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Translating a mobile application

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    #1

    Translating a mobile application

    Hi,

    I'm working on translating a mobile application. I've watched the 4 or 5 AA videos that I could find on the <a5:t> text dictionary functionality. I've created a local table with my key, language, and text columns. I'm stuck trying to get AA to use that local table. When in the "Web Project Properties" window I cannot figure out how to build the "Text Dictionary Table Settings" Connection String to use that local table.


    Thanks,

    Jason
    Tags: None
    #2
    Re: Translating a mobile application

    If your text dictionary table is in the same database as the rest of your project, then the connection string is simply:

    ::Name::conn

    where "conn" is the name of your usual connection string

    Is that what you need to know?

    And re-reading your post, you keep referring to "local table". The table needs to be in the same database that the rest of your system uses.
    -Steve
    sigpic

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      #3
      Re: Translating a mobile application

      Some quick clarifications:

      1. I've created a table within my applications Control Panel to use for translation in my mobile application. This table has 3 columns (Key, Language, Data). I believe that this is an internal table to my project as it resides within my project's Control Panel. This is a .dbf table.

      2. When I go to my Web Project Properties and try to enter in the connection string I have to click the "..." to bring up the Define Text Dictionary Table screen. And while on that screen I cannot figure out what to define the Connection String as that will reference my internal table. Using your suggestion of ::Name::conn I've tried replacing "conn" with everything that I could think of, but nothing is working. Any suggestions?

      translation table.jpg

      Text Dictionary Connection String.jpg

      Comment

        #4
        Re: Translating a mobile application

        Look a little more at the dropdown for the "Table Type" in the Table Definition. I don't think you can use a DBF as a Text Dictionary table. It appears you can only use this feature with SQL tables.
        -Steve
        sigpic

        Comment

          #5
          Re: Translating a mobile application

          Good point Steve.

          Follow up question: Is it possible to deploy and access a SQL type database as part of a mobile application? I need to be able to access translation strings while offline. The videos that I've watched make it sound like you can deploy a dbf database with the mobile application.


          Thanks,

          Jason

          Comment

            #6
            Re: Translating a mobile application

            You can have a hybrid app that uses both DBF and SQL. But if you're already setting up SQL for part of it, why not just do all of it that way?

            I see you're new here (Welcome!) and wonder if some additional understanding is needed: Keep in mind that tables still reside on your server and the application needs to get to them at least once in a while because that's where the data's stored --- on your server, not the mobile device itself (yes, there are lots of exceptions to this with offline storage, localstorage, etc. but trying to stay with the basics here).

            Hope this helps a bit.
            -Steve
            sigpic

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              #7
              Re: Translating a mobile application

              Thanks for the welcome. Yes quite new with Alpha. If the text dictionary functionality requires a SQL connection, can I create a SQL database and have it accessed locally from my mobile app when I'm offline? Is this the "offline storage" that you mentioned in your reply? Thanks, Jason

              Comment

                #8
                Re: Translating a mobile application

                No, not quite. I think you need a better understanding of how a web application works. I will not attempt a full tutorial here, but basically:

                First, you need a web server. This server has, or has access to, the SQL database and/or in your case the DBF database -- in short, the database.

                The mobile device basically uses a browser to request pages from the web server. If the web server needs one of the pages you designed, it, of course, has it. If it needs data as part of that page, it of course goes to the SQL server. To emphasize, the data server and the web server are NOT on any local device. They're at your ISP, cloud service or whatever you choose to host the web server and database server.

                Mobile devices are not the web server. Mobile devices are not the data server. Mobile devices ARE the client.

                Now, there are advanced things you can do use clients as their local data sources (not server - source) but this is well beyond anything you might want to try soon. You need to get the basics in hand first.

                The way the Text Dictionary works is that the web server, as it's creating pages, sees things like <font> tags etc. and knows what to do with them to present the correct output to the client. The same goes with the <a5:t> tag -- the Alpha web server (and only the Alpha web server) knows what to do with these <a5:t> tags, and that is, to perform the desired query to the text dictionary table and provide the correct output to the client.

                Maybe others here have links to suggest about how a web application works, but you want to start with some basics and build from there.
                -Steve
                sigpic

                Comment

                  #9
                  Re: Translating a mobile application

                  Steve, thanks for the insight. Learning more and more about AA. But also have a general understanding of the concepts that you talked about.

                  For an offline mobile AA application is there a recommended translation approach?


                  Thanks, Jason

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