Run-Time Language Support in InstallShield

InstallShield 2019

Important • Language support varies, depending on the edition of InstallShield that you are using, the project type, and the language of the InstallShield interface (English or Japanese).

Note that support for Arabic (Saudi Arabia) and Hebrew is available only in Basic MSI, Merge Module, and Suite/Advanced UI projects in the Premier edition.

The InstallShield Premier edition includes default run-time strings in 35 supported languages. When you add a supported language to a project, that language is made available in various language-related settings throughout InstallShield. In addition, InstallShield adds translated string entries for that language to your project. The string entries are for the default dialogs, messages, and other end-user interface elements. For a list of the supported languages, see Language Identifiers.

The InstallShield Premier edition also lets you add unsupported languages, beyond the built-in 35 languages, to Basic MSI, InstallScript, InstallScript MSI, and Suite/Advanced UI projects through the New Language Wizard. An unsupported language is one in which none of the default run-time strings are translated. When you add an unsupported language to a project, that language is made available in various language-related settings throughout InstallShield. In addition, InstallShield uses the strings from your project’s default language as placeholders for the strings in that newly added unsupported language; you can use the String Editor view to provide translated strings for the unsupported languages.

The English version of the InstallShield Professional edition lets you select one of 33 languages (any of the supported languages, except for Arabic or Hebrew) to use as the run-time language for all of the projects that you create. The English version of the InstallShield Professional edition includes default run-time strings for the one language that you have selected.

The Japanese version of the InstallShield Professional edition lets you select English plus one additional supported language; that is, if you are using the Japanese version of the InstallShield Professional edition, you can create projects with English run-time strings as well as projects with run-time strings from one other supported language. The Japanese version of the InstallShield Professional edition includes default run-time strings in English, plus the one additional supported language that you have selected.

If you want to modify the default run-time strings or you are adding custom dialogs, messages, and other end-user interface elements to your project, you can enter the custom run-time strings directly in your InstallShield project. As an alternative, you can export a language’s string entries to a file, translate the string values in the file, and then import the translated file into your project. This support is available in all editions of InstallShield.

To learn more about language support in InstallShield, see the following sections of the documentation:

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