Change Language in runtime

Introduction

Hello and welcome to a new guide on how to best use Movicon.NExT™.

In this technote we are going to show you how to change languages while the project is running.

Changing Languages at runtime

Movicon.NExT offers the possibility to change the project’s language at runtime by configuring a graphical object, such as a button, with the Change Language command.
After having configured the languages, you wish to use, and translated the texts manually or automatically in the Texts Resource, you can then proceed with configuring a button to change the language with. When clicking this button at runtime, the project will automatically translate into the language selected.
Now, we will create an example to show you how to do this.

Example

This example involves a screen with text to be translated into other languages. The language used by the screen text will then be changed while the project is running by using buttons configured with the Change Language command.
Start the Movicon.NExT platform up in design mode and create, or load, a project.

Creating the screen

First create a screen in this way:

• Go to the project tree in the Project Explorer window and select the Screen module.
• Right-click it and select the New option from the menu that appears.
• A popup will show allowing you to configure the screen’s general properties. Configure the screen as follows:
• • Width: 1920
  • Height: 1080
  • Name: Main
• Click the OK button to confirm.

Now that you have created the screen, change the project’s properties by inserting the screen we have just created as the project’s startup screen. To do this:

• Select the name of the project from the project tree.
• Open its Properties window.
• Change the following properties:
• • Startup Page Type: Main Screen
  • Startup Screen Name: Main

Once you have finished, click on the Save button on the toolbar to save the project.

Check that the Main screen is open, click on the Toolbox tab on the far right next to the properties window to open the Toolbox library offered by Movicon.NExT.
Select the Text Box object from the Texts folder and drag and drop it on the screen. Select the object, open its properties window, then go to the Text property and insert the “Home” string.

Configuring languages

Now, we shall configure the languages and translations of the text associated to the graphical object.
Double-click on String Resource located in the project tree to open it.
After the Texts table has opened add two languages, for example English (United States) and Italian, in this way:

• Right-click on the workspace within the String Resource and select the Add New Language from the menu that appears.
• Select the English (United States) language from the popup and click OK to confirm.
• Repeat this procedure but this time select the Italian language.

Once both languages have been added, you can import the project strings by clicking the Import Strings button on the Movicon.NExT editor’s toolbar, or by selecting the Add String ID option from the Options menu.
When the project’s texts have been imported, check that the Enable Auto Translate option is deactivated in the contextual menu.
Now insert the “Home” string in the column that corresponds to the English (United States) language, and the “Casa” string in the column that corresponds to the Italian language.

Creating change page buttons

Open the Main screen and then open the Toolbox library again. Go to the Buttons folder and then the Standard folder and drag and drop a Standard Metro Style button on the screen.
With the button selected, open it properties window and enter the ENG string in the Text property field.
Still with the ENG button selected, click on the Commands tab at the bottom of the editor.
Open the commands panel and select to add the Languages command to the button’s associated command list.
Configure the command in the tab’s far right by selecting the en-US option in the Language (Culture Name) property field.

Make a duplicate of the ENG button by using the copy and paste operations with the Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V keys. Move the new button by dragging it to new position within the screen so that it does not overlap the other one.
With the new button selected, open its properties window. Go to the Text property and change the string from ENG to ITA.
With the ITA button still selected, click on the Commands tab at the bottom of the editor.
Open the Commands panel, configure the command on the tab’s far right by selecting the it-IT option in the Language (Culture Name) property.

Save the project by clicking on the Save All icon on the Movicon.NExT editor’s Toolbar and start runtime.

Runtime Test

As soon as the application starts running, the Main screen will show with the graphical text object showing the Home string.
When clicking on the ITA button, the Home text will translate to Casa by changing from English (United States) to Italian.
When clicking on the ENG button, the Casa string will translate to Home by changing from Italian to English (United States).