Displaying help, Localizing an extension, Xml string files – Adobe Extending Dreamweaver CS4 User Manual
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EXTENDING DREAMWEAVER CS4
Extending Dreamweaver
Plug-ins (set to
play
at all times) are supported in the
BODY
of extensions. The
document.write()
statement, Java
applets, and Microsoft ActiveX controls are not supported in extensions.
Displaying Help
The
displayHelp()
function, which is part of several extension APIs, causes Dreamweaver to do the following two
things when you include it in your extension:
•
Add a Help button to the interface.
•
Call
displayHelp()
when the user clicks the Help button.
You must write the body of the
displayHelp()
function to display Help. How you code the
displayHelp()
function
determines how your extension displays Help. You can call the
dreamweaver.browseDocument()
function to open
a file in a browser or devise a custom way to display Help such as displaying messages in another absolutely positioned
element in alert boxes.
The following example uses the
displayHelp()
function to display Help by calling
dreamweaver.browseDocument()
:
// The following instance of displayHelp() opens a browser to display a file
// that explains how to use the extension.
function displayHelp() {
var myHelpFile = dw.getConfigurationPath() + "ExtensionsHelp/myExtHelp.htm";
dw.browseDocument(myHelpFile);
}
Localizing an extension
Use the following techniques to make it easier to translate your extensions into local languages.
•
Separate extensions into HTML and JavaScript files. The HTML files can be replicated and localized; the JavaScript
files are not localized.
•
Do not define display strings in the JavaScript files (check for alerts and UI code). Extract all localizable strings into
separate XML files in the Dreamweaver Configuration/Strings folder.
•
Do not write JavaScript code in the HTML files except for required event handlers. This eliminates the need to fix
a bug multiple times for multiple translations after the HTML files are replicated and translated into other
languages.
XML string files
Store all strings in XML files in the Dreamweaver Configuration/Strings folder. If you install many related extension
files, this lets you share all strings in a single XML file. If applicable, this also lets you refer to the same string from both
C++ and JavaScript extensions.
You could create a file called myExtensionStrings.xml. The following example shows the format of the file: