Advanced Setup

Idiom Frequently asked questions

Advanced Setup?

This chapter outlines the additional setup you need to do to take advantage of the WorldServer advanced features. The setup steps in this chapter are not required to create a project in WorldServer; however, the functionality enabled by completing this setup allows you to optimize your content globalization process through WorldServer. Complete the setup for each advanced WorldServer feature that you want to use.

Creating User Types
A user's user type determines what WorldServer functionality that user can access. You may want to have multiple levels of access, based on the user's function in the globalization process. For example, you may not want to allow a translator to have the ability to modify the translation memory. The user type allows you to specify on a granular level what the users of that type can access. You create user types in Management > User Setup > User Types. You specify a user's user type in Management > User Setup > Users.
By default, WorldServer provides an Administrator user type, which allows access to all functionality, and a Translator user type, which allows access to functionality that a Translator would typically need. You can modify these user types or create new user types.

Creating Content Categories
The content categories you create in Management > AIS Categories > Content Categories are used for the WorldServer Content Wizard on the Home tab. When you create/upload an asset using the Content Wizard, you are presented with the content categories to determine the type of asset. This is also where you point to WorldServer entry forms you may have created.

Creating Entry Forms
Entry Forms forms allow inputting and editing of content with the aid of a custom HTML form, which can provide users with controls such as WYSIWYG editing, input validation, and content preview. In addition, Entry Forms provide a powerful means for administrators to integrate WorldServer content creation, editing, and validation with any of their existing systems.
WorldServer 6.5 introduces support for writing Entry Forms in Microsoft's .NET framework. A WorldServer DLL is provided which allows custom code to communicate with WorldServer in a much the same way that Java-based Entry Forms do.

Creating Workgroups
By default there is one workgroup that you can specify when creating a project. However, you can use multiple workgroups to indicate business units or related topic matter. This can help you track the progress of projects and issues related to a particular subject or business unit.

Example: Your e-commerce site has three distinct areas: personal computers, software, and computer accessories. You have different groups of people with expertise in each of these areas. Thus, you have a personal computers business unit, a software business unit, and an accessories business unit. You can create workgroups to correspond to each of these business units. When you create a project, you specify the appropriate workgroup. You can then use the "View" drop-down menu to sort the project and issues lists for your locales and workgroups.

You create workgroups in Management > User Setup > Workgroups.

Using Customization
You can customize certain components in Management > Administration > Customization.
The WorldServer online help provides detailed information about configuring and using these custom components. Idiom Professional Services can provide you with information about any additional custom components.

Setting up Default Workflows
The default workflow table (Management > Business Rule Linkage > Default Workflow Table) allows you to specify which workflow to use by default when globalizing a particular source asset for a particular target locale. Although this is merely a tool of convenience when manually creating a project, it is a necessity when creating a project automatically with a rule.

Creating Rules and Recurrences
A rule allows you to automate project creation and/or notification under specified circumstances. Create rules in Management > Business Rule Linkage > Rules. This reduces the amount of manual change checking and project creation a project manager has to do. It also insures that projects are created or notification sent on a regular basis to keep the globalization process up-to-date.
Rules can be executed manually or on a recurrence. A recurrence is a time schedule that you create in Management > Business Rule Linkage > Recurrences.

NOTE: If you plan to execute a rule on a recurrence, you need to create the recurrence first.

Example: You want to be notified and have a new project created for any new or changed assets in your top-level source folder (/Web/English). You want WorldServer to check for new or changed assets daily at midnight. First you set up default workflow for the source-target pairs about which you want to create a rule. Next you create a recurrence that specifies every day at 12:00 AM named "Daily-Midnight". Next you create a new rule that specifies what you want to occur. Your final rule will look something like: For all new or changed assets under /Web/English, initiate project New Material for locales German and French and workgroup default following default workflow and send notifications to user Admin (admin) about assets. Execute this rule on schedule Daily-Midnight.

The rules creation wizard walks you through the steps of creating a new rule.

NOTE: To have a rule automatically create a project, you need to have a default workflow specified for each source-target pair for which you are creating a project. Specify default workflow in the default workflow table.

By default, routine WorldServer maintenance tasks are performed daily at 1:00 a.m. If you want to perform these tasks more or less frequently or at a different time, you need to create a recurrence named GC_TASK (casesensitive) with the days and times you want to perform maintenance tasks.

Using AIS Masks
An Asset Interface System (AIS) Mask is a named collection or "basket" of other specific WorldServer objects that a WorldServer administrator
associates with an AIS mount or folder. When users access and process assets in that folder (or its sub-folders), WorldServer displays only the object instances that are defined in the associated AIS Mask.

Using AIS Triggers
AIS Triggers are actions invoked by an event in the AIS (save, create, etc.). AIS Triggers provide the ability to add custom extensions to the basic functionality. This mechanism acts as a notification engine when changes to AIS contents are made.
To use triggers, you do the following:

  • Install new triggers by uploading trigger action modules at Management > Administration > Customization.
  • Create instances of the trigger by specifying values for the trigger arguments in Management > Asset Interface System > AIS Triggers.
  • Specify the assets to which the triggers apply in Management > Asset Interface System > View and Change Properties.


Creating Workflow Roles
When creating workflow, you can specify individual users or workflow roles. Using workflow roles allows you to specify a group of users in a click as opposed to having to select each user. It also decreases your workflow maintenance, allowing you to reuse a workflow for multiple locales with multiple users. Create workflow roles in Management > Workflow > Workflow Roles.

Example: You work with several French, Spansh, and Japanese translators (each a member of the appropriate locale). You can create a Translator workflow role that includes all of your translators. Then you can design a workflow for translation projects that specifies this workflow role as the assignee instead of having to design three separate workflows, one for each locale. This allows you to reuse workflows for different locales. When you create a project that needs to be translated into the three languages, you can use the same workflow for the three projects (or project group).

NOTE: When a task is assigned to multiple users, one of the users claims the task to indicate that she will perform the necessary action (for example, translate) for the task.

Setting up Translation Memories
Translation memories make it easier to translate the same files as they change multiple times, ensuring consistency and reducing the time and cost of translation. When you translate an asset or task and save to translation memory, the source and target pairs populate the translation memory. When you translate those assets again, all unchanged source segments will have a 100% target match. The source segments that may have changed slightly will have a lower-scoring match that you can access in the Translation Workbench in the browser by clicking the translation memory button for the segment.
You can use the default WorldServer translation memory for all your assets, or you can create multiple translation memories to meet different needs. You set up translation memories in Management > Linguistic Tool Setup > Translation Memory Setup.

Example: If you are globalizing your corporate Web site, your intranet site, and your software, you could create a different translation memory for each globalization effort. This may help increase the amount of useful translation memory matches, and reduce inaccurate or inappropriate matches.

If you are using multiple translation memories, be sure to set the translation memory property for your top-level target assets in Management > Asset Interface System > View and Change Properties.

NOTE: Tools > Personal Preferences provides default settings for translation memory matches.

Creating TM Groups
TM groups are a means of associating multiple translation memories under a single organizational unit. A TM group offers the choice for looking up a text in multiple TMs at once.
A TM group consists of one of more "Lookup TMs", used for searching, and a single "Update TM" for saving translations. Each one of the Lookup TMs has a different priority within the TM group. The Update TM can be any of the TMs available in WorldServer, and does not need to belong to the group.

Example: Typically, TM groups are used for associating TMs of related languages like Spanish-Mexico or Spanish-Argentina, where it would be useful to perform lookups in more than one TM at once.
Another typical use is for grouping a read-only TM and a write-only TM. The read-only TM would be a master TM that has all entries reviewed and presumed to be correct. On the other hand, the write-only TM will hold only new translations that require review before being imported into the master TM

Setting up Term Databases
A term database allows you to manage standard terminology that must be translated in a particular way every time, such as a tag line or feature name. The term database is useful when you are translating in the Translation Workbench in the browser, where you can click the term database button for a particular segment to view applicable term database entries. You can also access term database entries from the Translation Workbench for Windows. This helps in translation consistency and efficiency.
You can use the default WorldServer term database for all your assets, or you can create multiple term databases to meet your needs. You set up term databases in Management > Linguistic Tool Setup > Term Database Setup.

Example: If you are globalizing your corporate Web site, your intranet site, and your software, you could create a different term database for each globalization effort. This may help increase the amount of useful term database matches, and reduce inaccurate or inappropriate matches.

If you are using multiple term databases, be sure to set the term database property for your top-level target assets in Management > Asset Interface Syste > View and Change Properties.

Creating TD Groups
TD groups are a means of associating multiple term databases under a single organizational unit. A TD group offers the choice for looking up a text in multiple TDs at once.
A TD group consists of one of more "Lookup TDs", used for searching, and a single "Update TD" for saving entries. Each one of the Lookup TDs has a different priority within the TD group. The Update TD can be any of the TDs available in WorldServer, and does not need to belong to the group.

Scoping Configuration
When you create a cost model for scoping, you specify the cost per word for each translation memory matched segment category. That is, you fill in a cost (if any) for words with ICE (in-context exact) match, 100% match, a cost for words with 75%-99% match, and so on.
You can configure the ranges that appear when creating a cost model and when scoping an asset or task. There is always a category for 100% matched segments. You can change the default scoping categories in Management > Linguistic Tool Setup > Scoping Configuration.

NOTE: If you choose to change the default configuration, you must do so before creating cost models and projects. Any cost models and scoping information created prior to changing the scoping configuration will be unusable.

Setting up Cost Models
When you determine the cost (with the scoping tool) of a project, folder, or asset, you select a cost model. You can determine the word count scope without a cost model. You can create multiple cost models to meet your needs (for example, if you have multiple translation vendors with different pricing). Set up cost models in Management > Linguistic Tool Setup > Cost Model Setup. In addition, you can configure the ranges that appear when creating a cost model and when scoping an asset or task.

Configuring Filters
You can configure some aspects of the markup filters in Management > Linguistic Tool Setup > Filter Configurations. You can have multiple filters configured for each filter type.

Changing Properties
All WorldServer folders and assets have properties. A folder or asset's properties determine the associated locale, the translation memory that is used during translation, the term database in which you search from the translation workbench, and other behavior. The Change Properties dialog box is where you set and modify properties for your folders and assets (Management > Asset Interface System > View and Change Properties).
For each property, a folder or asset has one of the following values:

  • No value
  • An inherited value (the default), which means that the folder or asset derives the value for that property from its hierarchical parent
  • An explicit value, which means the folder or asset has a different value than its hierarchical parent


You only need to associate the top-level folder or asset for each property. You do not need to explicitly set properties for sub-folders or assets since they will automatically inherit the property from the parent.

Creating Useful Links
Useful links are URLs that are displayed on the Home tab. You can provide links to corporate style guides, glossaries, and the like. Useful links are accessible to specified locales and workgroups. Configure useful links in Management > Administration > Useful Link Setup.

Configuring Email
You configure the email a user receives for new tasks, issues, and notifications (as set in their personal preferences) in Management > Administration > Email. To take advantage of email notification, specify the message text, who the email is from, and the SMTP server. In addition, for email notification to function, valid email addresses must be specified for users (Management > User Setup > Users), and users must have email enabled in Tools > Personal Preferences (default setting).

Setting up Personal Preferences
Each user has a set of personal preferences. You can only set your own preferences. You can choose a variety of personal preferences for email notification, user interface appearance, translation memory matches, and others. Personal preferences are configured in Tools > Personal Preferences.

Visual SourceSafe Integration
WorldServer uses workflow steps to automatically check files out of Visual SourceSafe when translation begins, and back into Visual SourceSafe when it is complete. These workflow steps only work on a Windows platform. Visual SourceSafe integration requires an additional Idiom license key.

Configuration
All Visual SourceSafe parameters are configured general.properties (typically C:\Program Files\Idiom WorldServer\tomcat\webapps\ws\WEBINF\classes\config\general.properties). The following values need to be configured:

  • vss_ss - The full path of the ss.exe Visual SourceSafe command line tool.
  • vss_username - The name of the user that WorldServer will check files in and out of Visual SourceSafe as. Baxter set up the idiom user (local user on gold) for this purpose.
  • vss_password - The password for the user that WorldServer will check files in and out of Visual SourceSafe as.


Below is a sample configuration:
# Visual SourceSafe configuration
vss_ss=C:/Program Files/Microsoft Visual Studio/VSS/win32/SS.EXE
vss_username=
vss_password=


NOTE: You need to restart WorldServer any time that you make a change to general.properties for it to take effect.

Check-Out
This automatic step checks a source or target file out of Visual SourceSafe (VSS). If the file does not exist in VSS, WorldServer will automatically create subprojects as needed and add the file to the VSS database. If the target file does not exist on the file system, WorldServer will automatically create an empty file in the appropriate target directory. Below is a summary of the step's parameters and return values.

  • Parameters:
    • Project - The path of the project in VSS. I.e. $/Foo/src/main/web/ias.
    • Version - Specify a 0 to check in the source asset and a 1 to check in the target
      asset.
  • Return Values:
    • Done - The file was checked out successfully.
    • Skip - The asset was not a file (i.e. a database record.)


Check-In
This automatic step checks a source or target file into Visual SourceSafe. If the file is not checked out, the step is skipped. Below is a summary of the step's parameters and return values.

  • Parameters:
    • Project - The path of the project in VSS. I.e. $/Foo/src/main/web/ias.
    • Version - Specify a 0 to check in the source asset and a 1 to check in the target asset.
  • Return Values
    • Done - The file was checked in successfully. If the file is not checked out, the step is skipped and is considered successful.
    • Skip - The asset was not a file (i.e. a database record.)


VSS and WorldServer on Separate Servers
VSS check-in/out can work with WorldServer running on one server, and the VSS database running on another. Please do the following:

  • Set the SSDIR environment variable (on the server that WorldServer is running on) to \\server\share\vss.
    Where \\server\share\vss is the folder where the srcsafe.ini file for the VSS database is located.
  • Restart WorldServer.


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