Multilanguage support for POP3/SMTP EmailPlugin

André Martin · Post by *André Martin » 2003-02-15, 10:17 UTC

Hi!
I am currently working on version 1.2 of the POP3/SMTP EmailPlugin which has a multilanguge support based on lng-files (like Total Commander).
If you are interested in providing/doing a translation for your country please email me: support@acd-group.com
The new version comes also with a new tiny installer (also with multilanguage support) which does the installation for inexperienced and new users...
(The estimated release date for the new version is February, 20th)
If you have any suggestions/wishes for the new version - please mail or post it here!
Thanks in advance!

Leif · Post by *Leif » 2003-02-15, 10:46 UTC

Can find anything about this plug-in here. Am I totally blind or did I read about it in the previous forum??

André Martin · Post by *André Martin » 2003-02-15, 13:52 UTC

The official site for the plugin is located at:

http://www.acd-group.com/Softwaredevelopment/POP3Plugin

...but the new version 1.2 is currently only available for beta testers of the plugin (beta tests are not open to the public like TC's beta tests).

Post by *Hacker » 2003-02-16, 12:54 UTC

beta tests are not open to the public like TC's beta tests

AFAIK TC's betas aren't public, either.

Roman

André Martin · Post by *André Martin » 2003-02-16, 13:23 UTC

Yes - but that is what I wrote - didn't I express it correctly?!?
Btw. what about a Slovakian translation...?
Doing the translation = becoming a betatester of my plugin

It is a great opportunity to make this plugin usable for everyone in your country who does not understand English!

Post by *Hacker » 2003-02-16, 13:44 UTC

Yes - but that is what I wrote - didn't I express it correctly?!?

Well, looking at it again, it is ambiguous. Eg
This car is not a cabriolet like all the other cars.
usually means all the other cars are cabriolets, at least in English. Rather use "just", as in
This car is not a cabriolet, just like all the other cars.

Btw. what about a Slovakian translation...?

I can try, but I can not promise you anything in terms of time, as I am not familiar with your plugin.
My email address is thehackerAThostDOTsk.

It is a great opportunity to make this plugin usable for everyone in your country who does not understand English!

Who says I am not one of them?

TIA
Roman

André Martin · Post by *André Martin » 2003-02-16, 19:43 UTC

Yes - you are right - it's clearer...
Btw. I would like to say thanks to the following people who already did translations for the following languages:

English = myself

German = myself
Russian = Ajax
Swedish = Leif Larsson

Nigurrath · Post by *Nigurrath » 2003-02-16, 21:39 UTC

@André Martin

if you need you can contact me for italian translation. The address is in the profile of this forum.

pdavit · Post by *pdavit » 2003-02-16, 22:18 UTC

I’m available for the Greek translation if you like! You can find my email address here! Oh, you may actually want to contact Ben Hub who is another member of this forum and was willing to make a translation for my menu file for TC in French.

Tsunulukai · Post by *Tsunulukai » 2003-02-16, 23:12 UTC

I'm OK to make the french translation

pdavit · Post by *pdavit » 2003-02-16, 23:34 UTC

Extract from the file install.txt of the POP3/SMTP EmailPlugin 1.1 for Total Commander:
[face=courier]
Upgrade instructions for filesystem plugin users:
=================================================

For TC 5.51 users:
* Please add the "[POP3/SMTP EmailPlugin - Connections]" header above the
first line of your connections in your IniFile.
* Copy the full IniFile contents (header & connections) and place it in the
shared "fsplugins.ini" IniFile which is located in the same directory as
your "TotalCmd.ini" file.
* The "wcx_pop3.ini" is not used anymore and can be deleted.[/face]

Call me stupid or perfectionist (yes sometimes there is a fine line between these two characterisations) but I personally find the above instructions a bit misleading and I would like to ask you the following:

1. Is the term "Upgrade" on the title the correct term? Do you actually mean "Settings" or "Configurations"?

2. "...first line of your connections in your IniFile."

Is that the wcx_ftp.ini file you mean and is the "connections" bit of the above phrase the [connections] section of the wcx_ftp.ini file?

3. "...and place it in the shared "fsplugins.ini" IniFile which is located in the same directory as your "TotalCmd.ini" file."

Do you actually instruct us here to create the <fsplugins.ini> file? Because there is no such file located in the same directory as our "TotalCmd.ini" file or "wincmd.ini" for users upgrading as you mention here. At least there is not one during the installation process for all I know! If that's the case the term "place" applies on the fsplugins.ini file and not the contents of the text-copying step as you mention!

4. "The "wcx_pop3.ini" is not used anymore and can be deleted."

Wow! That's totally out of nowhere! When was in use before? Based on the instructions we didn't have to touch this file or its contents. We only had to install the dll file up to this point (for filesystem plugin users).
Following the instruction the wcx_pop3.ini file is now in the original archive of this plugin so why do (or can) we have to delete it?
And shouldn't be wfx_pop3.ini anyway since this bit of the instructions refer to filesystem users?

5. And one last thing. There is also the following text: “* Please read upgrade instructions below if you do not use TC 5.51 or upgraded from version 1.0!” as part of the instruction before the above extract I have included. Ok, this clearly specifies that we have to proceed with the “upgrade instructions” if either I do not use v5.51 OR upgraded from v1.0. I presume the later applies on this plugin. So, I am using v5.51 and it’s the first time I’m installing this plugin. So, basically I don’t have to follow the “Upgrade instructions for filesystem plugin users:” bit but on the hand the instructions continue with: “For TC 5.51 users:” which is even more confusing!

André Martin · Post by *André Martin » 2003-02-17, 01:49 UTC

Hi Panos,
the entire installation/upgrading process of my plugin is a bit confusing and really complex that's why I decided to write an installer which does the whole job for you (this installer will be released with version 1.2).

1.&2.) Version 1.0 had only one ini file called "wcx_pop3.ini" and looked this way:

Mailbox1=username1:password1@mail.domain1.com
Mailbox2=username2:password2@mail.domain2.com
...

so there was no requirement for sections heads. In version 1.1 I introduced section heads to seperate betweens the "connection"/mailboxes and the settings - so the new ini file looks now like this:

[POP3/SMTP EmailPlugin - Settings]
FileExtension=.eml
APOPAuthentication=0
...
[POP3/SMTP EmailPlugin - Connections]
Mailbox1=username1:password1@mail.domain1.com
Mailbox2=username2:password2@mail.domain2.com
...

...so if you upgrade you need to add at least the "[POP3/SMTP EmailPlugin - Connections]" section head otherwise the plugin won't recognize your connections/mailboxes...

If the plugin recognizes that you are using TC5.51 then it tries to load and save its settings from/to the shared ini file for fsplugins. Thats why you need to copy the stuff from above in the shared inifile...
The old "wcx_pop3.ini" is logically not used anymore and can be deleted.
3.) If you use TC5.51 and you cannot find the shared ini "fsplugin.ini" then you need to create it first and then copy the contents to it or my plugin will create it automatically as soos as you add a new connection/mailbox or change some settings...
If you are not using TC5.51 then your settings will be read/saved from/to the "wfx_pop3.ini" file - in this case you need to rename the "wcx_pop3.ini" to "wfx_pop3.ini".

4.) The "wcx_pop3.ini" file in the archive is for the packer version which you should use if you have Windows Commander without filesystem support.
So you have to distinguish between WFX, WCX, TC Version and the plugin Version: Here is short summarize:

Version 1.0 with all TC versions:
=====================
Name of IniFile: FS=wcx_pop3.ini PA=(no ini file)
Location: Installfolder of TC/WC

Version 1.1 with TC 5.50 or older:
======================
Name of IniFile: FS=wfx_pop3.ini PA=wcx_pop3.ini
Location: Installfolder of TC/WC

Version 1.1 with TC 5.51 or newer:
======================
Name of IniFile: FS=fsplugins.ini PA=pkplugins.ini
Location: Same folder as TotalCmd.ini/Wincmd.ini

5.) This applies only when you upgraded from Version 1.0 and use TC5.51.

I hope it is clearer now what I meant with the upgrade instructions...

Maxwish · Post by *Maxwish » 2003-02-17, 10:22 UTC

mail sent for Dutch translation

pdavit · Post by *pdavit » 2003-02-17, 13:50 UTC

the entire installation/upgrading process of my plugin is a bit confusing and really complex that's why I decided to write an installer which does the whole job for you (this installer will be released with version 1.2).

I can’t wait for the release!

If the plugin recognizes that you are using TC5.51 then it tries to load and save its settings from/to the shared ini file for fsplugins. Thats why you need to copy the stuff from above in the shared inifile...

Is what you call “shared inifile” the fsplugins.ini file? If yes, why don’t you specify the file name instead of saying “shared inifile”! I might sound rude but believe me I’m not. It’s just the syntax of the language that confuses me and the preference of terminology over the specific things. For first time users like me it’s confusing. For users that have followed the evolution of this plug-in they all know what the “shared inifile” is and where to find it!

5.) This applies only when you upgraded from Version 1.0 and use TC5.51.

Then the phrase: “Please read upgrade instructions below if you do not use TC 5.51 or upgraded from version 1.0!” should read: “Please read upgrade instructions below if you do use TC 5.51 and upgraded from version 1.0!”

To sum up, my problem is not the complexity of the installation but the use of the English language in the instructions. And that is not grammatically. Believe me your English is perfect. But as I said above it’s rather your preference of terminology over the specific things!

Any way, I think I’ll wait for v1.2 before installing. To avoid similar confusion problems I suggest to have in your website many zip files one for each version a user uses with only the files needed other than having one zip file for all possible versions a user might have. That will reduce the complexity dramatically! It’s like MS Windows. You don’t buy an upgrade CD with all the versions included and configure respectively but you buy the upgrade for your system only.

André Martin · Post by *André Martin » 2003-02-19, 00:15 UTC

Hi Panos,
sorry for this late response but your post should not stay unanswered:
Yes - the shared ini file = fsplugin.ini - the terminology is used in the official fsplugin interface description and shared means that also other fsplugins are allowed to save their settings in this file...
Re: 5.) "Please read upgrade instructions below if you do not use TC 5.51 or upgraded from version 1.0!" is correct because TC 5.50 user need to copy the "wfx_pop3.ini" file to their TC Install dir if they install the plugin the first time. But the and conjunction in the "Please read upgrade instructions below if you do use TC 5.51 and upgraded from version 1.0!" sentence does not imply this fact...
Btw. because of several bugfixes I recommend to install v.1.1 instead of waiting for v.1.2...
...
The Installer will reduces the complexity by installing only the files you need...