# Prepare an application for language switching

Before you can switch application languages, you need prepare the application for language switching.

## To prepare an application for language switching

1. In Windows, set up locale formatting and the fonts that the application is to support.
2. Create, import, or open the application and specify a language in the Language box on the New tab. This language becomes the application's default language and can be used to show otherwise undefined text strings.
3. Use the Language Configuration dialog box to add languages to the application. Any one of these languages can be designated as the default language.
4. Specify the text strings for the application's graphic objects and messages.
5. Create a language switch button for each language that the application will switch to, and assign a language to each button.

   Tip: | The captions on language switch buttons change when the operator switches languages at run time. To make the buttons identifiable besides the caption, you can color-code the buttons, or add flags to identify the language associated with each button.

6. Use the Language Configuration dialog box to export the text strings from the application to a Unicode text file or a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
7. Translate the text strings in the exported file into each of the languages the application will use at run time.
8. Use the Language Configuration dialog box to import the edited file for each language into the application.
9. Open the application and switch languages using the Change Application Language dialog box to check the layout of the translated text.
10. Create the runtime application, specifying the startup language and the languages that the operator can switch to.

## See also

Language switching

Windows locale formatting and fonts

Language Configuration dialog box

Export text strings

Switch application languages at design time