Prerequisites

This tutorial assumes you have some basic knowledge of, or programming experience with, the following technologies:

• NetBeans IDE

This tutorial describes you:

• Principle of Internationalization
• How to install Update Pack
• How to setup Automatic Internationalization at Design Time
• Internationalizing an Entire Project
• Internationalizing a Single Form
• Related Topics

Opening the Example Project

1. Download and unzip the InternationlizeDemo.zip project to any location on your computer.
2. Choose File > Open Project (Ctrl-Shit-O), select the InternationalizeDemo folder you created in the last step, and click Open.
3. Expand Source Packages > Demo and double-click FindDialog.java. The sample form opens in the GUI Builder.

   To view a demonstration of how to create this GUI form, click View Demo.

Switch Automatic Internationalization On

Internationalizing Individual GUI Components

We will now use the GUI builder to enter internationalized strings for the JLabels and JButtons in the form.

1. Select the appropriate GUI component (e.g. jLabel1) in the Design Area.
2. In the Properties window, click the ellipsis (...) button for the Text property. Note that you can also internationalize other properties that have String values, such as Mnemonic, Accessible Name, Accessible Descriptor, and ToolTip.
3. The property editor is switched to resource bundle mode. Check that the Bundle Name field is set to demo.Bundle and the Key field contains the string FindDialog.jLabel1.text
4. Type Find What: in the Value field.
5. Click OK.

   Repeat the previous steps for all components so that the form looks like the following picture:

   To view a demonstration of internationalizing jLabel1 , click View Demo

Note: Steps 1-5 can be done in a simpler and faster way: just double click jLabel1 in the design view, change the text from jLabel1 to Find What: ,and press Enter. The result is the same as from the steps given above.

Adding a New Locale

1. Select the root node in the Inspector Window (the Form FindDialog node).
2. In the Properties window, click the ellipsis (...) button for the Design Locale property
3. Enter ES in the Country Code field.
4. Click OK.

The new locale appears below the Bundle Properties node, as shown below:

5. In the Projects window, right-click Bundle.properties and choose Open.
6. Translate individual messages in the correspondent column of table to the new (e.g. Spanish) language, as shown below:
   
   

7. Right-click the root node in the Inspector Window and choose Reload Form (or press Ctrl-R). The form is reopened and the Spanish locale is loaded in in the design, as shown below:
   
   

You can see these features in action in this Flash Demo (though it does not correspond exactly with this tutorial).

Testing a Non-Default Locale

1. In the Projects window, right-click the InternationalizeDemo project and choose Properties.
2. In the Categories pane, select the Run node.
3. Enter -Duser.language=es -Duser.country=ES in the VM Options field.
   
   

4. Click OK
5. Right-click the InternationalizeDemo project and choose Run Project

   The IDE runs the FindDialog dialog in the Spanish locale.

Creating a Samples Project

Preparing a Properties File

Invoking The Internationalization Wizard

1. In the Projects window, right-click the Source Packages node and choose Tools > Internationalization > Internationalization Wizard.
2. For demonstration purposes, select Find.java and click Remove Source(s) button.
   
   

3. Click Next.
4. Check if the Internationalization wizard offers the correct properties files examples.Antenna and examples.ContactEditor. If it does not, use the Select Resource button to choose the correct properties file.
   
   

5. Click Next.
6. All hard-coded strings are displayed in the last step of Internationalization wizard and it is possible to decide which of them will come from the properties file (use checkbox). You can further customize individual keys, values, comments, and format of replaced strings by clicking on the ellipsis (...) button for a string.

7. Click Finish.

   Now, the internationalization of source code is finished, other locale can be added and tested as it was shown previously.

Using the Internationalize dialog box Box

1. In the Projects window, right-click Find.java and choose Tools > Internationalization > Internationalize.

   The IDE shows Internationalization dialog box and pre-fills the first hard-coded string from the Find.java source code .

2. Click Browse to select a particular properties file or create a new one (e.g. Find.properties).
3. You can modify format of replaced string, key, value or comment if it is necessary. We'll just leave the default values.
4. Click Replace to confirm the change and move a focus on the next hard-coded string.

   If a hard-coded string does not need to be replaced, click the Skip button

   To view a demonstration of using the Internationalize dialog box, click View Demo

Inserting a Single Internationalized String

1. In the Projects window, right-click Find.java and choose Edit.

   The IDE opens the Find.java file in the Source Editor.

2. Scroll through the source code and find the main method.
3. Insert the following line in bold in the main method:

       public static void main(String args[]) {
           System.out.println();
           java.awt.EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
               public void run() {
                   new Find().setVisible(true);
               }
           });
       }

4. Press Ctrl-Shift-J to invoke Internationalized String Dialog.
5. For Bundle Name, click the New button, select the Source Packages > examples folder, and enter Find as the Bundle name. Then click OK. The Bundle Name field shows examples.Find.
6. Type Start in the Key drop-down box and Start Find Dialog in the Value field. Then click OK.
   
   

7. The IDE inserts an internationalized string:

       public static void main(String args[]) {
           System.out.println(java.util.ResourceBundle.getBundle("examples/Find").getString("Start"));
           java.awt.EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
               public void run() {
                   new Find().setVisible(true);
               }
           });
       }

   To view a demonstration of inserting internationalized string, click View Demo