Aligning Segments

Whereas the File Map window pane can be used to perform alignment at the file level, the Alignment Tool can be used to do the same at the segment level. In most cases, you probably will not need to align segments. However, there may be situations when it is necessary.

To open the Alignment Tool, first open the File Map window pane in the MadCap Align utility (View>File Map). Then double-click on the associated pair of files. Like the File Map window pane, the Alignment Tool lets you shift selected cells up and down, or swap two selected cells. In addition, you can split and join segments.

how to align segments

Select Tools>MadCap Align.
In MadCap Align open the aligned project. Unless you specify otherwise, these types of projects are stored in the Documents\My Aligned Projects folder on your computer. Lingo creates the My Aligned Projects folder when you install the program.

Note: In some operating systems, the folder is called "My Documents" instead of "Documents."
The File Map window pane should already be open. If it is not, do one of the following, depending on the part of the interface you are using.
- Ribbon Select View>File Map.
  Switching between ribbons and the tool strip… You can use the Options dialog to switch between ribbons and the classic tool strip layout. See Switching Between Ribbons and the Tool Strip.
  More about ribbon options… Keep in mind that the smaller the application window becomes, the more the options in a ribbon shrink. Therefore, you might only see a small icon instead of text, or you might see only a section name displayed with a down arrow to access the options in it. You can hover over small icons to see tooltips that describe them. You can also enlarge the application window or click one of the section drop-downs in the ribbon to locate a hidden feature.
- Menu Select View>File Map.
- Standard Toolbar Click .
  To open the Standard toolbar from the menu view, you can select View>Toolbars>Standard.
- Keyboard Shortcut Press CTRL+SHIFT+R.
In the File Map window pane, double-click on a row with aligned files. The Alignment Tool opens, displaying all of the segments from those aligned files.
In the Alignment Tool select the appropriate cell(s) on either the source language side or the target language side. You can hold down your SHIFT or CTRL key to click and select multiple cells.

In the local toolbar, click one of the buttons to perform an alignment action (so that the source segments on the left are aligned with the proper target segments on the right).

	If you have selected two cells (one above and one below) and click this button, the positions of those two cells will be swapped.
	Click this button if you want to swap the selected cell(s) with those below it.
	Click this button if you want to swap the selected cell(s) with those above it.
	Click this button if you have selected one cell and want to split its content into two cells. This button is disabled until you double-click in the cell that you want to split. After double-clicking the cell, place your cursor where you want the split to occur in the segment. Then click this button.
	Click this button if you have selected multiple cells (above and below one another) and you want to join the content within them into a single cell.

Click to save your work.

WHAT'S NEXT?

After you align segments, you should upload them to your translation memory database. If you select specific segments and click

in the local toolbar, only those translations will be uploaded. If you click

in the local toolbar, all translations in the file will be uploaded.

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