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Validation

Validation

The validation feature helps you to track errors in translations and also in original strings. You can use validation either in the real-time mode, or in batch mode, or both.

Translation Validation

Translation validation helps you to track down if there are any errors in the translations. It would help if you always ran validation checks for your translations before creating localized files or sending the translated project back.

Real-time validation

By default, Soluling uses real-time (live) validation that automatically validates all visible translations and new translations once you have edited them. If a translation has one or more validation error, an error icon (yellow triangle with exclamation mark) is shown on the status column.

Validation error

You can find more detailed validation error text by hovering the mouse above the validation error icon. If the validation error can automatically be fixed, a Fix button is shown. Click it to fix the translation. If the translation cannot be automatically fixed, edit the translation to fix it.

Click Validation | Translation | Edit Grid Settings ribbon button to configure what validations are active in the real-time validation. Use the Grid Glossary and Validation sheet in the Options dialog to specify when the real-time validation is used.

Batch validation

You can also use batch mode validation by clicking the Validation | Translation | Validate As ribbon button to show a dialog that lists the validations that can be applied for translations. Soluling will then check all the rows in you project and shows the valiation errors (if any) in the validation sheet.

To change the settings without running validations, use Validation | Translation | Edit Batch Settings.

Note! There are separate set of settings for the real-time and batch validation. If you want to use the same settings on both, you need to set them in the both places.

Exclude validations

You can exclude a validation for a specific translation. In the real-time mode, right click a cell in the State column where the validation error triangle is shown and choose either Exclude validation or Exclude validations. The former is shown if there is only one validation error for the translation, while the latter is shown when there are multiple validation errors for the translation.

In the batch-mode, right click the validation error in the validation sheet and choose Exclude validation.

Original Validation

Original validations help you track down if there are any errors in your original strings and user interface. It would help if you always ran validation checks for your original items before translating your strings. It is better that you find possible errors before giving anything to translators. Choose Validation | Original | Validate As ribbon button to show a dialog that lists the validations that can be applied for original strings and user interface.

Validation types

Soluling divides translation validations into three groups.

1. Translating validations

The following list contains each translation validation types:

Validation Description
Missing translation Translation has no value.
Empty translation Translation is empty.
Only spaces in translation Translation contains only white spaces.
Same original, different translation Multiple rows have the original value but are translated in a different way.
Different original, the same translation Multiple rows have different original values but are translated in the same way.
Maximum characters Translation in characters is longer than the specified maximum length.
Maximum pixels Translation in pixels is longer than the specified maximum length.
Inconsistent terminology Translation does not use the same terminology as the original string.

2. Formatting validations

The following list contains each formatting validation types:

Validation Description
Newline character The numbers of newline characters in the translation and original string differ.
Space character Translation includes different numbers of leading or trailing space characters compared to the original string.
Colon character Translation includes different numbers of leading or trailing colon characters compared to the original string.
Period character Translation includes different numbers of leading or trailing period characters compared to the original string.
Exclamation character Translation includes different numbers of leading or trailing exclamation characters compared to the original string.
Question mark Translation includes different numbers of leading or trailing question mark characters compared to the original string.
Horizontal tab character Translation includes different numbers of leading or trailing tab characters compared to the original string.
Vertical bar character Translation includes different numbers of leading or trailing vertical bar characters compared to the original string.
Lower case The original string is in the lower case, but the translation is not.
Upper case The original string is in the upper case, but the translation is not.
Capitalization The original string is capitalized, but the translation is not.
Inconsistent hotkey The original string has a hotkey, but the translation does not. The translated string has a hotkey, but the original does not.
Invalid hotkey character The hotkey character is wrong.
Invalid hotkey position The hotkey character is in the wrong position.
Inconsistent format string The string is a composite format string, and the translation does not contain the right number and/or types of placeholders.
Possibly extra format string The string is a composite format string, and the translation contains more placeholders than the original string.
Inconsistent format string comment The composite format string comment does not match the pattern.
Required string The translation is required to have a value.
Inconsistent dialog filter string The translation is a localized file dialog filter string that does not use the same structure as the original string.
Wrong quotation character The translation uses a quotation character that is not typical for that language.
Duplicate space characters The translation contains two or more consecutive space characters.
Inconsistent XML string The XML format in the translation is invalid.
Inconsistent HTML string The HTML format in the translation is invalid.
Duplicate shortcut The same shortcut has been assigned to two or more controls.

3. Controls & Layout

The following list contains each control validation types:

Validation Description
Clipped text Text in a control has clipped because the size of control is too small to show the full text.
Overlapping controls The control is overlapping another control and possibly hiding parts of the control. For example, text is now under another text field.
Control out of client Translator has moved the control out of the client area of its parent control possibly cutting parts of the control away.

Note! Controls & Layout validations currently only work with Delphi sources.