Translation approach for non-gui application with auto-generated code parts

[devjb]

I'am developing a framework that consists of several qt-based backend libraries without a gui (frontend will follow later).

The applications, that use those libraries contain a lot of sourcecode, which will be generated by a 3rd party code-preprocessor.

In case those auto generated code modules contain strings (they do a lot), I want the code-generator to generate translation files for them, on a per module basis.

What would be the workflow to get those translation files loaded at runtime for the corresponding source modules.

Example (just what I think it should look like):

1. Code generator provides:

   • concrete-foo.cpp
   • concrete-foo.h
   • concrete-foo-de.ts
   • concrete-foo-en.ts

2. Backend library contains a fooLoader, which does stuff with the autogenerated source code parts.

3. fooLoader will have a QString giveMeALocalizedString(someStringIndex) -method which I can use to access strings at runtime. That probably would have to lookup the *.ts files somehow.

4. fooLoader will have a setLanguage(languageDescriptor)-method that shall switch the used language for it at runtime.

The tutorials for QT I found so far for internationalization only cover cases where you have a Gui application and translate your whole application from one point on using a qtranslator attached to the qApplication.

I feel that my needs are not covered by such an approach. But I have also not that much experience with qt's translation system.

Do my above ideas sound ok? If yes, how should I implement the functionality in my application, my auto generated code and my consuming backend libs?

Thank you in advance

[Christian Ehrlicher]

It's QCoreApplication::installTranslator - the QTranslator example is a little bit misleading here since it uses a QApplication: https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qtranslator.html#details

[devjb]

Thanks, so a QTranslator on the application level is the only possibility and users have to load all the available qm files delivered with the library manually in their application?

[Christian Ehrlicher]

It's the same what Qt is doing - they're providing the qm files but you have to load them by your own.