Comments on: PHP Prepare your site for multilingual versions. http://www.dbuggr.com/simon-tite/php-prepare-site-multilingual-versions/ Share Knowledge & Be Rewarded Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:58:02 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Simon Tite http://www.dbuggr.com/simon-tite/php-prepare-site-multilingual-versions/comment-page-1/#comment-283 Simon Tite Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:25:51 +0000 http://www.dbuggr.com/simon-tite/php-prepare-site-multilingual-versions/#comment-283 This knowledge is probably somewhat out-dated, it only applies if you don't have the php "gettext" module installed. After a recent upgrade of my system to PHP5 and Ubuntu Karmic, this seems to be enabled by default, but I'm not sure when this changed. Sorry if this information has confused anyone. (lesson learned: don't apply two major updates at the same time!) However, IF the gettext module is NOT installed (check the phpinfo results), then:- Create the following "dummy" function:- <code><?php function _($tobetranslated) { return $tobetranslated; } </code> As you can see, this function effectively does nothing yet. However, the function "_" is a standard name used in internationalisation to signify "this is a string to be translated", and you should use this throughout your site wherever you output a string to the user, Example: <code> <h1><?php echo _("Welcome to my website"); ?></h1> </code> When you install some translation management software (.po .mo files), you can then replace the function _ to call the appropriate translation substitution software. If you have the gettext function already installed, just be sure that all your output strings are passed through the function _("string to be translated"), and it will use the untranslated string by default, if you have supplied no translations. This is well worth doing if there is any possibility you might eventually want a multilingual site, it will save you a lot of time later on. This knowledge is probably somewhat out-dated, it only applies if you don’t have the php “gettext” module installed. After a recent upgrade of my system to PHP5 and Ubuntu Karmic, this seems to be enabled by default, but I’m not sure when this changed. Sorry if this information has confused anyone. (lesson learned: don’t apply two major updates at the same time!)

However, IF the gettext module is NOT installed (check the phpinfo results), then:-

Create the following “dummy” function:-

<?php
    function _($tobetranslated) {
        return $tobetranslated;
    }

As you can see, this function effectively does nothing yet. However, the function “_” is a standard name used in internationalisation to signify “this is a string to be translated”, and you should use this throughout your site wherever you output a string to the user, Example:

<h1><?php echo _("Welcome to my website"); ?></h1>

When you install some translation management software (.po .mo files), you can then replace the function _ to call the appropriate translation substitution software.

If you have the gettext function already installed, just be sure that all your output strings are passed through the function _(”string to be translated”), and it will use the untranslated string by default, if you have supplied no translations.

This is well worth doing if there is any possibility you might eventually want a multilingual site, it will save you a lot of time later on.

]]>