Language Aliases Tab on the Data Browser

A language alias is a variable that is stored in the Language Aliasing System database for reuse in multiple places within the various GENESIS64 applications. Unlike global aliases, which substitute one value in place of the variable, language aliases return a value associated with the alias based on the current language setting of a display. Language aliases provide a direct substitution of one string for another, while language conversions provide a formula that modifies both the value of the input as well as the formatting and output. The data browser separates language conversions from language aliases.

You would use a language alias for labels in an international display and configure the alias in the Language Aliasing System to display the translated text as is appropriate. If you wanted to have the word "Gallon" appear as a language alias in an application you would select the Gallon alias from the Language Alias tab of the Unified Data Browser. The syntax of the variable is displayed in the upper text box. For language aliases the syntax is:

/+Line1+/

where the variable is enclosed in forward slashes and surrounded by plus signs as shown in the figure below. You select the language alias you want and then click the Copy to Textbox button to view the syntax of the alias. When you click OK the language alias is entered into the field or property that you accessed the data browser from.

Selecting a Language Alias in the Unified Data Browser

At runtime, the Language Aliasing Server substitutes the values for the alias based on the current language setting and displays the substitution on the display. The substitutions are based on the values you entered into the Language Aliases configuration form, as shown in the figure below, and do not come from a dictionary or another automated system. That allows the display to translate language aliases into slang or colloquial expressions or abbreviations, indeed whatever the designer wishes. It also frees up the programmer from having to concern themselves with translations, as this function can be passed onto a language expert for the correct substitutions.

An Alias Translation Table for a Gallon in the Language Aliasing Server