Bugs and how to handle them

[Frans]

Hi Jan,

To be honest, i am using your plugins/modules as a base for a few years now with great satisfaction and yes, adding my own functionality based on needs. Sometimes i find the things or solutions right here on the board, most of the time i just rewrite parts of the module myself and that is also fine.

Latest Download component (3.0.3) which has a Dutch translation dated june 2014 is, well, horrible to say the least. It has lines like "Meest gedownloaden bestanden" as translation... not once but many many times... which translates to something like "most downlodeded files" and it wonders me that no one ever before made a remark about it. This seems a problem with more things (e.g. #phoca-dl-categories-box .row, #phoca-dl-category-box .row need a margin of 0, NOT -10px in bootstrap layout) and these are just a few very simple examples.

I have been changing these simple things regularly with each and every download in my custom.css and the lang files, making a custom com_phocadownload etc. but is there a way to have these things changed in the standard download? How are these "bugs" (and i know, these aren't all bugs but for the sake of it, just let's call them bugs as a group) handled, how do you want things changed, or dont you want things changed (considering that the dutch translation is from 2014) ??

Furthermore, keep up the good work, as said, the base of the modules and plugins is great and i will be using them with great pleasure!

[Jan]

Hi, will be great you can add specific examples here, so I can add them to bug list and solve them in next release. I can take a look at it except the dutch translation, I don't speak dutch so this must be updated/fixed/maintained by dutch speaking users.

So in case you are dutch speaking user, and you are able to fix it or update it, will be great to get the up-to-date copy.

Thank you,
Jan

[Frans]

Hi Jan,

I am currently starting with another fresh installation. I will use this thread to (at least) give you updates for the translation (Dutch) and any other things i will find... ;-)

Thanks for thinking with me!

[Frans]

Q: besides numerous identical words and senctences in the language files, did anyone ever check these files? No, i am not being negative but again, i am just taking the first 4 lines from the latest en_GB.com_phocadownload.sys.ini

;[3.0.2]
COM_PHOCADOWNLOAD_DOWNLOAD_LAYOUT="Download View"
COM_PHOCADOWNLOAD_DOWNLOAD_LAYOUT_DESC="This view displays link of file to download (File which is accessible by unique download URL)"
COM_PHOCADOWNLOAD_DOWNLOAD_GROUP="Download View"
COM_PHOCADOWNLOAD_DOWNLOAD_GROUP_DESC="This view displays link of file to download (File which is accessible by unique download URL)"

It seems to me that the latter 2 variables are completely wrong OR completely obsolete. And again, these are just the first 4 lines...

;-)

[Jan]

Hi, what you exactly mean with "latter 2 variables"? These variables are used in backend in menu link manager.

Jan

[Frans]

I mean, why are you using 2 different variables: COM_PHOCADOWNLOAD_DOWNLOAD_LAYOUT & COM_PHOCADOWNLOAD_DOWNLOAD_GROUP with the exact same translation.

The same goes for COM_PHOCADOWNLOAD_DOWNLOAD_LAYOUT_DESC & COM_PHOCADOWNLOAD_DOWNLOAD_GROUP_DESC, they are identical. (and there are many more in your language files)

Why not use, inside your code, the same variable?

Code: Select all

JText::_( 'COM_PHOCADOWNLOAD_DOWNLOAD_LAYOUT' )

;-)

[Jan]

Hi, it comes from Joomla! historical features, these strings are a part of menu link feature of Joomla! menu manager:

components\com_phocadownload\views\download\metadata.xml
components\com_phocadownload\views\download\tmpl\default.xml

Even they have the same translation, it is not rule that both have the same translation - they can be different.

Changing it breaks backward compatibility and there is no more possibility to have different strings for different parts.

Mostly such strings are included in all translations so why to change them and break the backward compatibility?

Jan

[Frans]

I think that people using < 2.5 do need to upgrade, for one, but these are stings and vars added for versions 3.0.2 so there is no backward compatibility oir you added them because they were missing in version 2.5 and even then it isn't even worth bothering to translate them.

My opinion is that you really need to take a very good module/plugin and draw a line I support 2.5 and 3.x and everything before that is obsolete..... Maybe i am saying it difficult (not native english) but i thing we both have the same problem ;-)

[Jan]

But I really don't understand what exactly is the problem? When you display categories and files on your website, do the strings somehow influence the displaying on your site?

Jan

[Frans]

No Jan, i have been reading your answer for a few times now and removed my answer time and again.

If you haven't understood my point then it's ok. I am always coding without any overhead in a neat an clean way. I like your modules, i like your plugins and i like your ideas but there are a lot of things i think that can be done better, starting with the overhead inside of your language files but if the simplest example i give you: 2 identical strings inside the latest version 3.02 of phocadownload (version 2014) is "normal" then i rest my case and i won't be putting any energy in it. I have already translated my own plugins and modules to the latest version of Dutch so i am covered. Thanks for your replies, i wish you all the best with your excellent work! ;-)

Topic is solved.