Introduction

Okapi Framework

Introduction

Overview

The Okapi Framework is a set of interface specifications, object models, components and applications that provides an environment to build interoperable tools 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. It also provides them with a way to share (and re-use) components across different solutions. 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. It is still maintained but any 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 Framework

Here are some of the applications and components built with the Okapi Framework:

Rainbow - A ready-to-use graphical user interface to launch Okapi-based utilities. Utilizing Rainbow allows the users to have a simple and common way to specify some of the options of all utilities. Rainbow can also be used in command-line mode.

Translation Package Creation - A utility that makes use of the various Okapi filters to extract translatable text from different file formats and generate translation kits in different formats such as XLIFF or RTF that can be used with different translation tools such as Wordfast or Trados Translators Workbench. It can also create more specific packages some products such as OmegaT.

The Regex Filter - A 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. Many other formats are have also their own filter.

Ratel - A simple 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.

Tikal - 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.

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.

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.

Contribution

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 some time of their developers to working 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.