Localization

About Localization

Localization is the process whereby a user interacts with platform using their preferred language and data formats.

The AgileApps Cloud platform Locale Settings provide a choice of data formats:

• My Settings > Locale Information - Formats chosen by the user for dates, times, and numbers, plus language.
• User Settings - Formats set for the user by the admin.
• Company Information Settings - Default user formats, and the Currency format, which can be changed only by an admin.

Considerations

• If a user's permissions don't allow them to change their personal settings, then the default settings chosen by the company are effectively fixed.

Working with Localized Values

The format you'll be working with depends on the type of data, and the context in which the data is used.

The following table summarizes the situations. Details are in the sections that follow.

		Dates and Times	Numbers and Currency
GUI	Search Filter Criteria Web Forms Record Identifiers	User Format	Database Format
	all other	User Format
Import		Import Format	Database Format
Export		User Format	Database Format
Formulas and Rules		User Format	Database Format
Java API		User Format	Database Format
JavaScript		User Format
REST API		Database Format
Velocity Templates		User Format

Interface Interactions

When working with the platform GUI, data is typically displayed and entered in User Format, as determined by the user's Locale Settings. In particular, those settings are used for:

• Dates and times
• Numeric data (currencies, numbers, numbers with decimals, and percentage values)
• Formula Fields that return numeric data
• Rollup Summary Fields that accumulate numeric data

There are exceptions, however:

• When specifying numeric values that will be used in a direct comparison against database data.
  In those cases, the Database Format must be used:

• Entering Search data
• Specifying Filter Criteria for a View

• Numeric data entered in Web Forms must also be in Database Format.

• Numeric data that is displayed as part of a Record Identifier appears in Database Format.

Note: Dates and Times are always specified in the User's preferred format, regardless of context.

Rules and Formulas

In Rules, and when uing the Formula Builder to specify default field values and computed fields:

• Date and Time values must be specified in User Format
• Numeric values must be specified in Database Format

Imports and Exports

These formats are used for imports:

• Numeric values are in Database Format
• Date and Time values are in a fixed Import Format: YYYY-MM-DD [HH:mm:ss]

As an option, when imported numeric data is in the user's localized format:

• A Pre-Import Rule can be used to convert the incoming numeric values to Database Format.
• To do that, The Java Localization Functions are used. A method must be defined to invoke them in a Java Class, The method can then be invoked by a Rule action to convert the numeric data.
• Or you can save yourself the effort by ensuring that incoming numeric data is in Database Format to start with.)

For exports:

• Numeric values are in Database Format
• Date and Time values are in User Format

Java Programming

Most Java programming entails dealing with the database, which means that data provided in the APIs and returned from them are in Database Format -- except for dates and times, which are in User Format, unless the Field Type is as entered, rather than auto-convert.

However, in a JSP Page, data entered by a user will generally be localized, as will the data displayed to the user. To convert between those user format and the database format, use the Java Localization APIs.

Note: The localization format is determined by the user who invokes the conversion method. So the same method produces appropriate results for different users.

REST Programming

When using the REST API, all data is specified in Database Format:

Field	Format
Date, DateTime, Time	UTC Format
Currency, Number, Number with Decimal, Percent	No currency symbol or percent sign No grouping characters (e.g. commas) in whole-number portion A decimal point (.) before fractional portion Ex: 84954.32
Lookup	The Record ID of a record in the target object. Ex: 123A456B78
Multi Object Lookup	An Object ID, to identify the target object, a colon, and a Record ID. Ex: 849Z:123A456B78

JavaScript Programming

In general, when coding Field Scripts and Form Scripts, form data will be in the User Format. Coders need to be aware of that fact when doing conversions and calculations, and when entering data into the form -- as the platform expects data coming from the form to be in that format.

However, if the code uses AJAX and REST to interact with the platform, the data going to the platform must be in Database Format, as will the data coming back. That format applies to dates and times, as well as numeric data.

To convert between the formats, use the JavaScript Localization Functions.

Template Programming

For a JSP Page-based template, the Java API described above is used to access record data. In that context, Java rules apply.

In other templates, the Velocity programming language is used.

Most template variables are simply inserted into the template, for inclusion in the final document. Template variable data, therefore, is in User Format. However, sophisticated template developers may use conditions to vary the template content based on record data.

When coding a conditional comparison in Velocity, the condition needs to account for the fact that the record data is in User Format. The mechanism for doing so is the Document Template Class, which lets you preprocess the list of data values, adding to it and modifying as needed, before it is seen by the template.

Note: Data preprocessing is not supported in Email Templates.

With such a class, you can add a new template variable to the record, using the Java Localization Functions to convert record data to Database Format. The template can then use the same format for the comparison value, so you wind up comparing apples to apples.

Of course, you could also convert the comparison value into User Format, and compare oranges to oranges. But then the comparison value would be embedded in the code, where it is harder to change. So the recommended approach is to convert the user data to Database Format.

Learn more:

• Customizing Data Sent to the Template with a Document Template Class
• Localizing a Comparison Value