Posting Maps to a New Language

When all the required changes have been made to the translation file, it can be posted back to the database using MAPPOST. A typical command line to invoke MAPPOST in this context would be something like:
mappost xlat.prn -quiet -file error.prn
(You will almost certainly want to refer to the error log mappost creates, because it will be rare for a translator not to have made at least one or two slips that prevent the file being posted back without errors.). Refer to MAPPOST in the DP4 Quick Reference for more information about the command line options for MAPPOST.

The translation file is posted in the same manner as normal 'mappost' files.

As the translation file is processed, for each map specified, MAPPOST accesses the current map which is defined for the base language (defined by the #translation line) and creates a version of that map for the new language (defined by the #language line), by merging the properties of the base map and the translation. The details are different depending on whether you are using release 4.5xx or 4.6xx

Release 4.6xx

No map properties are taken from the translation file. The new map will use the properties of the base map, including size.

For each control within the base language map, MAPPOST expects to find a corresponding control in the translation file:

• All values other than the control's text and mnemonic are copied from the base map control, including position and width.

• If a control is in the base map and not in the translation file, a warning message will appear and that field will appear in the translated map with the base text.

• If a control is found in the translation file which does not exist in the base map, a warning message will appear and this translated control will be discarded by MAPPOST and not be put in the new map.

Release 4.5xx

• Map text, field positions, widths and mnemonics are taken from the information contained in the translated file.
• All other properties of the map are taken from the base language copy of the map.
• Differences in the size of maps, or the position or size of fields in them are written to the error log.
• Additional fields in the file are ignored, but errors recording this are written to the log.
• Missing fields in the file are copied from the base language. Appropriate errors are recorded.

When processing has finished, MAPPOST will terminate as normal.