Working with the Text Catalog

This chapter provides an overview and discusses how to set up the text catalog.

Understanding the Text Catalog

This section provides an overview of the text catalog and lists common elements.

The text catalog, which is used by several PeopleSoft Enterprise applications, stores standard text that appears on the self-service pages, including field labels, button names, links, page instructions, and warnings. You can modify the text by using the Text Catalog feature.

Entries in the text catalog feature are context-sensitive, meaning that a particular piece of text on a page can vary depending upon the page's usage or context. In Enterprise Learning Management, you can define different text for self-service pages according to learning environment.

Text Catalog Keys

Context-sensitivity is accomplished through the use of keys that enable the application to retrieve applicable text catalog entries.

Although you can have multiple versions of the same text, you do not have to set up a separate entry for every possible scenario. You can create one generic entry where all key values are blank, and then add entries for the situations that vary from the norm. Blank key values function as wildcards.

Warning! When the system looks for a match, it stops searching if the search keys narrow the possible choices to a single row—the lower-order search keys are ignored. If you do not set things up correctly, the system may return the wrong results. Plan ahead before making changes, particularly for complex scenarios. Random changes can lead to errors that are difficult to debug later.

You can test changes by using the Test Text Catalog page. To test an entry, enter the text ID that is associated with the text, plus any combination of key values, and click the Test button to view the text that the system retrieves for the keys values you entered.

Text IDs

To update a text entry, you need its ID. Use the Display Text ID option on the Configure Text Catalog page to find this information. When you activate this option, the text IDs appear in place of the corresponding text on self-service pages and warnings.

To view the correct text IDs, you need to create the conditions that cause the page or warning to appear. For example, you might need to sign in as a user who is assigned to a particular learning environment.

Note. You may want to activate this option, print a copy of the self-service pages, and then deactivate it. This provides a hardcopy reference of all the text IDs used on each self-service page.

Common Elements Used in this Section

Text ID

The unique identifier that you entered to access entries in the text catalog.

Effective Date

The date on which a particular text catalog entry becomes active. Delivered text is defined as system data in the Enterprise Learning Management database and has an effective date of 1/1/1900.

Important! To prevent future updates to Enterprise Learning Management from overwriting any text entries that you add or modify, use a later effective date when you add new text entries, and insert a new effective date when you modify delivered text.

Setting Up the Text Catalog

This section discusses how to:

Configure the text catalog.
Designate keys for text catalog entries.
Define text catalog entries.
View text catalog entries as HTML.
Define translation for text catalog entries.
Test text retrieval.
View effective dates and context keys for a text ID.

Pages Used to Work with the Text Catalog

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Configure Text Catalog: General	HR_SSTEXT_CFG	Set Up ELM, Text Catalog, Configure Text Catalog, Configure Text Catalog	Configure the text catalog for an application.
Configure Text Catalog: Key 1 Configure Text Catalog: Key 2 Configure Text Catalog: Key 3 Configure Text Catalog: Key 4	HR_SSTEXT_CFG	Set Up ELM, Text Catalog, Configure Text Catalog, Configure Text Catalog Select the Key 1, Key 2, Key 3, or Key 4 tab.	Designate keys that are used to store and retrieve text catalog entries.
Maintain Text Catalog	HR_SSTEXT_TEXT	Set Up ELM, Text Catalog, Maintain Text Catalog, Maintain Text Catalog	Define text catalog entries, and associate with context-sensitive keys.
Maintain Text Catalog	HR_SSTEXT_HTML	Click the View / Edit as HTML link on the Maintain Text Catalog page.	View text catalog entries as HTML.
Text Catalog - View All Keys	HR_SSTEXT_ALLKEYS	On the Maintain Text Catalog page or the Test Text Catalog page click the link labeled View all effective dates and context keys for this Text ID.	View versions and context-key entries for a particular text ID and effective date combination.
Self-Service Text Translation - Descriptions	HR_SSTEXT_LANG	Set Up ELM, Text Catalog, , Translate Text Catalog, Self-Service Text Translation, Descriptions	Select and describe the languages into which a text catalog entry is translated.
Self-Service Text Translation - Catalog Text	HR_SSTEXT_LANG2	Set Up ELM, Text Catalog, Translate Text Catalog, Self-Service Text Translation, Catalog Text	Enter translations for text catalog entries
Test Text Box	HR_SSTEXT_TEST	Set Up ELM, Text Catalog, Invoke Text Catalog API, Test Text Box	Test the text retrieval for a text ID, using any combination of key values.

Configuring the Text Catalog

Access the Configure Text Catalog: General page.

Use this page to configure options that affect the operation of the text catalog within Enterprise Learning Management.

Object Owner ID	This field identifies the application for which you are configuring text catalog options. Many PeopleSoft Enterprise applications use the text catalog feature. You can use this field to add or remove applications from the text catalog
Allow Cache	Select this check box to load the entire contents of the text catalog into cache upon access to the application. This enhances system performance because the system does not have to do a database call every time it needs to retrieve a text catalog entry.
Display Text ID	Select to have the system identifiers of the text entry appear instead of the corresponding text. You can use this option to find out which text ID corresponds to a particular piece of text that you want to modify.

Designating Keys for Text Catalog Entries

Access the Configure Text Catalog: Key 1 page.

Note. The Key 2, Key 3, and Key 4 pages are identical in appearance and usage to the Key 1 page.

Use this page to define a context key.

Sub ID

This field enables you to subcategorize within object owner classes. For example, within Enterprise Learning Management, you can create a Sub ID for different areas within the application, like self service and administration. You can then use this value when searching for text id objects on the Maintain Text Catalog component. This key would be useful when there are more than 300 text id objects and users need a way to further refine their search. It is used as part of the search parameters on the text catalog setup pages.

Key 1 Prompt Table

Select the object name of the prompt table that defines the values by which the text catalog is partitioned for an application. The values in this prompt table appear when a text catalog entry is defined and modified. You select the value that pertains to the context in which the entry appears on self-service pages or notifications.

For example, Enterprise Learning Management provides a context key for learning environments. The related prompt table is the LM_LE_VW table, which contains the values for your organization's learning environments.

Key 1 Field Name

Select the field in the prompt table that contains the value that appears in the prompt list for this key. The context key that is delivered with Enterprise Learning Management prompts for the learning environment values stored in the LM_LE_ID field in the LM_LE_VW table.

Note. If you enter a value for the prompt table, you must also enter a value for the field name in the same row.

Defining Text Catalog Entries

Access the Maintain Text Catalog page.

Usage

The place where the entry is used: Email Body, Email Subject, Error/Warning, Field Label, Grid/Scroll Heading, Groupbox Title, Hyperlink/Button, Page Instructions, or Page Title. The only text entries that you cannot modify are translate values and error messages that appear in Microsoft Windows error boxes. You can use this field to search the Maintain Text Catalog page when you don't have the text ID, but you do have the specific text.

Context Keys and Text

The context key fields that appear on this page are determined by the text catalog configuration for the application. Use the context keys to target the message or text to a particular audience or specify the conditions under which the text is appropriate.

Note. A blank value for any key is a wildcard and means that the entry appears in all contexts of the key.

For example, the previous page shot shows a configuration of a page title. The title text that is defined in the text box applies to all learning environments.

For each text ID and effective date combination, define a complete wildcard entry in which you leave all key fields blank. This entry, known as the root entry, is the default text entry that's used when no key value is specified.

View/Edit as HTML

Click to view and edit the HTML tags if the text will appear in an HTML area on the page.

Text Substitution

The text strings that are substituted for specific tokens, such as %1 and %2, are different for each application that uses substitution in the text catalog. They are delivered with the application.

Token substitution in the text catalog works in the same way as in the PeopleTools Message Catalog. You supply the values for the tokens in a PeopleCode function call at runtime. The values are replaced by parameters in the PeopleCode when the text is rendered on the application pages. To use this feature, you must know PeopleCode.

If you want to update the delivered text IDs such that the substitution tokens take on a different meaning or are resequenced, you also need to make corresponding changes to the PeopleCode that calls the text catalog feature retrieval functions, since this copies supplier values to use in place of the tokens.

Viewing HTML for Text Catalog Entries

Access the Maintain Text Catalog: HTML View page

Text Style

Select the style to apply to the text. After you apply a style (for example, Bold or Error to a text entry, the HTML View page region shows how the text will appear on self-service pages.

Translating Text Catalog Entries

Access the Translate Text Catalog page.

Use this page to view a text catalog entry and the languages into which it is translated. The Collapse all Languages and Expand All Languages enable you to control the way the list of languages appears. You can add and remove languages on this page, but you cannot enter translation text.

Use this page to enter translations into the text catalog. The Collapse all Languages and Expand All Languages enable you to control the way the list of languages and translation entries appears. You can add and remove languages on this page and view the text you are translating.

Testing Text Retrieval

Access the Test Text Catalog page.

This page enables you to enter parameters for testing how the entries in the text catalog appear on self-service pages, given a set of parameters that you enter.

To test the text retrieval:

Enter the text ID for the text.
(Optional) Enter values for any key fields.
- If you leave all key fields blank, the system returns the root text when you click the Test button.
- If you enter values for key fields, the system searches for the text with the best fit.
(Optional) Enter values in one or more of the Substitution Variable fields.

When you click the Test button, the system replaces the variable (%1, %2, %3, %4, and %5) in the text entry with the value that you enter here.
(Optional) Select a text style to see the returned text rendered in a particular HTML style.

This features helps you visualize how the text appears on the self-service page. Values are Add'l Inst (additional instructions), Bold, Error, Page Inst (page instructions), and Page Title.
Click the Test button.

The text entry that best matches the search criteria and context keys for the selected text ID appears.

Viewing Effective Dates and Context Keys for a Text ID

Access the Text Catalog - View All Keys page.

The Versions group box lists all effective-dated versions of the selected text ID.

Click the View Keys link to list each set of context keys that is associated with the selected version. Click the language link to view the text that is associated with the context keys for the indicated language.