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docs: Migrating multilingual-support to permanent home.

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Bug: 30224032
Change-Id: I14ddb924bdf6c17719520b7883ab601281c548c2
This commit is contained in:
Eric Schmidt
2016-07-22 10:34:54 -07:00
parent 10da34380a
commit 32e428e78e
3 changed files with 58 additions and 44 deletions
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3
docs/html/_redirects.yaml
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@@ -1218,3 +1218,6 @@ redirects:
to: /training/articles/scoped-directory-access.html
- from: /preview/features/notification-updates.html
to: /guide/topics/ui/notifiers/notifications.html
- from: /preview/features/multilingual-support.html
to: /guide/topics/resources/multilingual-support.html

2
docs/html/guide/_book.yaml
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@@ -72,6 +72,8 @@ toc:
section:
- title: ICU4J Android Framework APIs
path: /guide/topics/resources/icu4j-framework.html
- title: Language and Locale
path: /guide/topics/resources/multilingual-support.html
- title: Resource Types
path: /guide/topics/resources/available-resources.html
section:

97
docs/html/preview/features/multilingual-support.jd → docs/html/guide/topics/resources/multilingual-support.jd
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@@ -18,25 +18,21 @@ page.image=images/cards/card-nyc_2x.jpg
</div>
</div>
<p>Android N provides enhanced support for multilingual users,
allowing them to select multiple locales in settings. Android N
<p>Starting in Android 7.0 (API level 24),
Android provides enhanced support for multilingual users,
allowing them to select multiple locales in settings. Android
provides this capability by greatly expanding the number of locales supported
and changing the way the system resolves resources. The new method of resolving
resources is more robust and designed to be compatible with existing APKs, but
you should take extra care to spot any unexpected behavior. For example, you
should test to make sure that your app defaults to the expected language. Also,
if your app supports multiple languages, you should ensure that this support works as
intended. Finally, you should try to ensure that your app gracefully handles
languages that you didn't explicitly design it to support.</p>
and changing the way the system resolves resources.</p>
<p>This document starts by explaining the resource resolution strategy prior to
Android N. Next, it describes Android N's improved
resource-resolution strategy. Last, it explains how to take advantage of
<p>This document starts by explaining the resource resolution strategy in
versions of Android lower than 7.0 (API level 24). Next, it describes
the improved resource-resolution strategy in Android 7.0.
Last, it explains how to take advantage of
the expanded number of locales to support more multilingual users.</p>
<h2 id="preN">Challenges in Resolving Language Resources</h2>
<p>Prior to Android N, Android could not always successfully
<p>Prior to Android 7.0, Android could not always successfully
match app and system locales.</p>
<p>For example, assume that you have the following situation:</p>
@@ -88,15 +84,17 @@ Use default (en)
<p>In this example, the system displays English strings without
knowing whether the user can understand English. This behavior is pretty common
today. Android N should substantially reduce the frequency
of outcomes like this one.</p>
today.</p>
<h2 id="postN">Improvements to Resource-Resolution Strategy</h2>
<p>Android N brings more robust resource resolution, and
finds better fallbacks automatically. However, to speed up resolution and improve
<p>Android 7.0 (API level 24) brings more robust resource resolution, and
finds better fallbacks automatically. However, to speed up resolution and
improve
maintainability, you should store resources in the most common parent dialect.
For example, if you were storing Spanish resources in the {@code es-US} directory
before, move them into the {@code es-419} directory, which contains Latin American Spanish.
For example, if you were storing Spanish resources in the {@code es-US}
directory
before, move them into the {@code es-419} directory, which contains Latin
American Spanish.
Similarly, if you have resource strings in a folder named {@code en-GB}, rename
the folder to {@code en-001} (international English), because the most common
parent for <code>en-GB</code> strings is {@code en-001}.
@@ -105,8 +103,8 @@ reliability of resource resolution.</p>
<h3>Resource resolution examples</h3>
<p>With Android N, the case described in <strong>Table 1</strong> is resolved
differently:</p>
<p>With versions of Android greater than 7.0, the case described in
<strong>Table 1</strong> is resolved differently:</p>
<p class="table-caption" id="t-improved-res">
<strong>Table 2.</strong> An improved resolution strategy for when there is no
@@ -142,7 +140,8 @@ Use fr_FR
<p>Now the user gets French resources instead of English. This example also shows
why you should store French strings in {@code fr} rather than {@code fr_FR}
for Android N. Here the course of action is to match the closest parent dialect,
for Android 7.0 or higher. Here the course of action is
to match the closest parent dialect,
making resolution faster and more predictable.</p>
<p>In addition to this improved resolution logic, Android now offers more
@@ -184,38 +183,48 @@ Use it_IT
</tr>
</table>
<p>The user still gets a language they understand, even though the app doesn’t
support French.</p>
<p>
The user still gets a language they understand, even though the app doesn’t
support French.
</p>
<h2 id="design">Designing your App to Support Additional Locales</h2>
<h3>LocaleList API</h3>
<p>Android N adds a new API {@code LocaleList.getDefault()}
that lets apps directly query the list of languages a user has specified. This API
allows you to create more sophisticated
app behavior and better-optimized display of content. For example, Search
<p>
Starting with Android 7.0 (API level 24), Android exposes the
{@code LocaleList.getDefault()} API
that lets apps directly query the list of languages a user has specified. This API
allows you to create more sophisticated
app behavior and better-optimized display of content. For example, Search
can show results in multiple languages based on user’s settings. Browser apps
can avoid offering to translate pages in a language the user already knows,
and keyboard apps can auto-enable all appropriate layouts. </p>
and keyboard apps can auto-enable all appropriate layouts.
</p>
<h3>Formatters</h3>
<p>Up through Android 6.0 (API level 23), Android supported only one or two locales
for many common languages
(en, es, ar, fr, ru). Because there were only a few variants of each language,
apps could get away with storing some numbers and dates as hard coded strings
in resource files. However, with Android's broadened set of supported locales,
there can be
significant differences in formats for dates, times, currencies, and similar
information even within a single locale. Hard-coding your formats can produce a
confusing experience for end users. Therefore, when developing for Android N
make sure to use formatters instead of hard coding numbers and date strings.</p>
<p>
Up through Android 6.0 (API level 23), Android supported only one or
two locales
for many common languages
(en, es, ar, fr, ru). Because there were only a few variants of each language,
apps could get away with storing some numbers and dates as hard coded strings
in resource files. However, with Android's broadened set of supported
locales, there can be
significant differences in formats for dates, times, currencies, and similar
information even within a single locale. Hard-coding your formats can produce
a confusing experience for end users.
Therefore, when developing for Android 7.0 or higher versions,
make sure to use formatters instead of hard coding numbers and date strings.</p>
<p>A prime example is Arabic, whose support Android N expands from
one {@code ar_EG} to 27 Arabic locales. These locales can share most resources,
but some prefer ASCII digits, while others prefer native digits. For example,
when you want to create a sentence with a digit variable, such as
"Choose a 4 digit pin", use formatters as shown below:</p>
<p>
For example, Android 7.0 and higher includes support for
27 Arabic locales. These locales can share most resources,
but some prefer ASCII digits, while others prefer native digits. For example,
when you want to create a sentence with a digit variable, such as
"Choose a 4 digit pin", use formatters as shown below:
</p>
<pre> format(locale, "Choose a %d-digit PIN", 4)</pre>