Working with String Entries in Projects that Support Multiple Languages

Project:This information applies to the following project types:

Advanced UI
Basic MSI
InstallScript
InstallScript MSI
InstallScript Object
Merge Module
Suite/Advanced UI

Edition:The Premier edition of InstallShield includes support for creating multilingual installations.

Note:To add additional languages to your project, use the Setup Language setting in the General Information view.

Your project contains a string entry for every localizable text string and for each language that your project supports. The String Editor view shows the collection of language-independent identifiers and corresponding language-specific values for your project.

Note the following details about string entries in projects that include support for multiple languages:

The values for all of the localizable settings throughout InstallShield—such as the Display Name and Description settings for a feature—use the project’s default language (which you can specify in the String Editor view). If you edit the value of one of these localizable settings, InstallShield simultaneously updates the string entry’s value in the String Editor view for the default language.

Likewise, if you use the String Editor view to modify a string value for your project’s default language, InstallShield simultaneously updates the settings in the other InstallShield views that display the value of that string entry.

Each language that is supported by your project uses the same set of string identifiers.

Therefore, if you add a string entry to a project, InstallShield uses the same string identifier for each language. If you rename a string identifier, InstallShield renames the string identifier for all languages. If you delete a string entry, InstallShield deletes it from each language.

If you add a new language to your project, InstallShield adds to that language the same string identifiers that are available in the other languages that are in your project. For default string entries—that is, those that are available for the built-in dialogs and other user-interface elements—InstallShield adds the already-translated string values. For custom string entries that you have created, InstallShield uses the string values from the default language for the new language. You can modify any string values as needed for the new language.

When you finish authoring your project, you can export the string entries for each language to text files, and send the text files out for translation. Once the string entries in the text file are translated, you can import them into your project.