HP OpenVMS Systems Documentation
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Common Desktop Environment: Advanced User's and System Administrator's Guide

16 Configuring Localized
Desktop Sessions

Contents of Chapter:
Managing the LANG Environment Variable
Setting the Language for Multiple Users
Setting the Language for One Session
Setting the Language for One User
LANG Environment Variable and Session Configuration
Setting Other NLS Environment Variables
Finding Fonts
Localizing app-defaults Resource Files
Localizing Actions and Data Types
Localizing Icons and Bitmaps
Localizing Backdrop Names
Localizing Palette Names
Localizing Help Volumes
Localizing Message Catalogs
Executing Localized Desktop Applications Remotely
Resetting Your Keyboard Map
To configure localized desktop sessions, you will need to:

  • Set the LANG environment variable and other National Language Support (NLS) environment variables

  • Access language-dependent message catalogs and resource files

  • Execute applications remotely across internationalized systems

Managing the LANG Environment Variable

The LANG environment variable must be set for the desktop to use the operating system's language-sensitive routines. The desktop supports:

  • Western Europe, Latin-based languages
  • Japanese
  • Traditional Chinese
  • Simplified Chinese
  • Korean
Note: Support for other languages may have been added by your desktop vendor.

You can set LANG to any value supported by the operating system. The Options menu in the login screen displays the list of supported languages and territories.

There are four ways to set LANG for the desktop:

  • By editing a resource in the Xconfig file

  • Using the Options menu in the login screen

  • By creating an executable sh or ksh Xsession.d script. (See"Sourcing Xsession.d Scripts" for more information about using an Xsession.d script.)

  • By editing the user's .dtprofile file

When LANG is set, the desktop uses the following language-dependent files to determine the localized interface.

Colors
/usr/dt/palettes/desc.language

Backdrops
/usr/dt/backdrops/desc.language

Setting the Language for Multiple Users

If you set the language by means of an Xconfig file, the login screen is localized and LANG is set for all users. This is the only way to change LANG for all displays in multi-display systems. (To modify Xconfig, copy /usr/dt/config/Xconfig to /etc/dt/config/Xconfig.)

The language is set by placing the following line in /etc/dt/config/Xconfig: 

dtlogin.host_display.language: language
For example, the following line sets LANG to Swedish_locale on display my_host:0.

dtlogin.my_host_0.language: Swedish_locale
The dtlogin client reads the appropriate message catalog for that language and brings up the localized login screen. The dtlogin client then determines the list of locales using the following resources in the /etc/dt/config/Xresources resource file:

  • dtlogin*language
  • dtlogin*languageList
  • dtlogin*languageName
The Xconfig file may need to set the NLSPATH environment variable appropriately for the chosen language. If this is not the case, or if you want to set NLSPATH yourself, see "NLSPATH Environment Variable".

Setting the Language for One Session

To set the language for one session, use the login screen Options menu. The login screen is localized and LANG is set for the user. LANG returns to its default value (set in dtlogin) at the conclusion of the session.

Setting the Language for One User

A user can override the login's LANG setting within the HomeDirectory/.dtprofile file. The login screen is not localized, and LANG is set for the user.

  • If you use sh or ksh:

    LANG=language
export LANG
  • If you use csh:

    setenv LANG language

LANG Environment Variable and Session Configuration

The LANG environment variable changes the directory name that is searched for your session configuration files.

The localized session configuration files are:

  • /usr/dt/config/language/Xresources (Login Manager resource file)
  • /usr/dt/config/language/sys.font (Session Manager resource file)
  • /usr/dt/config/language/sys.resources (Session Manager resource file)
  • /usr/dt/config/language/sys.session (Session Manager executable shell)
  • /usr/dt/config/language/sys.dtwmrc (Window Manager resource file)
  • /usr/dt/appconfig/types/language/dtwm.fp (Window Manager Front Panel)

Setting Other NLS Environment Variables

Besides LANG, there are other NLS environment variables such as LC_CTYPE and LC_ALL. These variables are not affected by the dtlogin language resource nor by the login screen Options menu. They must be set in the following files:

  • System-wide variables: /etc/dt/config/Xsession.d
  • Personal variables: HomeDirectory/.dtprofile

NLSPATH Environment Variable

The NLSPATH environment variable determines the directory paths that applications search for message catalogs. Both LANG and NLSPATH must be set to use those message catalogs. Refer to "Localizing Message Catalogs" for the location of localized messages. Most desktop clients will prefix the path to NLSPATH upon startup.

Finding Fonts

Fonts included with the desktop are in the /usr/lib/X11/fonts directory. Each directory contains a directory file, fonts.dir, and an alias file, fonts.alias. See the mkfontdir man page for information on creating the fonts.dir and fonts.alias files.

To list all fonts available at a server, user the xlsfonts command. To add or delete fonts to the server, use the xset command.

Localizing app-defaults Resource Files

The default location for the app-defaults file for the desktop clients is /usr/dt/app-defaults/language. For example, if LANG is set to Swedish_locale, then applications will look for their app-defaults file in /usr/dt/app-defaults/Swedish_locale. If LANG is not set, language is ignored, and applications look for their app-defaults file in /usr/app-defaults/C.

To change the location of app-defaults, use the XFILESEARCHPATH environment variable. For example, to move app-defaults to /users, set XFILESEARCHPATH to /usr/app-defaults/language/classname.

If you set XFILESEARCHPATH in HomeDirectory/.dtprofile, the value applies to all desktop and X clients you run. Nonclients will not find their resource files unless you link or copy them into the directory specified by XFILESEARCHPATH.

Localizing Actions and Data Types

Note: To customize a file in the /usr/dt/appconfig directory, copy the file to the /etc/dt/appconfig directory prior to customizing.

The search path for action and data-type definition files includes language-dependent directories in:

  • Personal: HomeDirectory/dt/types
  • System-wide: /etc/dt/appconfig/types/language
  • Built-in: /usr/dt/appconfig/types/language
The search path for Application Manager's configuration files is:

  • Personal: HomeDirectory/dt/appmanager
  • System-wide: /etc/dt/appconfig/appmanager/language
  • Built-in: /usr/dt/appconfig/appmanager/language
File and directory names in this directory are localized.

Localizing Icons and Bitmaps

To localize an icon, edit the icon with Icon Editor and save it in:

/etc/dt/appconfig/icons/language
If you save it in a different directory, set the XMICONSEARCHPATH environment variable to include the directory where you saved the icon. The XMICONBMSEARCHPATH environment variable controls the path used to search for icons.

Localizing Backdrop Names

Localization of backdrops is done through the use of description files (desc.language and desc.backdrops). No specific localized directory exists (such as /usr/dt/backdrops/language) for backdrop files. All locales use the same set of backdrops files but have their own desc.language file containing the translated names of the backdrops.

The description file contains resource specifications for the backdrop names that are translated. For example:

Backdrops*Corduroy.desc:    Velours
Backdrops*DarkPaper.desc:   PapierKraft
Backdrops*Foreground.desc:  AvantPlan
The desc.language file is used to retrieve the description of the backdrops for locale language in order to display the backdrop in the Style Manager. If there is a description specification, it will be displayed in the Style Manager backdrops list. Otherwise, the backdrop file name will be used.

Users can add their own backdrop descriptions in the HomeDirectory/.dt/backdrops/desc.backdrops file. This file is used to retrieve the backdrop descriptions for all backdrops added by the user regardless of locale.

The search path for the description files is:

  • Personal: HomeDirectory/.dt/backdrops/desc.backdrops
  • System-wide: /etc/dt/backdrops/desc.language
  • Built-in: /usr/dt/backdrops/desc.language

Localizing Palette Names

Localization of palettes is done through the use of description files (desc.language and desc.palettes). No specific localized directory exists (such as /usr/dt/palettes/language). All locales use the same set of palette files but have their own desc.palettes file containing the translated names of the palettes.

The description file contains resource specifications for the palette names that are translated. For example:

Palettes*Cardamon.desc:    Cardamone
Palettes*Cinnamon.desc:    Cannelle
Palettes*Clove.desc:       Brun
The desc.language file is used to retrieve the description of the palettes for locale language in order to display the palette in the Style Manager list. If there is a description specification it will be displayed in the Style Manager palettes list. Otherwise, the palette file name will be used.

Users can add their own palette descirptions in the HomeDirectory/.dt/palettes/desc.palettes file. This file is used to retrieve the palette descriptions for all palettes added by the user regardless of locale.

The search path for the description files is:

  • Personal: HomeDirectory/.dt/palettes/desc.palettes
  • System-wide: /etc/dt/palettes/desc.language
  • Built-in: /usr/dt/palettes/desc.language

Localizing Help Volumes

If you have localized a help volume, you must store it in one of the following directories. The first help volume found is the one used. The directories are searched in the following order:

  • Personal: HomeDirectory/.dt/help
  • System-wide: /etc/dt/appconfig/help/language
  • Built-in: /usr/dt/appconfig/help/language

Localizing Message Catalogs

If you have localized a message catalog, store it in the following directory:

/usr/dt/lib/nls/msg/language.

These directories contain the *.cat files.

Executing Localized Desktop Applications Remotely

You can invoke localized desktop applications on any remote execution host that has a similarly localized desktop installation. The values of the NLS-related environment variables on the host that is invoking the application are passed to the remote host when the application is started. However, the environment variables do not contain any host information.

Resetting Your Keyboard Map

If you see unexpected characters and behaviors, or characters cannot be displayed or typed, you might need to reset or install your keyboard map or change your input method.

The input method is determined by the LC_CTYPE, LANG, or LC_ALL environment variables, or the language specified by the -lang option.

For example, if the user wants to open a terminal with the C locale within a POSIX shell, such as:

LANG=C   dtterm
This new terminal uses the C locale including the C input method and fonts. If you are using a language-specific keyboard, the input method may not accept any extended characters for input. When using the C locale with a language-specific keyboard, users need to set the LC_CTYPE (or LANG or LC_ALL) environment variable to an appropriate value before invoking the terminal.

For example, to use the C locale with the German keyboard, type:

LANG=C LC_CTYPE=DeDE dtterm
If the X server has been reset and keymaps have been initialized, you can reset the proper keyboard map at the server using the xmodmap command.