Customise Language

ou may wish to edit or translate the existing labels or descriptions used in the osFinancials program to suit your needs or industry. The language files are stored in the osFinancials or other directory where osFinancials is installed on your system in the Bin/Languages directory as a *.dfm file type. The default language for the country you have selected when installing osFinancials will automatically be displayed when launching osFinancials for the first time.

If this is not the correct language, you may select any of the available languages in the File→Switch Language menu option. As developers join the osFinancials community, the osFinancials more languages (and country / industry specific Sets of Books) will be available. Some of the available languages are; Afrikaans, Australian, Croatia, English, Español, Francais (French), German, Gibberish, Greek, Indonesia, Italian, Netherlands (Dutch), Slovenian, Turkish, Xhôsa, etc.

Care must be taken to ensure that existing labels in the master language are not amended. You need to create a new name for the file you wish to edit.

You may at any time switch over to the master (English, Afrikaans or any other available language) on the File→Switch Language menu option, and back again to your new customised language file.

If you have created or edited a language file, it is recommended that you need to save a copy of the language file somewhere else on your system, in the event of un-installing osFinancials and installing new copies of osFinancials in which your language labels file, is not included in the osFinancials installation.

To Create, Edit or Translate Language Labels or Descriptions:

1. Click on the Tools→Customise Language menu option.
   Keyboard Access: - Press the Alt+T+U keys on your keyboard.
   The Customise Language menu option is displayed:
   
2. The options are as follows:
1. Language - You may select any of the available languages from the Drop down list. The selected language will be displayed on the list.
2. Create - If you click on the Create button, new language will be displayed in this field. You may then enter the name for your own language.
3. Number - The number of the descriptions that is used by the osFinancials program. (This is the label’s record number in the Language.dfm file.)
4. Message/text - Displays the descriptions of the selected language labels.
5. Default (English) - Displays the original default English. This is the master file, and it is recommended that it should not be amended in any way.
6. Translation (Edit) - You may type in or edit your own translation in this field. Test - This is how your translation or edit in the Translation (Edit) will be displayed.
7. Search in - Select to search in the current language or in the English language. You then need to type the word or phrase to search for. You may also further refine your search, to find unchanged words or phrases, to view the unedited labels only.
   
   
   - You may also click on the Other language translations tab to view the translations of the selected message text (label) in other available languages.


8. Search and replace - Enter a word or phrase to find. You then need to enter a word or phrase to edit (change the label or message text), and click on the Go button to replace all the words or phrases in the language file.
9. E-mail your language file to us - Once finished creating or editing your language file, click to send the language file to the osFinancials developers. This will automatically launch your system’s default e-mail program and attach your language file in the e-mail message.
   All you need to do, is to add your Language name in the Subject field of the e-mail message, and click on the Send button. The developers will then add your language file in the osFinancials source code.
10. Delete - It is recommended that this button is not used.
3. Once finished, click on the Close button.

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It is strongly recommended that the label, which is edited or entered, is not longer than the “Default English” labels’ length. If your label is too long, it may cause some options in the program not to function or display properly. Do not use the Delete button to remove any of the existing edited labels.