Arabic Support

scrumbles · 2007-04-05, 20:51

Started on: 2007-04-05
last update: 2007-04-05

Summary:

Adding Arabic Support to MediaPortal

Area:
This is in the Setup under language selection.

I would like to help add full Arabic language support to MediaPortal. I do not know where to start. I know there is a Hebrew language selection that is another right to left language, but I could not find much in previous posts to help.

yuvalrakavy · 2007-04-05, 22:07

Hi!

I added once Hebrew support for Media Portal. MediaPortal work on top of Direct X. In DirectX there is no (or almost no) support for bi-directional languages (no Uniscribe). So you have to do a lot of the work in the application (MediaPortal) code.

First you have to make sure that the relevant part of the Unicode character set (the range used for Arabic glyphs) is loaded by Media portal.

This is the easy part.

The second part has to do with correctly showing the text. In Hebrew it is relativly not complex since the only issue you have to deal with is the right to left direction (and the fact that numbers and English is still written left to right...). In Arabic you have to do the ASD code (Automatic Shape Determination) so you pick the right form of character (in Arabic, almost every character has seperate form for beginning of word, middle of word or end of word).

After you have done this, you will have to go through the strings file, and translate it.

A lot of work!

I am not sure whether one should not wait for a version of MediaPortal based on WPF. In WPF the whole language issue is handled in the OS level, and you don't have to do the whole work in the application level.

Best regards,
Yuval

(Few years ago I wrote an Arabic word processor. Arabic is a beutiful but complex language...)

scrumbles · 2007-04-05, 22:42

Thank you Yuval. Hebrew is equally a beautiful language. After all, they are cousins.

2007-04-05, 20:51	#1 (permalink)
scrumbles Portal Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Bay Area, USA Posts: 7 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country:	Arabic Support Started on: 2007-04-05 last update: 2007-04-05 Summary: Adding Arabic Support to MediaPortal Area: This is in the Setup under language selection. I would like to help add full Arabic language support to MediaPortal. I do not know where to start. I know there is a Hebrew language selection that is another right to left language, but I could not find much in previous posts to help.

2007-04-05, 22:07	#2 (permalink)
yuvalrakavy Portal User Join Date: Dec 2006 Age: 45 Posts: 4 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country:	Arabaic support Hi! I added once Hebrew support for Media Portal. MediaPortal work on top of Direct X. In DirectX there is no (or almost no) support for bi-directional languages (no Uniscribe). So you have to do a lot of the work in the application (MediaPortal) code. First you have to make sure that the relevant part of the Unicode character set (the range used for Arabic glyphs) is loaded by Media portal. This is the easy part. The second part has to do with correctly showing the text. In Hebrew it is relativly not complex since the only issue you have to deal with is the right to left direction (and the fact that numbers and English is still written left to right...). In Arabic you have to do the ASD code (Automatic Shape Determination) so you pick the right form of character (in Arabic, almost every character has seperate form for beginning of word, middle of word or end of word). After you have done this, you will have to go through the strings file, and translate it. A lot of work! I am not sure whether one should not wait for a version of MediaPortal based on WPF. In WPF the whole language issue is handled in the OS level, and you don't have to do the whole work in the application level. Best regards, Yuval (Few years ago I wrote an Arabic word processor. Arabic is a beutiful but complex language...)

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2007-04-05, 22:42	#3 (permalink)
scrumbles Portal Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Bay Area, USA Posts: 7 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country:	Thank you Yuval. Hebrew is equally a beautiful language. After all, they are cousins.