Introduction

Okapi Framework

Introduction

Overview

The Okapi Framework is a cross-platform and open-source set of components and applications that offer extensive support for localizing and translating documentation and software.

The goal of the Okapi Framework is to allow tools developers and localizers to build new localization processes or enhance existing ones to best meet their needs, while preserving compatibility and interoperability. The project uses and promotes open standards, when they exist. The source code, issue list and downloads of the project are hosted on Google code: http://code.google.com/p/okapi/. Okapi is pronounced o-ka-py (hear it).

Note: This web site is dedicated to the Java implementation of the Okapi Framework. There is an older .NET implementation as well. New development is now done in the Java branch. The Web site for Okapi NET is hosted on SourceForge and is still available.

Using the Okapi Tools

Rainbow is a GUI application to launch various utilities related to translation and localization tasks, such as: Text extraction (to XLIFF, OmegaT projects, RTF, etc.) and merging, pre-translation, encoding conversion, terms extraction, file format conversions, quality verification, translation comparison, search and replace on filtered text, pseudo-translation, and much more. Using the framework's pipeline mechanism, you can use Rainbow to create chains of steps that perform pecific set of tasks specific to your needs.

CheckMate is a GUI application that performs various quality checks on bilingual translation files such as XLIFF, TMX, TTX, PO, TS, Trados-Tagged RTF, and any other bilingual format supported by the Okapi framework.

Ratel is a GUI application to create and maintain segmentation rules. Such rules are used to break down translatable text in more meaningful parts. Ratel implements an SRX-based engine. SRX is the Segmentation Rules eXchange format. The application includes an integrated test that allows you to see immediately the effects of your segmentation rules on your example text as you edit the rules.

Tikal is a command-line tool that offers many functions, including: simple extraction/merging, various file format conversions (TMX, CSV, tab-delimited, PO, etc.), access to translation resources, import/export for the Pensieve TM, etc.

Using the Okapi Components

The framework is made of many Java components that share a set of common APIs: Filters, translation resource connectors, segmenters, steps, etc. here are some examples of those components:

The Regex Filter is a filter component that provides you a way to read and write any text-based file and extract text parts using regular expressions. It implements the programming interface common to the all the Okapi filters. This simplify the development of programs or scripts to perform any type of tasks on the translatable text of the files. The framework offers filters for many other file formats, such as: HTML, XML, OpenOffice files, Microsoft Office's DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, Properties, DITA, ResX, PO, XLIFF, TMX, DTD, TS, TTX, etc.

The Google-MT Connector is one of the translation resource connectors implemented in the framework. You easily try out the Okapi connectors using Tikal's -q command. Many other services are supported: Micosoft-MT, OpenTran, TAUS-TDA, MyMemory, Apertium, Translate-Toolkit TM, GlobalSight TM, Okapi's own Pensieve TM, and more. Using the same API, other components can leverage local and remote translation resources for TM, MT terms, etc.

The Term Extraction steps allows you to generate lists of possible multi-words terms from any file formats supported by the framework. It is one of the many steps that can be used in customized pipelines. Some other steps available are for example: Segmentation, Code Removal, Diff Leverage, XSL Transform, Leveraging, and many more.

Beyond using existing tools and components you can also easily develop programs and scripts that use the framework's components to create customized solutions for your specific needs. See the Developers Notes page for more details on this. The Okapi libraries are available as a downloadable distribution here http://code.google.com/p/okapi/downloads/list, as well as through a Maven repository here: http://openl10n.net/maven2/releases/.

License

The material developed under the Okapi Framework project is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License agreement (GNU LGPL). This is one of the licenses approved by the Free Software Foundation.

You can read the complete text of the license on the GNU Web site, and find more information on the Wikipedia's article on LGPL.

Contributions

The Okapi Framework project is hosted on Google Code, a repository of open source software. You can contribute to the project in many different ways. For example:

Use the various Okapi components and applications and report bugs and issues.
Provide feedback, corrections and suggestions on the documentation and the help.
Create new tutorials.
Suggest improvements to the existing material or recommending new developments.

In addition, if you have the appropriate skills for some of the current work being done, you can also participate directly in the development of Okapi libraries, components, and applications, or in developing help and documentation. For more information on this topic, please contact one of the project's owners listed in the bottom-right corner of the Google Code main page.

Credits

Open source software can exist only because of the resources provided by some people and companies:

Several companies have dedicated time of their developers to work on developing the framework and have contributed portions of source code. You can find the people involved with the project in the Google Code project's Web site.
End-users (localization engineers, developers, translators, and project managers), especially the one actively involved in the Okapi Tools users group mailing list, supply valuable feedback, ideas, bug reports, and other contributions to the project.
Brooks Kline did the Okapi Framework logo.