topic Best way to localize addons? in Archicad C++ API

Best way to localize addons?

Carrast — Wed, 28 May 2025 13:16:48 GMT

Hello everyone,

I was always thinking if there's a better way to do this.. I have 2 versions of my addon, international and german. I have the two .grc files:

Resources\RINT\addon_int.grc

Resources\RGER\addon_ger.grc

You cannot set up preprocessor definitions in .grc files neither in your Resources\RFIX-win\AddOn_Main.rc2 file, it simply doesn't work. However the here included ("#include "addon_int.grc.rc2") file will be later built in your addon. So you have to open this AddOn_Main.rc2 every time and comment out/set up your desired .grc.rc2 file:

it has to be look like this:

#include "addon_int.grc.rc2" //#include "addon_ger.grc.rc2" #include "addon_fix.grc.rc2"

If you include both, your resources will conflict each other.

Manually change lines in your "addon.vcxproj" where your resources will compile help you neither.

Any suggestions?

Re: Best way to localize addons?

Oleg — Wed, 28 May 2025 13:53:11 GMT

Just a remark not about localization, but about preprocessor definitions of the resource compiler.
Actually I think rc.exe supports preprocessor definitions in a command line.

It should work, for commanf line of AddOn_Main.rc2, like
rc /dGER (+ other options)

#if defined (GER)
#include "addon_ger.grc.rc2"

#else
#include "addon_int.grc.rc2"
#endif

Re: Best way to localize addons?

BerndSchwarzenbacher — Wed, 28 May 2025 13:54:57 GMT

Hi Carrast,

I also have most of my Add-Ons in English & German. I'm using this CMake template (but forked a few years ago and adapted since): https://github.com/GRAPHISOFT/archicad-addon-cmake

The CMakeLists.txt sets the resource path to a language specific directory "RINT" / "RGER" as you have it. But in this directories, the resource file has the same name! So it's "RINT/addon.grc" and "RGER/addon.grc" then in the "RFIX.win/AddOnMain.rc2" the file is included as "addon.grc.rc2".

Maybe adapting this to your setup could work too?

Hope that helps,

Bernd

Re: Best way to localize addons?

Carrast — Fri, 30 May 2025 11:28:41 GMT

Thank you Bernd!

This was the solution!

You have to configure your .vcxproj a bit (change the ..\ComplieResources.py INT to GER) but then it's working!

Best regards!