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How to localize LiveCycle Form in different languages ?

tarekahf
Registered: May 1 2008
Posts: 91

Dear All,

I want to localize the captions of the fields in PDF Form developed using Adobe LiveCycle Designer 7.1.

In order to do that, I figured out that have to prepare XML Data Source of all Captions and related text in the target language.

The languages are English, Arabic and French. For each Language, there must be one XML File which will be the Data Source of the required captions, and the captions on the form will be bound to that XML Data Source.

Is this the correct approach, or there is better one ?

I need to need to find automated way (programmatic or any other way) to generate the XML in a special format using input for a Table in any Database, say MS Access/SQL, as follows:

I have input table of Captions in all languages that looks like the following (download the Excel Sheet below to see the sample input table):

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pDk9OsF0emb5zxEhSunL3UQ

Note: I am sorry as I do not know the French translation.

Using the above input table, I need to generate 3 separate XML Text Files as follows:

---- For Arabic ---

الاسم
العنوان
تاريخ الميلاد
عدد افراد الاسرة
الجنسية

---- For English ---

Name
Address
Date of Birth
Family Members
Nationality

---- For French ---

xxx
yyy
xxx
xxx
yyy

----

The Input Table above is relatively huge, and it may change from time to time, therefore, it will be very important to generate XML using programmatic approach.

I was able to use Dynamic Property Biding to bind the captions and the tool tip text to such XML Data Source, but I am still facing some difficulties.

To summarize:

1. How I can generate the above XML in an easy way from the input table shown in the link above ?

2. Can I control the direction the the PDF From so that I can make it From Right to Left for Arabic instead of from Left to Right ? I want to avoid making a new separate PDF specially form Arabic Language. The direction will affect the reading order and the Tab Order of the Fields and the location of the Objects on the Form.

3. I figured out how to change the field alignment, caption location, and locale using javascript, but is there an easy way to change such properties using JavaScript for all fields in one go, because the form has 14 pages, and each page has many subforms which are nested up to 3 levels.

Please help.

Tarek.

My Product Information:
LiveCycle Designer, Windows
tarekahf
Registered: May 1 2008
Posts: 91
Almost all of the above problems have been solved, and I managed to write javascript to flip subforms horizentally and recursivley to make the direction from Right to Left. Also, all field captions are now bound to XML Data Source for each language.

However, I am still facing the following problems:

1. I could not flip Tables. Tables cells and columns seem to have Static Layout during runtime, and you cannot revers the order of such cells/columns. Any idea how to flip tables (make them from Right to Left).

2. When I flip the subform recursivly and dynamically during run-time, all affected fields in a subform will loose there tab order seetings and reset to the default. Can you control Tab Orders during run-time ?

3. Static Text (text objects) cannot be bound to Dynamic Captions. So, I changed them to Text Fields, and reduced the size of the Entry Part to minimum, but during runtime, when tabing, the cursor will stop on such fields, and looks a bit confusing. How I can skip the Tab Orders in this case ?

Please help.

Tarek.
tarekahf
Registered: May 1 2008
Posts: 91
I have nearly completed the form automated localization logic using JavaScript.

I would like to know if there is a way to protect the JavaScrip code inside the Adobe LiveCycle Desinger Form. Bascially, I do not want it to be easily accessable to any one who opens the form using Adobe LiveCycle Designer.

Is this possible ?

Tarek.