String Factory User Manual
Introduction
String Factory is a tool designed for processing bilingual files of major translation software applications – particularly (but not exclusively) for replacing ordinary spaces with non-breaking spaces in text strings defined in built-in search expression files.
For example, the sentence “String Factory 1.0 requires Windows 7 or later”, when processed, will become “String Factory°1.0 requires Windows°7 or later”, where the “°“ symbol represents an invisible non-breaking space.
However, because String Factory is based on powerful technology called regular expressions, you can actually use it for any batch find and replace operations you like, provided that you know at least some basics about how to write your own regular expressions. The software itself is provided with built-in sets of regular expressions for different languages and these sets, if needed, can be further modified, updated or used as a template for creating new sets from scratch.
Installing/updating String Factory
Installing for the first time
When you install String Factory and launch it for the very first time (initial installation), it starts a fully functional 30-day trial version, installs built-in search expression files on your disk drive and sets default preferences (Edit > Preferences).
Updating existing installation
When you update the current version of String Factory to a new version all your search expression files and your configuration stay intact and no files get rewritten, modified or deleted. The update installs new built-in search expression files for languages you don’t have on your disk drive.
Rewriting existing search expression files
A new version of String Factory may contain modified built-in search expression files. Search expression files that you don’t have stored on your disk drive will be installed automatically but if you want to update a built-in expression file that you already have installed and stored in the default search expression file folder (usually System Drive:\\Users\[your username]\Documents\Orbivox\String Factory) you have to delete or rename this file and run the Edit > Install Missing Search Expression Files command.
Search expression files
String Factory processes files with the help of so called regular expressions or regexes. Regex is a sequence of characters that define a search pattern used for find and replace operations on text strings. Regular expressions that String Factory uses for its functionality are contained in special SFR files, for purposes of this manual called “search expression files”.
Default global search expressions
When you launch String Factory for the first time only one search expression file named Global.sfr is loaded. This file contains regular expressions for basic strings commonly used across many languages, such as numbers with their measurement units (e.g. 10 km, 2 in, 8 GB, 3 mA, etc.), compound product names (e.g. iPhone X, Windows 10, Boeing 747, etc.), groups of digits (e.g. 1 000 000.123 456), mathematical operators (e.g. 10 + 10 = 20), and more. This file should be kept loaded and selected if you want to be able to replace spaces for these common strings.
Loading a search expression file
As a next step you need to load a search expression file for your own particular language. Click the Load Search Expressions button in the bottom right corner of String Factory window or click the File > Load Search Expressions menu. In the Open dialog box automatically opened to the folder with built-in search expression files choose the file for your language and click Open. The file loads into the list of loaded search expression files and becomes active. String Factory will use all regular expressions in all active files for processing your translated files.
Unloading a search expression file
If you want to remove a search expression file from the list of search expression files, click the Unload button next to the corresponding file. The file will be removed from the list but it won’t be physically deleted from your hard drive and you can load it again when needed.
Editing/viewing a search expression file
Search expression files are plain text files editable in Notepad. Click the View/Edit button next to the corresponding file to open it in Notepad where you can view its search expressions and potentially make changes. There are websites like regex101.com where you can test your regular expressions before you start using them.
WARNING!!!
Modifying search expressions can lead to a loss of your work. Always test your modifications on a copy of your translated files first and only use them on your working files when you are 100% sure that everything works as expected. Orbivox doesn’t take any responsibility for a loss of your work caused by inexpert and untested modifications of search expressions.
Processing bilingual files
When everything is set up and all necessary search expression files are loaded you can start processing your translated bilingual files.
IMPORTANT!!!
Before you start processing your files, they must be saved and closed in their respective software application.
Supported file formats
String Factory supports the following files:
Trados Studio project files (SDLPROJ)
Trados Studio bilingual files (SDLXLIFF)
Trados TagEditor bilingual files (TTX)
Memsource bilingual files (MXLIFF)
Wordfast project files (WF4 and SFC)
Wordfast bilingual files (TXLF)
Processing project files means handling all bilingual files belonging to the project at once.
Opening files to process
You can open files you want to process in three ways:
1. Drag and drop file(s) to the String Factory window (most convenient and recommended method).
2. Click the Open button and browse for your file(s) using File Explorer.
3. Click the File > Open Bilingual Files menu and browse for your file(s) using File Explorer.
Once the files are successfully loaded to String Factory the Open button changes to the Start button. Click Start to begin processing your files. After the process is completed, you will see the success message and you can close String Factory by clicking the Exit button.
Handling locked segments
As a default String Factory processes only unlocked segments of your bilingual files. You can change this behavior by clicking Edit > Preferences and enabling/disabling the relevant option.
IMPORTANT!!!
Please consider changing these settings carefully as clients you work for usually don't want the locked segments to be touched at all. Always consult the possibility of processing locked segments with your clients.
Saving backup copies
As a default String Factory creates backup copies of your bilingual files. You can change this behavior by clicking Edit > Preferences and enabling/disabling the relevant option.
Licensing
String Factory is a subscription product that needs to be activated using a purchased license key. One license key can be used on two computers simultaneously. If you want to use your license key on another computer when two instances of String Factory are already activated with this license key, you need to deactivate String Factory on one of the computers first in order to activate it somewhere else.
Activating license key
Click Help > Activation Manager to open the Activation Manager window. Enter your license key and registration email and click Activate. If the license key is not expired, String Factory activates and is fully functional. If the license key is expired, String Factory switches to the demo mode and you need to extend the license key or buy a new one.
Deactivating license key
Click Help > Activation manager to open the Activation Manager window. Click Deactivate. String Factory deactivates and either runs the remaining trial period (if applicable) or switches to the demo mode.
Resetting license key activations
If you want to activate your license key on a new computer and two instances of your license key have already been activated then you need to deactivate String Factory on one of the computers first in order to activate it somewhere else. If you no longer have access to the computer you want to deactivate your license from you can reset all license key activations while trying to activate its third instance.
Click Help > Activation Manager and enter your license key and registration email. Click Activate and if String Factory finds out that two instances of this license key are already activated a dialog box appears asking you if you want to reset all activations for this given license key. If you click Reset this particular license key gets deactivated on all your computers and you can activate it again on any two computers you like.
Modifying regular expressions (advanced users)
WARNING!!!
Modifying regular expressions can lead to a loss of your work. Always test your modifications on a copy of your translated files first and only use them on your working files when you are 100% sure that everything works as expected. Orbivox doesn’t take any responsibility for a loss of your work caused by inexpert and untested modifications of search expressions.
Search expression file structure
String Factory search expression files containing regular expressions (regex patterns) are plain text files with the *.sfr extension editable in Notepad. Search expressions consist of two parts:
1. The "find" part containing the regex pattern used for searching for text strings
and
2. The "replace" part containing the regex pattern used for replacing the text strings found by the "find" part.
Both parts of the search expression must begin with the initial FIND or REPLACE keyword followed by a double colon :: and the regular expression itself enclosed between straight quotes.
Example:
FIND::"(Windows) (\d)"
REPLACE::"$1 $2"
The above example finds all instances of the word Windows followed with a space and a numeral, such as "Windows 7", and replaces it with the same string, only with a non-breaking space instead of the ordinary one, i.e. "Windows°7". The symbol "°" represents an invisible non-breaking space here. The non-breaking space in String Factory regular expressions is represented by the pattern " ".
In order for search expressions to work properly, the above elements must always be present. If any of these elements is missing or if you change their order the whole search expression will be ignored.
Please read the documentation for regular expressions and check regular expression testing sites, like regex101.com, where you will find more info about modifying or creating your own String Factory search expressions.
Asking for help
Regular expressions are a complex topic and we do not expect from our users to learn this technology in depth (unless they really want to). This means that we are here, prepared to help, if you come up with ideas that could be incorporated to String Factory search expressions. If you have a special request that you think might be worth implementing, please do not hesitate to contact us via email (click Contact us in the top right corner of any page on this website) and we will try to create the regex pattern for you or add a search expression file for a new language – which is not yet included – to the next release of String Factory.
