The strings for menu commands have three parts:
· The command name with an optional shortcut key preceded by “&”.
· A second optional shortcut key (accelerator key) shown to the right of the menu item.
· The prompt string (tool tip or balloon help) for the command.
These three parts are stored in two strings. The first string consists of the command and shortcut key (accelerator key) separated by a tab:
command\tshortcut
The second string is the prompt string:
prompt string
For example (from the German language file):
|
Original |
Translation |
Comment |
|
&New project\tCtrl+N |
&Neues project\tCtrl+N |
label and optional shortcut |
|
Open an existing project |
Ein vorhandenes Projekt öffnen |
prompt |
The shortcut key (accelerator key) should be omitted for commands that do not have one:
|
Original |
Translation |
Comment |
|
&Import images... |
Bilder &importieren... |
label and optional shortcut |
|
Import new images |
Neue Bilder importieren |
prompt |
To choose a shortcut key for the menu command that’s shown as an underlined character on the menu command, you should place the "&" character before a letter in the menu command. You may select a letter that makes sense in your local language--you do not have to use the same letter as the English command.
To display a "&" character in the menu command (e.g. License & Registration), double the character:
|
Original |
Translation |
Comment |
|
&License && Registration... |
Lizenz und Registrierung... |
label and optional shortcut |
|
View license and enter registration code |
Lizenz ansehen und Registrierungsschlüssel eingeben |
prompt |
If the shortcut key uses a special key (e.g. Ctrl+N, Alt+Right, etc.), you enter it after a tab character. You may translate the name of the modifier key (Ctrl, Alt, etc.), but only if you also separately include a translation for the modifier itself:
|
Original |
Translation |
Comment |
|
&New project\tCtrl+N |
&Neues project\tStrg+N |
label and optional shortcut |
|
ctrl |
strg |
Modifier – must be lower case! |
You must type the translation of the modifier key in lower case. However, when you use it in a menu entry, case is not significant. For example, you may type “Strg+N” or “STRG+n”.
On Mac, the CTRL modifier is automatically converted to the COMMAND modifier.
You may select a letter that makes sense in your local language--you do not have to use the same letter as the English command:
|
Original |
Translation |
Comment |
|
Example\tCtrl+E |
&Beispiel\tStrg+B |
label and optional shortcut |
Special keys (e.g. Home, End, Enter) must not be translated. You must use the following names when referring to special keys in menu items:
|
Key name |
Description |
|
DEL, Del, DELETE or Delete |
Delete key |
|
INS, Ins, INSERT or Insert |
Insert key |
|
ENTER, Enter, RETURN or Return |
Enter key |
|
LEFT or Left |
Left cursor arrow key |
|
RIGHT or Right |
Right cursor arrow key |
|
UP or Up |
Up cursor arrow key |
|
DOWN or Down |
Down cursor arrow key |
|
HOME or Home |
Home key |
|
END or End |
End key |
|
SPACE or Space |
Space bar |
|
TAB or Tab |
Tab key |
|
ESC, Esc, ESCAPE or Escape |
DO NOT USE (available only on Windows) |