Using Language-Independent Templates

Language-independent HTML templates work together with language resource files.

Whenever possible, HTML templates should be language-independent, because this reduces the maintenance overhead when you have to make changes. This means that they should contain no language-specific elements such as hard-coded texts or URLs for language-specific objects.

Language-specific elements should be stored in the appropriate language resource files. You can then insert placeholders known as resource keys in the HTML template. At runtime, the Internet Transaction Server (ITS) replaces the placeholders with a translation text taken from the language resource file for the logon language. You can use these placeholders for nearly all HTML objects (simple text, URLs, field names, and so on).

The file name of a language-independent HTML template contains no language indicator.

The file name of a language-specific HTML template contains a language indicator for the relevant language.

Language resource files for a service always have language indicators. For example, the name of the English language resource file for the service aww1 would be:

When executing a transaction, the ITS must determine how to handle the language texts for the HTML template. To do this, it:

1. Searches for an HTML template with the relevant language extension in the file name.

   If such a template exists, the ITS uses it without a language resource file.

2. Searches for a template with no language extension in the file name, and a language resource file for the current logon language.

   Here, the ITS uses language-independent HTML templates in this and all subsequent procedures.

3. Uses HTML templates with no language extension, and no language resource file.

   In this case, the ITS assumes that the HTML templates have no texts needing translation.