June 16, 2023, version 2.2.1

This is a recommended release. It fixes several errors in v2.2.0 and adds several features.

Update for 2.2.1.2 : corrected an error that prevented PointFire Translator service from listening on all addresses.

Installation

Please see the quick installation or the full installation manual for details.  Quick installation is for the workstation and is suitable for evaluation, while full installation is suitable for production.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

All of our PowerShell scripts are switching from the legacy SharePointPnPPowerShellOnline module, which stopped being maintained over a year ago, to the new PnP.PowerShell module.

The PointFire Translator installation script will uninstall the old module and install the new one on the workstation if that has not already been done. If you are using the default Authentication method for scripts, "Interactive", and no one has yet run the command "Register-PnPManagementShellAccess", you must get a global admin to consent for the Tenant. This only has to be done once for the entire tenant. If you cannot use this type of login, contact support for alternatives.

Details here
https://pnp.github.io/powershell/cmdlets/Register-PnPManagementShellAccess.html

This version of PointFire Translator includes a command-line tool, a web interface, an app interface, and a Power Automate interface. After it is installed on a shared server, the PointFire Translator app, supports connecting to this server and translating using the user's own credential. It can be installed as a shared server or on the local workstation. If installed as a workstation, only the user on that workstation can use it.

The PointFire Translator app will connect to the PointFire Translator service at the URL for which it has been configured, if it is running, but if it is absent it will fall back to using the SharePoint Online Machine Translation Service. PointFire Translator works with SharePoint Online (SPO), with OneDrive, and a version works with SharePoint 2019. You can trigger a translation from a Power Automate flow, with some additional configuration.

The installer will give you the option to start PointFire Translator either in console mode, or to install it as a Windows service which can be always on. It will then open the browser interface on the local machine so that you can enter license keys and API keys, and optionally set credentials that it will store. In most cases, these credentials only need to be entered once, even if you are prompted for them later on.

If you install it as a Windows service, then we recommend that you open services.msc, find the PointFire Translator service, right-click to select Properties, then under the Log On tab, make sure that Allow service to interact with desktop is checked. Also, in Microsoft Word if it is installed on that computer, click File > Options > Advanced under the "General" heading, and please make sure that "Confirm file format conversion on open" option is disabled.

You need to get a Translator Text API key from Azure
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/translator/business/trial/#get-started

The installation will prompt you for the following information:

• PointFire Translator license key. For a trial key, enter "30-day-trial", or contact sales@icefire.ca
• Translator Text API key, see above
• The email of the user(s) allowed to use the Translator. Non-trial keys allow wildcards

If you want to use the Web interface, on the physical machine not remotely, or the script interface, you can use stored credentials, in which case it may also require:

• SPO Username, which will be stored for later commands (not required for MFA)
• SPO Password, which will be stored for later commands (not required for MFA)
• SPO site URL, which will be stored to test the login

You may skip these prompts, but you will have to issue the SetCredentials command later. If you are using Multi-Factor Authentication, then the Username and Password may not be required, however a dialog box will open to let you log in, and a new login may be required in later sessions.

PointFire Translator can be used from the command line using the TXFIRE exe, or from PowerShell, using scripts like the sample scripts that are provided. However it is easier to use it from the PointFire Translator app that runs on SharePoint. More details are here http://pointfire.com/products/add-ins/TranslatorManual.aspx

To install PointFire Translator, drag and drop the file PFT-Addin.app to your app catalog and add it to your site, then carry out the configuration steps described in the Translator Installation Manual.

New and Changed Features

• Language selection in "To" and "From" parameter in the web interface is now a datalist dropdown, with values retrieved from the site. You can select or type a language code.
• The Azure Document Translator config should only be available if tenant and site are not configured for PointFire Translator Server, unless Azure Document Translator config was already added
• The more detailed Microsoft Identity Extensions error message, with the useful link to the installation, will appear even if the user is translating from the app.
• Several improvements to behaviour and error messages when the authentication wishes to open a pop-up while PointFire Translator is running as a service, where pop-ups are not allowed. MFA credentials cannot be refreshed in service mode.
• After doing set credentials for MFA user, in future uses of Set Credentials, default will be MFA="Yes" and erase any stored userID/password information.
• App version is shown even if PointFire Translator server is not reachable
• New PowerShell script 'UserAuthentication.ps1' to set the Environment variable to know whether scripts should use "Interactive" or "UseWebLogin" authentication method.
• SetLanguagePreferenceInSiteLevel.ps1 script added to override mapping of SharePoint to Translator language codes, for example "fr:fr-CA"
• NEW Alternative authentication method for the Server using app registration and MSAL

Resolved Issues 

• Error for some users, and for some languages including Dari: Abnormal termination (Object reference not set to an instance of an object.).
• While translating through PointFire Translator app, it sometimes opened unnecessary authentication pop up.
• Error message "please provide valid username" at the time of pressing Submit, when MFA changes the value of the username wildcard(s)
• Multiple errors after entering wrong site url. For MFA user, it is asking for the credential repeatedly. Otherwise, 401 error. It also changes default URL for Set Credentials to subsite URL
• Multiple possible errors when the language is entered in upper case in Web Interface: Document failed to translate. Other error if MLP enabled or Item Language value is blank
• Various errors and incorrect messages when translating mix of correct and incorrect file names, or mix of modern and classic pages
• When sending one correct file name and one incorrect file name for translation, wrong message is showing "MESSAGE: Document Home.aspx already has a translation into fr-fr; skipping."
• While translating multiple pages which contain both modern and classic pages, modern pages did not translate
• If a user sets their language preference to a non-SharePoint language variant (not using PointFire 365) like en-CA, then Translator may try to use that language code and fail
• Message giving the count of translated items is sometimes showing twice. Other duplicate messages
• We are not storing the latest URL used in the SiteURL section in Translate documents/Translate SharePoint list/Translate SharePoint library
• If we change the SiteUrl in Translate Document, then it is changing the SiteUrl in setcredential.
• While translating a blank .xlsx file, it showed errors: "ERROR: Error while processing file: {file}.xlsx to language {lang} with error: Object reference not set to an instance of an object." "ERROR: Object reference not set to an instance of an object."
• "Please enable custom scripting" message has not been localized.
• In PointFire Translator app page, after clicking on the save setting button, it is not showing any success or failure mark. In the console it is showing error "l is not defined"
• While translating the Document.docx inside a folder: "ERROR: File Document.docx cannot be found in library Documents."
• While sending older Word format ".doc" file for translation, it showed "Error while processing the source file. The specified package is invalid. The main part is missing."
• Classic page did not translate when Multilingual Page Publishing is enabled, but no appropriate message
• While running SetCredential.ps1 script, found error "Unable to find type [TXFIRE.TXLIB]."
• While doing set credential kept space after comma in user name, causing "ERROR: User name in stored credentials must match one of the authorized users in Usernames."
• When the user name stored in Set Credentials contains a space, subsequent document translations did not succeed
• Show blank value in the configuration parameters rather than "undefined".
• When the service is running in Services mode, sent a document for translation to "fr" language through PointFire Translator app. It is translating to all activated language.
• 'Error: The File does not have any content.' should be in red .
• When the sub site URL contains a space (in tbe name), it is changing the URL in Translate Document tab, after doing translation in web interface.
• Entering "docu" as a document name translates "Document Test.docx" which is present in the Document library.

Known issues

• When translating using PowerShell, you must first have called SetCredentials.ps1 using the same account, since PowerShell stores its configuration in a different place.
• Some remaining scenarios where interrrupted translations leave a PFT-temp temporary file not cleaned up.

Limitations

Internet Explorer is not supported for the Web interface.  Please use Edge or Chrome.