Adding or correcting a language

To translate BaRatinAGE into a new language, or to correct an existing language, follow these steps.

First, open an existing translation file or create a new one in the resources18n directory named according to the format translations_xx.properties, where xx is the two-character key for the language according to ISO standard 639. The easiest way to do this is to copy and paste one of the existing files already containing the language you want to translate from, and then rename it using the format mentioned.

You can edit this file using the text editor of your choice (Notepad++, for example). Translation files are simply key-value pairs separated by an equals sign. For example, hello_message = Bonjour in the French file and hello_message = Hi in the English file. To add your translations, simply translate the text to the right of the equals sign (without changing the key to the left of the equals sign).

Some translations may include basic HTML to format the text, such as bold or italics. For example, bold_text_example = Here is a text with <b>bold</b>. Some translations contain placeholders indicated by braces with a number in the middle, for example {0}. These placeholders are used in BaRatinAGE to adapt the content of the sentence to the context of use, for example, hi_user = Hello {0}, welcome. Comments can be added by starting a line with the # character.

Once this new file has been created, BaRatinAGE v3 should suggest the new language via the Options…Change language menu. Please send us your glossary file so that we can share it with all the users.

Contents of the .bam backup file

The .bam backup file is nothing more than a zip file containing all the information generated by BaRatinAGE. You can unzip it to access its contents, which include:

• a main configuration file called main_config.json (more details below);
• .zip files for each run of BaM!:
  • file name: combines creation date and random identifier AAAAMMDD_HHMMSS_XXXXX.zip (for example, 20240228_084817_63cf9.zip)
  • contents: all BaM configuration files and the corresponding results
• text files containing the data imported for gauging and stage series:
  • file name: original name of the imported file followed by a random identifier (for example, limni_sauze_999rs072520.txt)
  • file format: columns separated by semicolons and presence of headers
  • date: this is not a human-readable format but a number of seconds since 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z

The main_config.json file is in json format, a widely used format that is easy to read by machines and humans. In a nutshell, the file format consists of key/value pairs grouped in braces, with the option of nesting the braces, or using lists in square brackets. Here is the structure of the file:

• bamProjectType: text indicating the type of project; for the moment, all projects are of type “BARATIN”.
• bamItem: a list [] of all the components in the project and their configurations; each component has the following configuration elements:
  • name: name given to the component
  • description: description given to the component
  • id: random identifier for the component
  • type: component type, HYDRAULIC_CONFIG, GAUGINGS; STRUCTURAL_ERROR; LIMNIGRAPH, RATING_CURVE, HYDROGRAPH
  • config: the component configuration, the structure of which is different for each type of component
• selectedItemId: identifier of the selected component
• fileVersion: version of the backup file

Controlling the BaM executable

The BaRatinAGE v3 work environment works by driving the executable file BaM, which performs all the calculations and is located in the ‘exe’ directory of the BaRatinAGE installation folder. This executable is controlled entirely by manipulating a few configuration files, which in practice are simple text files.

This means that if you wish, you can control the BaM executable directly, without using the BaRatinAGE interface. This can be useful, for example, if you use a programming language and want to perform calculations directly in one of your programs. In particular, there is an R controller called RBaM, available here. The example provided with RBaM is the BaRatin model.

BaM! (Bayesian Modeling) is a platform for estimating a model using a Bayesian approach and using it for prediction, with particular emphasis on quantifying uncertainty. Various models are and can be implemented in BaM!, including the BaRatin model used in BaRatinAGE v3. If you want to go further and have access to the executable and configuration files, you can explore the BaM! ecosystem here.

You can also email the BaRatinAGE development team if you’d like to find out more.