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Strings View (Account) / Content Search

The Account Strings View is similar to the existing project Strings View, but content is on an account-level, across all projects. The new Account Strings View replaces and builds upon the Global Content Search, providing a more powerful, broader view of content, more bulk actions, and some new actions not previously available. 

This article covers the following details of the Account Strings View:

Access Account Strings View

On the top navigation, click Search

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Strings View Layout

The Strings View contains the following columns of detail:

  • Source String: The string in the project's source language
  • Translation: The translation of source string (if available)
  • File/URL: The file name or URL containing the source content
  • Language: The target language in which the source string will be translated
  • Job: The Job name in which the string will be translated. Strings can be translated outside of a Job; therefore, a Job name may not always be present. If there is a Job name listed, this will be hyperlinked to bring you directly to the Job when clicked.
  • Status: The status the string is in. See statuses below.
  • Actions: This ellipse contains two functions - Strings Details and accessing the CAT Tool.

String Details

For information on the metadata gathered on each string, read String Details documentation.

Methods of Viewing Strings

There are two views for the account strings interface; Translation and Custom. Unlike the Project Strings View, source string view is not available.

Translation View

Reviewing and managing strings in the translation view will allow you to carry out bulk actions across multiple languages, as well as:

  1. Viewing strings that are Awaiting Authorization, In Progress, and Excluded at the same time.
  2. Applying any filter listed on the left-hand panel.

Custom Strings View

You can customize the columns and re-arrange their order to suit your preference. To find out more, read our documentation on customizing your Strings View.

Filtering Strings

For information on how to search and filter for strings, read our documentation on Strings View Search & Filters.

Search Results and Counters

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The counter in the results is the count of the source strings that match your filter.

When looking at multiple target languages (the default), a source string will be repeated for each row with its current translation.

You will see more results (rows) than the number of the string counts shown if you are looking at multiple languages. Example:

Source  Translation Language
Hello Hola Spanish
Hello Bonjour French

The count of this result is 1 string (2 words). "Hello" is one source string, listed twice for both translations (2 words).

The translation search results use dynamic pagination. When searching across multiple languages, a result will never split a single source string and its translations across multiple pages, meaning all the translations for a single string will always be shown on the same page.

As a result, the number of individual source strings that will be shown on a single page, and the number of results shown on a single page, are dynamic. They adjust automatically depending on the total result set and the number of languages selected.

Filters

Search for strings with the filters on the left area. Reset your search with the link at the top. You can also save your string searches for the future.

Filter Options / Definition
Project

Filter for strings within a specific Project in the account.
Job

Filter strings by an existing Job name, or choose to view strings outside of a Job by selecting Not In A Job.
Status

Select and search by the following options:

  • Awaiting Authorization – Strings are not yet authorized for translation.
  • In Progress – Strings are authorized for translation but not published.
  • Published – Translation is completed and strings are published.
  • Excluded – Strings have been excluded from translation.
  • Mixed – Strings are in different statuses for different languages. This option is only shown in Source Mode.
Languages 

Select and search by the languages configured for the project.
Source Keyword

Search for a word or phrase in the Source Strings column.

Use quotes to match a string exactly. For example,

"Save Preferences"
Translation Keyword

Search for a word or phrase in the Translations column. Use together with "Replace Text" under Actions to find & replace translations.


When searching by a Translation Keyword containing more than 10 characters, we optimize your search by evaluating the keyword to detect the target language and automatically apply this to the Language filter. You can adjust the language filter at any time.
Key/Variant Search for string variants by looking up translations based on key or variant metadata.
File Search for file names from the File/URL column. Optionally, select Exact Match.
Issues 

Search by the following options: 

  • Any Issues – Strings that have or have had open issues.
  • Any Unresolved Issues – Strings with an unresolved issue.
  • Any Resolved Issues – Strings with a resolved issue. 
  • No Issues – Strings with no issue.
Issue type

Search by the following options: 

  • Source – Strings that have an issue with the source. 
  • Translation – Strings that have an issue with one of the translation languages. 
LQA

Search by the following options in relation to Linguistic Quality Assurance: 

  • LQA Reviewed - Has Errors – Strings that have been recorded as having LQA errors.
  • LQA Reviewed - No Errors – Strings that have been recorded as not having LQA errors. Note that strings that have been submitted without recorded errors (i.e. submitted or skipped) are recorded as strings with "No Errors" by default.
  • Not LQA Reviewed - Strings that have not been reviewed under LQA.
Context 

Search by the following options: 

  • Context – Strings that have visual context. 
  • No Context – Strings that do not have visual context.
Context Name  Search by the name of the visual context, optionally with an Exact Match.
Ingestion Warnings String ingestion warnings are flags raised when Smartling ingests a string that appears to have a possible problem. The string will still be ingested. This filter allows you to view strings that might require further attention. See String Ingestion Warnings Explained for further detail on each warning.
String Instructions Type

Filter for strings that have

  • No instruction - all strings without translator instructions
  • String has an instruction - all strings with translator instructions
  • Instruction from file - strings with translator instructions given in the source file (e.g.: using the #smartling.string_instructions_paths directive)
  • Manually added instruction - strings with translator instructions applied manually by selecting the string in Smartling > Actions > Edit Translator Instructions
String Instructions Text

Search for strings with specific text, e.g. "Do not translate...".

You must choose one of the options in the above filter first.
Hashcode 

Search by a string’s unique hashcode. You can find a string's hashcode from the String Details or Additional Details panel in the CAT Tool.
Namespace

Search by a string’s unique namespace.
Translations 

Search by the following options:

  • Has translation – Strings have at least one translation. 
  • Does not have translation – Strings don’t have any translations. 
  • Translation same as source – String translations match the source copy.
Prepublish

Search by the following options:

  • Available to prepublish – Strings are available to prepublish.
  • Currently prepublished – Strings have been prepublished.
Tags Select and search by one or more content tags. Alternately, select and search by No tags.
State

By default, all active strings will be shown. You can choose to filter by;

  • inactive strings
  • both active and inactive

 

Methods of Searching

  1. Search separately by text in the source string and text in the current translation.
  2. Search for exact strings by "quoting". However, this won't work for strings with placeholders or HTML markup.
    source_content.png

    Will return any string with the word “content” in it.
    source_content2.png

    Will return only the string that is exactly the single word, “content”.
  3. You can limit results to one specific File or URL by clicking the exact match checkbox.
  4. Search is not case-sensitive, even exact search.
  5. All filters are combined using logical “AND”; you may get zero results when combining filters, even if an individual filter would have some results.
  6. The behavior of the History filter has been updated.  The "preselected" date ranges (e.g. last 24 hours) are now dynamic.  The URL for the filter (and eventually saved searches with that filter, a forthcoming feature) will use the range relative to the time the page is being loaded. So you can get different results if you run the same filter today vs. tomorrow (or even 5 minutes or one hour later) because it’s really last 24 hours from the time the page is loaded.  If you want to share a search or revisit a search for a specific time range use the Custom date range options to specify the exact time range.  A saved search or shared URL with a custom range should produce the same results over time (assuming nothing else changes).
  7. The History filter continues to have limitations for how many results can be returned.  The UX provides explicit feedback when a search using History cannot be returned.  You can narrow your history or remove it from the search.

Wildcard Searching

When searching for text-based fields you can use the * character as a wildcard to match anything. This is especially useful for the following use cases:

  1. To find a string that includes a placeholder. Although Smartling will show the placeholder in the string, the only way to find the string including the placeholder is to use a wildcard.
    1. Example: Hello, *
    2. Will match Hello, ${firstName}
    3. Will not match Why, hello there!
  2. To find multiple strings that are similar in the form they start with or end with.
    1. Example: Good *!
    2. Will match: Good morning!, Good evening! Good afternoon! Good job!
    3. Will not match: Goodbye! G'day! Good riddance.
  3. To refine your search for a string that otherwise results in getting too many results from our standard similar match results.
  4. To find strings that have HTML markup inside them

If you want to match an actual * character that is part of your text, you can use \* to match exactly one * character in the filter.

You can save any filter-set used in the Account Strings View. For more information, read Saved Searches. 

Actions

Bulk Actions and Select All

All actions are now "bulk" actions and will apply to all selected strings. (You must make a selection before you can take any action.)

You can select/check a string on one page, navigate to another page, select other items, and then take an action, and the application will remember exactly which items you have selected, regardless of the page you are currently viewing.

You can also take an action on all the items in a result set without navigating to all the result pages. To perform an action on the entire result set:

  1. Select the All on this page checkbox that is in the table's header row.
    actions.png

    "All on page" checkbox:
    actions1.png
  2. Choose the Select all matching current filter option that appears after you have selected all on the page.
    actions2.png

Translation Actions

Certain actions apply to the language-specific translation that is selected, while other actions apply to the source string, regardless of which language is selected. Depending on the action, and the view, the application will operate on the source string of the translation.

For example, if you are looking at a translation view result set that includes just one string that is "In Progress" across five languages, you will have five items (rows) in the result. If you choose the result for language1 and then take the action to "Add instructions", that instruction is applied to the source string. Therefore, the instruction that is added will be shown, no matter what language someone is working on for that string.

String instructions are applied to the source string and are shown for all languages.

Not all actions can be applied to all selected strings or translations.

The application will attempt to take the requested action on all selected strings. But it does not validate if that action actually can be applied. If it is not applicable, the action will not be performed, and it will silently fail. No feedback is provided in this case.

Reload the page after you perform an action to see the updated results. Depending on your current filter, and the action just performed, you may get a smaller or larger result set. You may need to update your filter to see the strings or translations that you just took an action on.

 

Action

Description 

Prepublish 

Prepublishing translations will immediately publish the current translation without changing the workflow step so that you can use the current translation as if it is published. The string will continue through the workflow. 

Note: this function is not applicable to glossary term translations.

Export

Not to be confused with downloading translations, this allows you to export a CSV of the string details, including;

String ID, Source Text, Variant, File/URL, Locale, Translation Text.
Add / Remove Tags Allows you to add/remove tags on a string - the action applies to the source string, regardless of which language you have selected because tags are source string metadata.
Add / Remove Length Limits Allows you to add/remove character limits for all Translation Resources to follow, regardless of which language you have selected. Character limits are set on the source string and apply to all target languages.
Add / Remove String Instructions Allows you to add/remove Translator Instructions for all Translation Resources to follow, regardless of which language you have selected.
Stop Translation Stops the translation of the selected language(s) and reverts the status back to "Awaiting Authorization".
Recheck for SmartMatches Rechecks the translation of the selected language for SmartMatches
Replace Text

Allows you to replace translation text when used together with the Translation Keyword filter.
Search for a translation using the Translation Keyword edit box, then select the string containing the translation you want to replace > Actions > Replace Text.
Select the "Match Whole Word" checkbox to replace the text as a standalone term.
Unselecting this checkbox will result in the term being replaced, even if it is part of another term (including hyphenated terms).

Using this action will replace the translation in the TM.

This action is the same as the "Find & Replace" action on the legacy Global Content Search.

Quick Edit

If you need to modify translated content quickly, Account Owners and Project Managers can do so directly from the Strings View via Quick Edits.

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