Under Community Review

Apply tags EXACTLY to selected text

If I want to select text in Studio (2017) including the trailing space character, I can:

one word = double-click;

several words = use mouse from start to end of string including last space.

When I then apply a pair of tags from the source by holding down Ctrl and clicking one of the relevant tags, the trailing space is NOT enclosed within the tags.

However, if I select text using the mouse, starting from the other end (trailing spaces, backwards to the beginning of the string), the trailing space IS INCLUDED within the tags.

For example, a few words in the middle of a segment may be underlined, but the first part of the segment is not underlined. If I select the first part of the segment with the mouse, as described above INCLUDING the trailing space after the last word selected, Studio applies tag EXCLUDING the trailing space.

Has anyone else seen this? Is there a way to double-click/select from the start of the string and avoid this irritation?

SDL, can it be fixed in a future CU, please?

Simon Cole

  • Hi Daniel. The same thing happens. Ctrl+Shift+right arrow selects whole words plus the trailing space, but using Ctrl+source tag to apply the tags removes the trailing space from between the applied tags.

    Please also think about the actions involved, as follows:

    1. Using mouse to select text and apply tags: Put right hand on mouse; move to starting position in text; press and hold left mouse button; drag mouse to end of text, including trailing space; release mouse button; press Ctrl and move mouse to source segment tag; left click mouse and release Ctrl. Now click in target to replace trailing space between tags and remove trailing space after closing tab.

    2. Using Ctrl+Shift+right arrow to select text: Put right hand on mouse; move to starting position in text; move hand to keyboard and press Ctrl+Shift with right thumb then press right arrow with right little finger (or Ctrl+Shift with left hand); press right arrow as many times as needed; move right hand back to mouse;  press Ctrl and move mouse to source segment tag; left click mouse and release Ctrl. Now click in target to replace trailing space between tags and remove trailing space after closing tab.

    In 'workflow' 2, I am moving from keyboard to mouse to keyboard to mouse, and back to keyboard to resume typing; In 'workflow' 1, I am moving keyboard to mouse, then back to keyboard to resume typing.

    But see also my other comment about "translation as very precise and exacting work".

    And you are SDL, not Microsoft, please give us what we want, not what you consider best for us! :-)

  • From IDEA poster: I regard translation as very precise and exacting work. If I select a specific word or string of text and ask Studio to apply a particular pair of tags to that word/string, then I expect it to do so, and NOT add a trailing space. If I want the trailing space included, then I will select it.

    I don't think it is a question of having the same behaviour as MS-Word, but of getting what we ask for.

    As PC users, we are all aware of Microsoft's policy of deciding what is best for us - Windows 10 updates, anyone? I would expect translators to know what is best for their language, document, etc. and I would expect Studio to be as precise as we are.

  • Hi Simon, what happens when you use Ctrl+Shift+ arrow keys (not the mouse)? Thanks, Daniel