Re: Client menu suggestions was Re: [Gnumed-devel] Release 0.5.rc2

[Karsten Hilbert]

On Sun, Jun 28, 2009 at 07:27:10PM -0700, Jim Busser wrote:

> - the i18n system provides the opportunity to make both menu items, and 
> plug in names, to be in one's native language ?

yes

> - the names that are to be made available for use in "typing" (assigning 
> types of encounters, clinical documents, and tests) are supported through 
> the GUI (presently labeled "Manage master data")

yes, except where there's still bugs

> ... are there any labels or other GUI elements that are inaccessible to 
> i18n and so cannot be rendered into a user's native language?

Not that I am aware of.

> A related insight is that the "Alt" letter selected for use as a  
> shortcut is often most meaningful / sensible when related to the name of 
> the menu item but, depending on the languages, the letter selected in one 
> language may be totally absent in the translated item name. This begs my 
> question where the menu item "Alt" shortcuts are stored... are they part 
> of a string that is available for i18n for example
>
>       G(Alt g)numed
>       O(Alt o)ffice
>       P(Alt p)erson
>
> or, if in some other way, how, and can that be accessed (if at all) to 
> also be translated?

There is two levels of shortcuts which probably gives rise
to some confusion.

There is "direct accessor keys", say, when pressing CTRL-S
from anywhere the currently active document will be saved
(in, say, OpenOffice).

There is also "active letters", say, the "S" in "Save", when
the *D*ocument menu is in view. Using active letters one would
use the multi-strike salute of Alt-D, Alt-S to save a
document.

The former are precious things while the latter are nicely
usable in context dependent entry speedup.

Surely, the latter depend on the interface language as well
- not only on the translation of that one menu item but also
on the translation of other items in the same menu (because
translations can give rise to conflicts as to which active
letter is suitable) !

However, GNUmed, of course, allows for translation of those
active letters as well. They are part of the menu item
string:

        &Add user
        &Edit users

would make A and E active, respectively (if the desktop
environment supports that).

Karsten
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