In this article I will show you how to build a multilingual user interface in FileMaker.
Recently I saw a very complicated method floating around the net, so I thought I'd show you a method we use at Idealisator Hungary.
What you will need:
A table (called languages), which will hold the translations of every single layout text, button text, etc that you wish to use. These each will be new fields (eg: Button_OK, Button_Cancel, Message_Error, etc) + here you will have a text field (Language) which will contain the language name.
Get the idea? To create a new language you just need to create a new record in this language table, fill the Language field with the appropriate language name, fill the layout text fields, and there you have a new language.
Then you will need a CurrentLanguage Global field in the table your current layout is based on.
Then you just simply create a relation between this CurrentLanguage field with the Languages::Language text field, and you're pretty much ready.
You just need to add these fields to the layout (via the Language relations), and by changing the CurrentLanguage global field, you can easily change the display language on the layout.
You can download a really simple demonstration from here . (right click- save as).
I included english, german and hungarian languages.
Feel free to contact us if you need further information!
Update: In find mode, you need global fields for each layout text you use on the layout. (copy to those globals the appropriate language fields, or evaluate it.
As a solution should contain one, or maybe two search screens, not every layout searchable, I think it can be handled this way. In the comments you can see more of this. My opinion is that this method I wrote is one of the easiest to implement, while others may need much more work. - Adam
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