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

About the Symbolic Strings Model

The symbolic strings model centralizes translatable text strings stored in the repository. 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 translations 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 refer to symbolic string records for text strings. The literal display value is retrieved from one of the 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_STRING_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.

How Translatable String Values Are Calculated

Object properties that display translatable strings, such as the Title property of applets, are calculated dynamically.

• If a value does not exist in the string override property (in most cases it does not) 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).
• If a value exists in the string override field, this value is stored in the corresponding child locale object, and the display value is calculated using the current language mode and the value in the string override field.

The calculated value for translatable text strings is the value that is displayed in the Object List Editor, wizards, and layout editors. It is also the value that is compiled to the SRF file.

Related Topic

Entering String Overrides