Widget “language list” or “language selector”

After the period devoted to the management of menus and their style with image (flag), this is the appropriate time to review widget “language list” or language selector (switcher).
Adding pictures is based on an integrated style sheet in the header if and only if this widget is active. (thanks to the is_widget_active function). As with nav menus, the theme must support (add_theme_support) the “custom_xili_flag” introduced since Xili-language version 2.15.

Three possible styles: single text (as before), image + text and image / flag alone (in compact horizontal list).
Images/pictures can have three origins:
– Those provided by the developer of the theme (so in a theme subfolder and reported at the theme setup)
– Those introduced as nav menu image in the catalog media associated with a language,
– And in case of absence, for some images contained in the plugin.

Importing multilingual datas of a website previously controlled by Polylang plugin

A few years after the birth of Xili-language, Polylang also chosen the way of taxonomy “language” to organize posts according to their language. The slightly different implementation of this taxonomy is discussed here. This approach retains the posts (article, page) to their initial state. In a decidedly simple approach with an effective ergonomics, its success demonstrates that it meets expectations in a very competitive multilingual context. But as for music, cars, the webmaster / developer may want different or complementary qualities, that is why, apart from other reasons, the trilogy Xili-language continuing its development. If, during the life of a website, the need appears, Xili-language 2.1+ version is able to detect the presence of previous Polylang and recover data to continue the multilingual architecture with the trilogy (Xili-tidy- tags, xili-dictionary). Caution, in the list of extensions, just disable Polylang without removing it because otherwise, for lack of option provided for this purpose by the author, all specific data Polylang will be deleted. Once, Xili-language active, a semi-automatic multi-step process is fired … a specially dedicated post is published…

Widgets visibility option under the current language

If the option is activated (5th tab), the webmaster will see in the interface of each widget, a group of 2 dropdown menus to decide whether this widget should appear or not.

various fixes

Each version is an opportunity to fixe and optimize the code in particular by integrating functions appeared since WP 4.1. or recent versions of javascript.

improved code and algorithms

Add filters to customize the implementation style images / flags in the language selector.
Added new theme twenty sixteen in the list of bundled themes that came with WordPress.
Intermediate versions before publication on the WP repository are available on GitHub

VERY IMPORTANT: change of plugins must be preceded by IMPERATIVELY a backup of the database.

Performing backups has been very helpful in the phases of development of this new feature to Xili-language 2.21+ and allowed at any time to return to an earlier phase.

Although Xili-language taxonomy and that of Polylang have the same name, there are differences explained in this article.

This post concerns webmasters with a good level of knowledge of WordPress … and those who know the “CMS” reasons behind to move from Polylang to Xili-language (2.21+).

Preparation

Installation WITHOUT ACTIVATION  to the 3 xili-language plugins, Xili-tidy-tags and Xili-dictionary. Either via FTP or through the list of plugins.

Open multiple tabs in your browser: two on the list of extensions, one on the visitor site side and one on the dashboard.

Desactivate Polylang

Caution, in the list of extensions, you must  only desactivate Polylang without deleting it because otherwise, for lack of option provided for this purpose by the author, all specific data Polylang will be deleted.

Once, Xili-language activated, a semi-automatic multi-step process is set up and opens the welcome page:

Once in the page settings, it is seen that the elements left behind by Polylang are detected and processed for multilingual management now by xili-language:

Regeneration multilingual elements

The regeneration of links between posts made, the message says to go to the Settings for Experts tab.

Because the next step is taxonomies, go to the previously prepared browser tab where there is the list of extensions and enable Xili-tidy-tags:

Going back to the settings page Expert Xili-language and the window (meta-box) “special actions and parameters”:

Operations related to taxonomies relate Tags (post_tag) primarily:

now screen xili-tidy-tags assign

They prepare the items for categories that are managed in translation mode (without cloning) by xili-language and Xili-dictionary. (see Article …)

To clean the WP base before removing the Polylang extension, you have to go to the next step (this can be done later):

CAUTION :

It goes without saying that now Polylang should not be reactivated. To go back: use the backups.

The Polylang files are deletable via the page showing list of extensions or better via FTP. Xili-language, however, has made so renaming the file
 uninstall.php to uninstall_XL_desactived.php
so it does not destroy particular taxonomy “language” in the process “deleting” managed by  WP.

Like those basic categories (category) and keywords / tags (post_tag), each element (term) of the taxonomy is described by its name, its shortcut (slug) and description. The other fields are the technical elements (term_id, taxonomy_id …)

Example of category “Recent News”
– Name : Recent News
– Slug : recent-news
– Description : the most recent news to be published

Inside xili-language and the taxinomy “language”, a language is defined as:
– Name : fr_FR (iso)
– Slug : fr_fr
– Description : French
and
with Polylang, the choice is different :
– Name : French
– Slug : fr (raccourci)
– Description : several serialized data in a table (array) whose name iso (locale => en_US) used by WP to name translation files.

The key point (pivot) is in both cases, iso code that describes the language and country of its use: fr_CA is used in Canada if we are to be precise.

Using serialized data in the description field is a Polylang originality that is not found in WP. Such fields do not allow SQL query. (need php functions)

As shown locale.php JetPack file (used by Xili-language), language management is very complex and use multiple encodings. You can find other invariant elements like the name cited in the language (French) and the writing direction (ltr). In fact, there is very little quantity of rtl languages.

With a few hundred lines, Xili-language (2.21+) can recover multilingual elements of a previous WP installation driven by Polylang. (see instructions post)
Xili-dictionary is also compatible with Polylang active (through filters and an abstraction of the taxonomy model). For example to translate language files for a theme or plugin with creation of pot, po, mo files.

• Admin Side
  add link in post edit to view other posts during translation,
  pre-tests with WP 4.3-beta1: fixes for (new) WP Theme Customizer Menus

• Authoring
  add shortcode as [linked-post-in lang="fr_fr"]Voir cet article

• Theme’s developers
  ready to translate theme_mob values (like in config.xml) see multilingual child theme twentyfifteen-xili example in github

The first constraint is that a site with a WordPress installed single-site engine. (on the approach multisite installation is not addressed here although it has its own benefits.)

While technical supporting and doing site analysis and extensions, on several occasions, including recently, we have drawn attention to the sometimes old or deemed extensions (free or commercial) that profoundly alter the data (consistency and robustness) and the basic architecture.
Of course these web sites work but what he has behind? How will the data support the type approaches Json Api etc … without mentioning of course compatibility with the most common extensions.

Let us remember also that a multilingual website is not necessarily a set of pages, each of which has its “clone” in the other languages of the site. The user experience will also depend on the target population (multilingual country like Canada, Belgium, …) or International site “global”.

The “multilingual” character must be included in the editorial strategy (content strategy) and capabilities of establishment, operation and maintenance.
At it, the commercial nature of an extension is not a guarantee of solidity. The ability to read sources can also shed light on the webmasters who, with supplied base, will add the necessary customizations and contribute to future versions.

Bulk: some key elements of the specifications

On this first list, are listed below all technical elements that will be the basis of a strong installation that will continue with the successive versions of WP.

• taxonomy dedicated to the language of a post (article, page, custom post) with 0, one or more languages assigned to it,
• opportunity to describe the language with the ISO code and via an alias,
• use of get text functionality (.mo / .po) for structural text themes and forms,
• in the core, a theme, an extension: separation of data on the visitor side and admin side / author (not yet total for the core WP – core)
• use of the sites dedicated .mo files that do not change those delivered with the themes and extensions,
• Compatibility with default, shorts and perma links,
• query wp_query simple for sub-selecting items,
• code understandable to potential adjustments
• cross-post visible link (? serialization in the description of taxonomy or custom field?)
• reversibility (find datas with basic functions wp) – easily usable taxonomy
• language selector (switcher) versatile (widget, menu, template tag)
• Keywords (tags) taxonomy – grouping (alias), custom taxonomies
• export / import via XML
• xmlrpc – json,
• available personalization filters,
• no new tables (or few),
• dashboard with components available such METABOX (minimum js, the browser tab)
• pictures option / setable flags (any format, any name) – definable theme of the creator and the user
• inline documentation (help, pointing js)
• cookies / domain: options to be studied,

Bulk: some unacceptable elements that incite address some extensions with huge precautions

• Modifying fields (title, content, …) posts (article, page) – in total contradiction with the WordPress data model

• Translation posts added to the new tables or as custom post types

• No explicit description of the model – however often visible (guessable) in the file uninstall.php (if available)

to be continued…

[update] this translation is done to contribute to this article in WordPress Core…

• integration of xl-bbp-addon (no more a plugin),
• fixes/adds ‘menu-item-has-children’ class in menus built by selector (as used in twentyfourteen / twentyfifteen theme css for sub-menu on left sidebar to show small arrow),
• fixes propagation options,
• better management of dashboard language and user profil (thanks to Renoir),
• selected value of languages in general settings set to get_option(‘WPLANG’) (and not filtered locale).

M.