How to Create a Language File for MyPhoneExplorer

Updated

To create a language file for MyPhoneExplorer, email the author ([email protected]) before you start translating, then edit or build an INI-style file with the .lng extension — the author recommends the free tool Initranslator over Notepad. The email step exists so the author can check whether someone else is already working on your language, which prevents two people from producing competing translations of the same file.

Before you start

  • Contact the author first. Send a short mail stating which language you intend to translate. The author checks for an existing translation in progress and replies before you invest time.
  • Know the file type. A language file is an INI file whose extension is .lng.
  • Choose your editor. Notepad can technically open and edit .lng files, but the author explicitly recommends Initranslator for the job.

Step-by-step

  1. Send the coordination email. Write briefly to [email protected] with the language name. Wait for confirmation that no one else is assigned to it.
  2. Obtain a base file. Start from an existing language file so the key structure is already in place; you translate the values rather than inventing keys.
  3. Open the file in Initranslator. Load the .lng file into the tool. Its interface is built for editing translation strings, which is why it is preferred over a plain text editor.
  4. Translate the values. Work through the entries, keeping the INI structure intact — section headers and keys stay as they are; only the displayed text changes.
  5. Save with the .lng extension. Preserve the INI format exactly; a renamed or reformatted file will not be read as a language file.
  6. Test in MyPhoneExplorer. Select your language file in the program's options and check that the interface displays your translations correctly.

What to watch for

  • Do not skip the email. Starting without it risks duplicating work that the author already knows about.
  • Keep the INI structure. Editing with Notepad makes it easy to break a section header or key by accident; Initranslator reduces that risk.
  • Verify before submitting. Load the file in the application and scan the interface for untranslated or truncated strings before sending it back.

Related file: holiday files

The same page documents holiday files, which follow a different format and are worth knowing if you are also localizing calendar behavior:

  • Holiday files use the extension .dat and are stored in the holidays folder (typically C:\Programs\MyPhoneExplorer\holidays).
  • Each line is one holiday with three |-separated values: name, 1 for an official holiday (markets closed) or 0 otherwise, and a date value.
  • Date values support fixed dates (0101), Easter-relative dates (ES, EES), year-specific dates (03052006), day offsets (ES -46 for Ash Wednesday), and weekday rules (0101 +3 MO for the third Monday in January).
  • The author asks that completed holiday files be sent in so they can be included in future versions, after checking they work across several years.

Both file types are community contributions coordinated by the author, so the same courtesy applies: check in first, test your work, and share the result.