[whatwg] Localization on script level and non form field

[Bronislav Klučka]

Hello,
we are currently discussing localization in form fields, but that may 
result in some unfortunate behavior if implemented alone, because data 
will be displayed in localized representation in form fields but not in 
HTML - server can translate text, but not localize data, since it has no 
idea about local settings (language is not enough) and when data are 
inserted into HTML on UA side using scripting, the problem is the same.


Suggestion
1/ output element
output element should follow similar logic for presentation as form fields
there is an example of output usage 
http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec/the-output-element.html#the-output-element
<form onsubmit="return false" oninput="o.value = a.valueAsNumber + 
b.valueAsNumber">
<input name=a type=number step=any> +
<input name=b type=number step=any> =
<output name=o></output>
</form>
but imagine full stop as thousands separator, comma as decimal , 
inserting 12.135,5 + 4.125,6 would result in 16261.1 (Number is fine, 
presentation confusing)
so output element should follow presentation form of the forms as well

2/ FormatSettings object
[Constructor(),
  Constructor(DOMString locale),
  Constructor(FormatSettings locale),
]
interface FormatSettings {
    attribute DOMString CurrencyString;
    attribute Number CurrencyFormat;
    attribute Number CurrencyDecimals;
    attribute DOMString ThousandSeparator;
    attribute DOMString DecimalSeparator;
    attribute DOMString DateSeparator;
    attribute DOMString TimeSeparator;
    attribute DOMString ShortDateFormat;
    attribute DOMString LongDateFormat;
    attribute DOMString TimeAMString;
    attribute DOMString TimePMString;
    attribute DOMString ShortTimeFormat;
    attribute DOMString LongTimeFormat;
    attribute Array ShortMonthNames;
    attribute Array LongMonthNames;
    attribute Array ShortDayNames;
    attribute Array LongDayNames;
    attribute bool DaylightSavingTime;
    attribute Number TimeZoneOffset;


    DOMString format (String input, Array data)

    Number CurrencyAsNumber (DOMString value)
    Number StringAsNumber (DOMString value)
    Date StringAsDate (DOMString value)

   [and probably set of constants representing different types of error 
regarding formatting and data sanitation]

}
Window and similar objects (WorkerGlobalScope, etc.) should provide 
access to instance of FormatSettings object (e.g. window.formatSettings) 
prefilled with actual local settings, all properties should be settable 
to change default behavior. And such object should be constructable by 
script to be used in formatting functions if some nonstandard formatting 
should be required.

examples:
var x = new FormatSettings();
should fill the properties with current (underlying) locale
var x = new FormatSettings('sk_SK');
accept language parameter and should fill the properties with locales 
according to Slovak language

var x = new FormatSettings();
alert(x.DecimalSeparator);
on Czech OS should show comma,
x.DecimalSeparator = '.';
alert(x.DecimalSeparator);
on Czech OS should show full stop
var y = new FormatSettings(x);
should create new format settings wit properties set up according to 
constructor parameter
x.DecimalSeparator = ',.';
should throw an exception

This should allow easy localization on client side based on users locale 
and switching locales on application level


all attributes should be settable (with certain sanitations)
* CurrencyString: currency sign/abbreviation  ($, €, Kč), any string
no sanitation
* CurrencyFormat: enum(0, 1, 2, 3)
this property defines where the currency sign is (before, after) and 
whether is separated by space or not (0 = $1, 1 = 1$, 2 = $ 1, 3 = 1 $)
sanitation required on settings
* CurrencyDecimals: not negative integer number of decimals in currency
sanitation required on settings
* ThousandSeparator:  char(1); DecimalSeparator:  char(1)
clear meaning of those
sanitation required on settings
* DateSeparator:  char(1); TimeSeparator:  char(1)
characters separating parts of date (year, month, day) and time (hour, 
minutes, seconds)
separation on milliseconds should be ruled by DecimalSeparator
sanitation required on settings
* ShortDateFormat: string; LongDateFormat: string;
substitution format defining how dates should be displayed
something like
http://php.net/manual/en/function.date.php
http://www.freepascal.org/docs-html/rtl/sysutils/formatchars.html
could not care less about the replacement letters at this point :)
sanitation required on settings
* ShortTimeFormat: string; LongTimeFormat: string;
see date formats above
* TimeAMString: string; TimePMString: string;
am/pm localizations
no sanitation
* ShortMonthNames: array; LongMonthNames: array
array[0..11] of strings representing month names; 0 = January
sanitation required on settings
* LongDayNames: array; ShortDayNames: array
array[0..6] of strings representing day names; 0 = Sunday (not happy 
about it but corresponding to Date.prototype.getDay)
sanitation required on settings
* DaylightSavingTime: bool
whether DST does apply
* TimeZoneOffset: number;
basically Date.prototype.getTimezoneOffset()

Those values can be easily retrieved from underlying  OS, and are common 
variables used for localization. More and more applications will need 
those values and those are not values one can get now. One can create 
list of 250 localizations all over the world but still be wrong about 
actual settings (I'm Czech, having Czech Windows7 but with adjusted 
local setting to fit me more; OS, office and other applications respect 
my settings, browser does not.)

for those functions there, more and more data are generated on client 
level and it's becoming increasingly annoying to drag along set of 
powerful function able to deliver functionality so common in other 
languages over and over in each project... this is long time missing...
All functions should use formatting locales according to caller

window.formatSettings.format(....)
on Czech computer (without adjusted locales) should use comma as decimal 
separator
var x = new FormatSettings('en_US');
x.format(....)
should use full stop as decimal separator regardless of OS locales
x.DecimalSeparator = ',';
x.format(....)
should always use comma as decimal separator regardless of anything else 
(the fact, that other settings corresponds to USA locales)


* DOMString format (DOMString input, Array data)
just as we know it from other languages, with substitutions for string, 
number (integer, float), date and parts of date, time and parts of time, 
currency, etc. Basically C-like languages sprintf or pascals Format
http://cz2.php.net/manual/en/function.sprintf.php
http://www.freepascal.org/docs-html/rtl/sysutils/format.html
with additions of date, time, currency formatting (day name, currency 
sign, everything one can extract from incoming data and FormatSettings 
instance) replacement charactes

* Number CurrencyAsNumber (DOMString value)
should parse string according to CurrencyString, CurrencyDecimals, 
ThousandSeparator, DecimalSeparator regardless of CurrencyFormat and 
return Number or throw error

* Number StringAsNumber (DOMString value)
should parse string according to  ThousandSeparator and DecimalSeparator 
and return Number or throw error

* Date StringAsDate (DOMString value)
should parse string according to DateSeparator, TimeSeparator, 
ShortDateFormat, LongDateFormat, TimeAMString, TimePMString, 
ShortTimeFormat, LongTimeFormat, ShortMonthNames, LongMonthNames, 
ShortDayNames, LongDayNames, DaylightSavingTime, TimeZoneOffset and 
return Date or throw error


Brona