Internationalization
When you build an application for international deployment,
there are user interface design issues you should consider.
You also need to know about the support PowerBuilder provides
for developing applications for specific languages and character
sets. For more information see “International support”.
User interface design
There are two issues to keep in mind when you design the user
interface:
- The physical design of the
user interface - The cultural standards of your application’s
audience
Physical design
Some guidelines for the physical design of the user interface
include designing:
- Windows and objects
with the flexibility to accommodate the different string lengths
(approximately 1.3 times the length of an English text string) required
when the text in menu items, lists, and labels are translated
For example, you could inherit a window from an English language ancestor
window, and change the language for a localized deployment. - Windows that can be easily used in RightToLeft versions
of Windows
Cultural awareness
The cultural design of your user interface requires you to
be cognizant of what is and is not acceptable to your audience.
For example, an icon of a hand displaying an open palm may
mean stop in one culture, but it is an obscene gesture in another.
Similarly, although the color yellow signifies caution in
some cultures, in other cultures it signifies happiness and prosperity.