Localization of TurtleArt

[Jim Gettys]

Hmmm... I wonder if just some scripts to take the text and use cairo to
draw it (via inserting the text into SVG files at the right places),
might be a way to completely automate the generation of the images that
are used.

Alternatively, using Cairo (maybe using pango, if we need to support RTL
text) to write the text directly onto the images being used inside
TurtleArt may be a way to skin this cat, and not have to have a lot of
gif's for each language.
                                - Jim

On Fri, 2008-02-29 at 08:55 -0500, Walter Bender wrote:
> As I recall (it was a while ago) ImageMagic had lots of issues with
> non-Latin scripts. But it would be an easier route than the Gimp.
> 
> -walter
> 
> On Fri, Feb 29, 2008 at 8:52 AM, Alexander Todorov
> <alexx.todorov at gmail.com> wrote:
> > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
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> >
> >
> > Walter Bender wrote:
> >  > I'm a bit rusty, but you can use the Gimp to do this, using Scheme
> >  > scripts. I did have a bit of trouble with positioning on some RTL
> >  > scripts as the Gimp is using fairly antiquated text rendering
> >  > internally, but it is generally OK.
> >  >
> >
> >  I will give GIMP a try although I was thinking of ImageMagic and the like.
> >
> >
> >
> >  > -walter
> >  >
> >  > On Fri, Feb 29, 2008 at 6:08 AM, Alexander Todorov
> >  > <alexx.todorov at gmail.com> wrote:
> >  >> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
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> >  >>
> >  >>  Hello everybody,
> >  >>  I've spent some time thinking about this ticket:
> >  >>  http://dev.laptop.org/ticket/3585
> >  >>
> >  >>  TurtleArt developer(s) have decided to use gif images that represent different
> >  >>  shapes with text inside. What we need is a helper script that will take the
> >  >>  translations from the PO file and apply them on no-text image to produce the
> >  >>  localized image.
> >  >>
> >  >>  <pseudo_code>
> >  >>
> >  >>  helper(base image, text from PO) = localized image
> >  >>
> >  >>  </pseudo_code>
> >  >>
> >  >>  The idea is simple but I still hit some issues. Any help or ideas will be
> >  >>  appreciated.
> >  >>
> >  >>  1) Most of the images have a single word or couple of words next to each other.
> >  >>  Some of them like if-then or if-then-else have text which is not on a single
> >  >>  line. e.g.
> >  >>
> >  >>  if
> >  >>   ----- then
> >  >>
> >  >>
> >  >>  if
> >  >>   ----- then
> >  >>
> >  >>   ----- else
> >  >>
> >  >>  I'm not sure how we can automate that easily without specifying coordinates
> >  >>  where the text should appear. A possible solution is to divide all these strings
> >  >>  into different layers and make the helper/PO aware of them.
> >  >>
> >  Looks like the images already contain the text in separate layers so it will be
> >  easy.
> >
> >
> >
> >  >>  2) There are some "block" images that show all available blocks for the chosen
> >  >>  category. I guess they fall in 1) if we talk about automating their localization.
> >  >>
> >  >>  3) The source files are Photoshop PSD ones. Is that an open format? I don't
> >  >>  really know but still haven't found a tool that can work with them properly
> >  >>  except GIMP. And isn't against OLPC vision to use commercial software to produce
> >  >>   an OLPC activity? I'm willing to implement the helper mentioned above but I'd
> >  >>  prefer some graphics format that I can manipulate easily in code. We can also
> >  >>  upload the base images to git.
> >  >>
> >  >>  4) What will happen with all the localized images? How they will be distributed.
> >  >>  We certainly don't want all other languages hanging around and occupying disk
> >  >>  space when they are not necessary. At present the English ones are 728KB.
> >  >>  Multiply that by 10/20 languages and we're talking about MBs here.
> >  >>
> >  >>  Thanks,
> >  >>  Alexander.
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> >  >
> >  >
> >  >
> >
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> 
> 
> 
-- 
Jim Gettys
One Laptop Per Child