Translate name of folders in Home folder

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

Hi everybody!

I’ve just installed Opensuse 13.1 KDE using the live .ISO. Even if I chose to install the system in Italian, after the installation the system was almost completely in English. Anyway, I found several information on the internet and I finally localized it, but the folders in the home folder still have name in English (Documents, Downloads, Desktop ecc.). I would like to translate these folder in Italian (calling them Documenti, Scaricati ecc.), so I tried changing the file /home/.config/user.dirs.dir, and then giving xdg-user-dirs-update from the terminal. The problem is that, after the input, the file become again like the original one, and nothing changes. I also tried to change the file and reboot without giving xdg-user-dirs-update, nothing changes as well. Where’s the mistake? I’m new of Opensuse, and this is the method I have always used on Debian based systems.

I copy here the content of my user.dirs.dir file to be more clear. Thank you to everyone in advance.

XDG_DESKTOP_DIR="$HOME/(here I tried to write the translation)"
XDG_TEMPLATES_DIR="$HOME/"
XDG_PUBLICSHARE_DIR="$HOME/"
XDG_DOCUMENTS_DIR="$HOME/"
XDG_MUSIC_DIR="$HOME/"
XDG_PICTURES_DIR="$HOME/"
XDG_VIDEOS_DIR="$HOME/"
XDG_DOWNLOAD_DIR="$HOME/"
#2

Try to configure those folders in KDE’s systemsettings/“Configure Desktop”->User Account Informations->Paths.

There should be an automatic way to translate them as well, but I’m not sure how this works exactly.
What I do know is, that if the necessary translations are installed, they should be created translated for a new user.

If you install from DVD, this works as intended.
But you installed from the Live ISO which misses a lot of the translations because of space reasons.
Therefore those folders were created in english on first login.

Try to remove ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs and ~/.config/user-dirs.locale and they should get re-created in your user’s locale, when you next login or call xdg-user-dirs-update.

I think xdg-user-dirs-gtk-update would re-translate them automatically (on login) if the locale changed, but you would have to install that first on a KDE system.
At least “man xdg-user-dirs-update” says this:

       On the first run a user-dirs.locale file is created containing the
       locale that was used for the translation. This is used later by gui
       tools like xdg-user-dirs-gtk-update to detect if the locale was
       changed, letting you to migrate from the old names.

Or try ti use the --force option for xdg-user-dirs-update:

       --force
           Update existing user-dirs.dir, but force a full reset. This means:
           Don't reset nonexisting directories to HOME, rather recreate the
           directory. Never use backwards compatible non-translated names.
           Always recreate user-dirs.locale.
#3

PS: Forget the part about xdg-user-dirs-gtk-update, that’s unnecessary. Unless you want to have them automatically renamed on login I suppose. TBH, I wouldn’t want that in any case.

Just remove ~/.config/user-dirs.locale and run “xdg-user-dirs-update --force”.
Those directories should then be changed to translated versions according to your current locale.

#4

Thank you for your answer. I partially solved doing like this: I deleted the file users.dirs.dir and I rebooted. When the system restarted, I had the folders in Italian, but I still have the folders in English as well. To be clearer: I have one folder called Documents and one called Documenti, one folder called Music and one called Musica ecc.

Can I delete the English named folder without any problem? This is my new users.dirs.dir (this is the one was auto-created after I deleted the old one):

*XDG_DESKTOP_DIR="$HOME/Desktop"
XDG_DOWNLOAD_DIR="$HOME/Scaricati"
XDG_TEMPLATES_DIR="$HOME/Templates"
XDG_PUBLICSHARE_DIR="$HOME/Public"
XDG_DOCUMENTS_DIR="$HOME/Documenti"
XDG_MUSIC_DIR="$HOME/Musica"
XDG_PICTURES_DIR="$HOME/Immagini"
XDG_VIDEOS_DIR="$HOME/Video"*
#5

On 2014-05-21 10:16, milazzo87 wrote:
>
> Hi everybody!
>
> I’ve just installed Opensuse 13.1 KDE using the live .ISO. Even if I
> chose to install the system in Italian, after the installation the
> system was almost completely in English.

Most of the translations are not included on the live isos, they are too
small. They should be included after the first update from Internet. Or,
if you install from the full dvd image instead.

> Anyway, I found several
> information on the internet and I finally localized it, but the folders
> in the home folder still have name in English (Documents, Downloads,
> Desktop ecc.). I would like to translate these folder in Italian
> (calling them Documenti, Scaricati ecc.), so I tried changing the file
> /home/.config/user.dirs.dir, and then giving -xdg-user-dirs-update- from
> the terminal. The problem is that, after the input, the file become
> again like the original one, and nothing changes. I also tried to change
> the file and reboot without giving -xdg-user-dirs-update,- nothing
> changes as well. Where’s the mistake? I’m new of Opensuse, and this is
> the method I have always used on Debian based systems.

Mmmm… I don’t know… I actually prefer my directories in English, not
Spanish, so I have not bothered much to know how it is done. I’m unsure
if this is done only at first login, or it can be done anytime.

(Actually, if new directories are created I would hate it. I have
a test user with different directories for two languages, with
files scattered all over them. They should be all symlinks to one
another, IMO).

Let me see. In yast there is a language module; select English for the
system language (don’t change keyboard), accept, then run it again, and
this time select Italian. The idea is to make it think again if all the
needed packages are installed.

Then repeat the procedure with your desktop of choice.

> I copy here the content of my user.dirs.dir file to be more clear. Thank
> you to everyone in advance.

Just one comment: use plain code tags (the ‘#’ button in the forum
editor), not php code tags. See
photo

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.

(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” (Minas Tirith))

#6

Yes.
But you should copy/move any needed data in there first of course. :wink:

xdg-user-dirs-update does not rename the folder, it creates new ones.

If you select a different folder in KDE’s settings as mentioned before, KDE will ask you whether you want to move the files from the old folder though.

#7

Thank you to everybody! Last, stupid question: how can I edit the first message to add SOLVED to the title and to use the code tag instead the php tag? I can’t see any option to edit… But don’t be angry with me, I’m sure it’s my poor sight’s fault. lol!

EDIT: I’m able to edit the last one, but not the previous ones. I think it’s because I can do it only for a certain amount of time.

#8

On 2014-05-21 13:06, milazzo87 wrote:
>
> Thank you for your answer. I partially solved doing like this: I deleted
> the file -users.dirs.dir- and I rebooted. When the system restarted, I
> had the folders in Italian, but I still have the folders in English as
> well. To be clearer: I have one folder called Documents and one called
> Documenti, one folder called Music and one called Musica ecc.

That’s precisely the problem I hate.

I would not delete them, but make one a symlink to the other. It is
safer, scripts and code in general that are not multilingual aware will
work seamlessly.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.

(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” (Minas Tirith))

#9

Those directories are defined by the XDG specs. And those specs also define how you get the specific folders the user has configured (i.e. the translated ones f.e.).
And they are translated on a fresh installation anyway (except if you install from the LiveISO as mentioned).

So there should not be any script/code that uses/needs those and will not find the translated ones (or let the user configure which one to use).

PS: http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/xdg-user-dirs/