Using Siebel Tools > Working with Strings and Other Locale-Specific Data >

About the Symbolic Strings Model

The symbolic strings model centralizes all strings, both English and all other languages, which exist in the repository into one object type: Symbolic Strings. Translatable text strings are defined once and then referred to by multiple user interface objects. Having a centralized mechanism for storing and managing repository text strings:

• Reduces redundancy because many objects can reference one symbolic string
• Results in a more consistent user interface
• Simplifies maintenance because you only have to maintain one string for a given word
• Simplifies translation by eliminating duplicated translations of the same word
• Reduces translation costs

Prior versions of Siebel Tools stored translatable text strings in the locale objects of a parent object type. For example, each applet had a set of child locale records that defined the text for the applet title that appears in the user interface.

How the Symbolic Strings Model Is Implemented

Symbolic strings are implemented using a top-level object in the Siebel repository called Symbolic Strings and a child object called Symbolic String Locale. Each symbolic string record represents a word or phrase, for example Account or Contact, and is language independent. All translations of that word or phrase, including English, are stored as child symbolic string locale records. User interface objects, such as Applets and Controls, refer to symbolic string records for text strings. The literal display value is compiled into the SRF from one of several translations stored as symbolic string locale records, based on the current Tools language mode.

The Symbolic Strings object type stores its data in S_SYM_STR table, and the Symbolic String Locale stores its data in S_SYM_STR_INTL table. Objects such as applets store foreign key references to the records stored in S_SYM_STR table.

Strings Not Included in the Symbolic Strings Model

The symbolic strings model includes text strings stored in the repository and referenced by UI objects such as Control Captions, List Column Display Names, and Applet Titles. The symbolic string model does not include other types of strings typically supplied as seed data, such as LOVs, error messages, and predefined queries.

For information on localizing these types of strings, see About the Locale Management Utility.

How Translatable String Values Are Calculated

Object properties that display translatable strings, such as the Title property of applets, are compiled into the SRF file during compile time according to the following logic:

• If a value exists in the string language in which the compile is being run, this string override value is compiled to the SRF.
• The compile process checks to see whether a value exists in the string override field for the current Siebel Tools Language Mode. If there is no string value in the override field for the language in which the compile is being run, the value is calculated using the current language mode of Siebel Tools and the String Value property of the associated Symbolic String Locale object (child of Symbolic String).

  NOTE:  In most cases, a string override does not exist.

Related Topic

Entering String Overrides