Why I really dislike localized error messages…
Posted by jpluimers on 2012/09/06
The problem with localized error messages often is that it is virtually impossible to find information about them.
For instance the below error got reported by a client for me to fix (click on the picture to get a larger version) has a few big problems:
- It is impossible to [Wayback] copy the error message using Ctrl-C
(Ctrl-C on messageboxes has been a Windows feature since 2000, gosh why can’t the Office team just implement this?) - There is no “Microsoft Office Online”.
I had to [Wayback] find out on Wikipedia that Wayback: “Microsoft Office Online” is now called “Microsoft Office website”
(the site seems to have been renamed again, now to [Wayback] Office – Office.com, which seriously sounds like a [Wayback] Pleonasm, just like the Microsoft slogan [Wayback] “Built on NT technology“) - The link in the message box doesn’t bring you to the website.
- If you search for “VBA-conversieprogramma’s” on the Office.com site, you get zero results.
- If you [Wayback] search for “VBA-conversieprogramma’s” using Google you get very a few results: this major drawback for localized error messages. If it had an error code or something, it would be much easier.
(note: most of the search results are not helpful at all, only these two were somewhat helpful:
– http://www.veit.nl/376111-invoegtoepassing-excel-2007-a
– [Wayback] http://www.archivum.info/microsoft.public.nl.office.excel/2007-11/01060/Re-Invoegtoepassing-Excel-2007.html
) - Both the above links are to [Wayback] http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&DisplayLang=nl
which in turn redirects to [Wayback] Download: Compatibiliteitspakket voor Word-, Excel- en PowerPoint-bestandsindelingen van Microsoft Office – Microsoft Download Center – Download Details. - The English versions of the last two links are these:
– [Wayback] http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466
– [Wayback] Download: Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint File Formats – Microsoft Download Center – Download Details.
The actual download is [Wayback] FileFormatConverters.exe (note: no “Pack”, nor Compatibility or Conversion in that name). - Nor the built-in Windows Update on Vista nor the [Wayback] Microsoft Update suggested these converters to be installed.
- Anyway: this was still wrong: After asking the client for more details, it appeared they wanted to open an [Wayback] XLS file (Excel 97-2003) into Excel 2007. Apparently, Excel 2007 doesn’t have very good backward compatibility, but not in the way the FileFormatConverters can help with.
In the end, I searched for [Wayback] cannot open VBA XLS in “Excel 2007” conversion programs.
One of the links indicated that I needed [Wayback] KB 926430: [Wayback] You are requested to “search Microsoft Office Online for “VBA Converters” when you try to open or save a workbook in Excel 2007 or Excel 2010.
From “VBA conversion programs” via “compatibility pack”, to “VBA Converters” a small step for Microsoft, a huge barrier for end users.
–jeroen
The Wiert Corner - irregular stream of stuff 
Petr Vones said
http://www.unlocalize.com project might help.
jpluimers said
Cool! But not results that make sense for this: http://www.unlocalize.com/SearchResults.aspx?search=VBA-conversieprogramma's (: