Globalization

Starter reports and the IBM® TRIRIGA-BIRT integration have features to assist with the globalization of reports. Before you export labels for BIRT reports, make sure that these reports are set up in IBM TRIRIGA®.

The display string for any IBM TRIRIGA Date or DateTime field is formatted in the user's preferred date format. In addition, the formatDate() custom function and the formatDateTime() custom function present a BIRT Date or DateTime in the IBM TRIRIGA user's preferred date format.

IBM TRIRIGA translates all labels in the BIRT report. The starter report includes all labels that are needed to translate the business object field labels in a report.

A starter report is associated to a resource properties file with a tririgalabels.properties extension. You can view this association in the Resources section in the Property Editor – Report tab. This report resource points to a properties file that contains label keys for every business object field that was built into the report.

In the starter report, each key is already associated to its corresponding data set output column in BIRT. If you use the Data Explorer as a canvas, you can drag elements onto the canvas without having to re-associate the display keys for those elements. If you do not drag elements onto the canvas, you can use all of the labels in the properties file on any report element. You use the labels in the properties file when you select a report element in the layout and navigate to the Localization Properties section in the Properties tab of the Property Editor – Label tab. At run time, text that uses these keys is translated based on the current user's language.

If you need a label in your report that is not available from the starter report properties file, you can add keys and labels to the file. Key names cannot begin with the [FIELD] special prefix. IBM TRIRIGA can translate any label that you create.

A BIRT report library can house reusable report elements, including labels. You create a properties file with the tririgalabels.properties extension and refer to that properties file as a library resource. To view a properties file for a BIRT report library, select the library in the BIRT navigator, and view the properties in the Property Editor – Library tab. To read the library, each BIRT report must reference the library before you export and upload the report to IBM TRIRIGA.