Re: Localization of special directories

[Lars Sonchocky-Helldorf]

Am 13.03.2013 um 15:27 schrieb Riccardo Mottola:

> Hi,
> 
> Luboš Doležel wrote:
>> 
>> Hi,
>> 
>> on Linux & related systems, the correct way is to use
>> ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs
>> 
>> I couldn't find more information on this, but I think I've heard about
>> desktop environments (in the future) using only English folder names
>> physically, but doing some trickery to display localized names.
>> 
> "localizing on display" is another approach of course, but I think it is
> wrong, I like a physical mapping of folders. Especially for those
> working in console, it becomes confusing.
> 
> Perhaps the first thing to verify is if NSXXXXDirectory returns a
> localized name on Mac. The documentation is not very clear. It says for
> example:
> 
> NSDocumentDirectory
> Document directory.
> Available in OS X v10.2 and later.
> 
> Not specifying anything!
> 
> However for the newer Music it says:
> 
> NSMusicDirectory
> Location of user's Music directory (~/Music)
> 
> Implying somehow that it is always "Music". Perhaps the finder uses the
> "display localized" approach nowadays?
> Somebody with non-english macs may perhaps shed some light.

It's like this: The directories, which are localized, are so only in the Finder 
and in other places where they are displayed to the user using the GUI. If 
you're at the command line you'll see the original (english) names. And the 
localization is name and not location dependent. And it is controlled by an 
empty file named ".localized" inside the localized directory. If that is 
present and there is a localization for that name, the directory is localized.

You can have multiple directories called "Pictures" in different locations for 
instance. As long as those contain that empty file named ".localized" they're 
displayed as "Bilder" in the GUI to the german user.

Btw, you should have a non-english Mac if you're happen to own a Mac. You can 
switch the language for every user of your OS to what ever you want. OS X is 
multi language by default.

> 
> Riccardo

regards,

        Lars