element ("...in the Tools menu...") or a 
chain of elements ("...use Tools->Join Lines...")

  <emphasis> - emphasize on certain word or phrase

  <note> - extra piece of information related to main information

  <warning> - warning note about implied consequences of an action

  <placeholder> - value to be substituted by hand or chosen from given values 
(usually wrapped in angle brackets eg. "<no action>", "<unknown>", etc.)

  <email> - email address

  <numid> - number which is a numerical ID rather than an amount of something: 
port numbers, line and column positions, error codes

  <amount> - opposite to <numid>, number which is an amount; though I think 
this should be the default and not present at all (85% or more of all numbers 
are amounts)

  <envar> - environment variable

  <message> - message from external source (e.g. error message)

with some structure tags for longer messages:

  <para> - paragraph
  <list> - unordered list (bullets), for general use
  <olist> - ordered list (numbered), e.g. for steps of a procedure
  <item> - item in a list
  <title> - main title of the text
  <subtitle> - title of a section in the text

---------- Interface contexts:

  @title - any kind of logical title: window title, menu title, option group 
name, tab name

  @action - fixed menu items, text on buttons

  @option - text next to a radio button, check box, slider.

  @info - explanatory text in dialogs asking for user decision, tooltips 
(either hovering or What's this?), labels to interactive and non-interactive 
fields (text/edit boxes, progress indicators, color and font selectors), 
progress update messages.

  @entry - any text that represents instance-of item, be it in menus (eg. 
encodings selection), in dropdown and combo boxes, or in "dead" lists in text 
boxes.

  @shell - any shell output

-- 
Chusslove Illich (Часлав Илић)
Serbian KDE translation team

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