Abstract: Tools and techniques for unified formats for resources and repositories for managing localization are described herein. The unified resource repositories may include representations of any number of resources, the resources representing textual information that is displayable in user interface presented by software applications. The representations of the resources may include respective data tags that are associated with name attributes identifying the resources, value tags providing values of the resources. Meta tags provide recursive nesting mechanisms for associating the name attribute and the value tag with additional instances of name attributes and value tags.

Abstract: A method is presented for obtaining contact information on a client computer. A request is received to display contact information for a person on an email application running on the client computer. A determination is made as to whether third party contact information is available for a user of the email application. Instructions are obtained from a server computer for obtaining the third party contact information from a third party computer associated with a social network. Instructions are obtained from the server computer for formatting the third party contact information on the client computer. Using the instructions from the server computer for obtaining the third party contact information, the third party contact information is obtained from the third party computer. Using the instructions from the server computer for formatting the third party contact information, the obtained third party contact information is formatted and displayed on the client computer.

Abstract: A text string representing a number in a specific language is converted to a text string by tokenizing the string, distributing the tokens across a multi-level data structure to find possible distributions, and analyzing the combinations to find a valid distribution. The valid distribution may be interpreted to yield a numerical value based on the data structure. The data structure may be readily developed for any language.

Abstract: A lightweight information user interface is provided for displaying information about a focused-on (e.g., mouse-over) text item, data item or other object in an electronic document that minimizes interruption of workflow with the electronic document. Upon focus on a word or other object in an electronic document a quick look-up function may be invoked for retrieving information from a local or remote information source about the focused-on item. Retrieved information, for example, translations, dictionary definitions and research information, is displayed in close proximity to the focused-on item in a lightweight information user interface. Information may be displayed according to a variety of media types including text, audio, video, pictures, bitmap images, etc.

Abstract: Optimization architecture for applications that uses a localization model in which localizable resources are separated from code. The resources are typically located in separate DLL files as binary blobs in a unique format. The format is designed for optimized performance and to accommodate various requirements of complex office applications. The binary blobs are produced by a resource compiler based on the format. The architecture includes a resource binary format that facilitates resource identification and lookup, optimization of memory paging by grouping and ordering resources according to runtime use, optimization by compressing resources with an optimal algorithm that is fast in decompression, fast reverse lookup of a resource identifier by resource content, resource grouping, resource substitution, branding, and resource runtime metadata (also referred to as user data).

Abstract: In one embodiment, a computing device may compress a text file for storage by dynamically creating an encoding table. A storage device of the computing device may store an encoding table populated by string characters from a text file. A processor of the computing device may encode the text file by replacing a string character in a text string of the text file with a table index position of that string character in the encoding table. The processor of the computing device may decode the text file by replacing the table index position with the string character at the table index position in the encoding table.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a computing device may compress a text file for storage by dynamically creating an encoding table. A storage device of the computing device may store an encoding table populated by string characters from a text file. A processor of the computing device may encode the text file by replacing a string character in a text string of the text file with a table index position of that string character in the encoding table. The processor of the computing device may decode the text file by replacing the table index position with the string character at the table index position in the encoding table.

Abstract: Tools and techniques for repositories and related services for managing localization of resources are described herein. These repositories may include representations of resources provided in first human languages, representations of software products that may incorporate these resources; and representations of other human languages into which the resources are localized. The repositories may relate the resources to the software products and to the other human languages. Methods provided by these tools may receive the resources as provided in the first human languages, send the resources for localization into other human languages, and receive localized resources. The methods may convert the localized resources into binary representations, and build software products that incorporate the binary representations. The tools may also provide systems that include processors, suitable bus systems, and computer-readable storage media that contains the resource repository.

Abstract: Tools and techniques for unified formats for resources and repositories for managing localization are described herein. The unified resource repositories may include representations of any number of resources, the resources representing textual information that is displayable in user interface presented by software applications. The representations of the resources may include respective data tags that are associated with name attributes identifying the resources, value tags providing values of the resources. Meta tags provide recursive nesting mechanisms for associating the name attribute and the value tag with additional instances of name attributes and value tags.

Abstract: Technologies are described herein for dynamically providing a localized user interface (“UI”) resource. A localization framework includes a resource manager, resource sets, and resource readers. The resource manager exposes an application programming interface (“API”) to application programs for requesting a localized UI resource from the resource manager. When the resource manager receives a request for a localized UI resource on the API, the resource manager queries the resource sets for the requested resource. If the first resource set is unable to provide the requested localized UI resource, another resource set may be queried. Multiple resource readers within each resource set may also be configured to provide flexibility in how UI resources are loaded and processed.

Abstract: A text string representing a number in a specific language is converted to a text string by tokenizing the string, distributing the tokens across a multi-level data structure to find possible distributions, and analyzing the combinations to find a valid distribution. The valid distribution may be interpreted to yield a numerical value based on the data structure. The data structure may be readily developed for any language.

Abstract: A lightweight information user interface is provided for displaying information about a focused-on (e.g., mouse-over) text item, data item or other object in an electronic document that minimizes interruption of workflow with the electronic document. Upon focus on a word or other object in an electronic document a quick look-up function may be invoked for retrieving information from a local or remote information source about the focused-on item. Retrieved information, for example, translations, dictionary definitions and research information, is displayed in close proximity to the focused-on item in a lightweight information user interface. Information may be displayed according to a variety of media types including text, audio, video, pictures, bitmap images, etc.

Abstract: A system and method for storing and retrieving the written or spoken equivalents for numbers. In order to handle different representation of numbers, including spoken or written representations, the recurring patterns are expressed based on the radix of the system using sub-patterns. The patterns may be indexed to a vocabulary of text strings, then used to generate the text equivalent of any number within the range of the pattern. A database may store the patterns and vocabularies for one or many different languages. Such a system captures the complexities and exceptions in the spoken tongue while keeping the size of the database, even for large numbers of languages, in a very compact size.