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LangAgent Editor reference

LangAgent Editor is a redistributable freeware tool for translators. Using LangAgent Editor the translator can translate task files. Task file has the .xmla file type. It contains "messages" along with their translations. Each message is actually a piece of a text (contents of the LSTR macro, resource string or window caption). The messages in the task file are ordered as they appear in the source files.

Each message has a type. The following types are available:

Required translation 
This message is not translated yet. Translation is required.

Translated
This message was previously translated and approved by the developer. Translation is not required.

Proposed
The translator provided a translation for this message.

Proposed with comment
The translator provided a translation for this message and left a comment. The translator should use the comments to attract the developer's attention to the message. For example, if the translator found a typo in the source message (which is uneditable), he/she may want to notify the developer about it.

Untranslated
The translator is unable to translate the message. For example, if the source message is too ambiguous, the translator may be unable to give a translation. If the translator marks a message as untranslated, he or she should provide a comment with details.

The LangAgent Editor's main window is shown here.

1. Menu and toolbar.
2. Message filter. Using the message filter, the translator can select the kind of messages to be displayed.
3. Progress indicator. This is an overall progress indicator. The translator may use it to estimate the task completion.
4. Task information pane. This pane contains useful information about the task including statistics.
5. Message list pane. Messages are listed here (message filter applied).
6. Translation pane. This pane contains the source message, the text box. 

What should the translator do?

• Open the task (.xmla) file.
  
• The translator must do the translation for every untranslated message. The translator should leave a comment for the developer by checking the "Add a comment" checkbox and entering the comment into the "comment" textbox. The translator should enter the translation and mark it as "translation proposed".
  
• Hint: just enter the translation and press Enter. The message will be marked as proposed and the next message will be selected.
  
• When the task is done, the translator must save the task file and send it back to the developer.

What should the developer do?

As soon as the translation is completed and the translated task file is received, the developer should open and review it. The developer should pay special attention to the untranslated messages (if any) and the messages with comments. Probably, the developer should send the task back to the translator with his/her comments for the further translation or correction. As soon as the translation is completely done and there are no untranslated or ambiguous messages any more, the developer should copy the task file(s) back to the project's directory (it's ok to overwrite the existing files). Then the developer should recompile the project.

Mind, that if the task file has untranslated messages or messages that require translation, LangAgent Compiler will issue a warning on the post-build compilation step.