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PHP Internationalization Programming
Internationalization By gettext

1. Put Strings To Localize In gettext Function

   Put strings that you want to localize in gettext function (in most cases, '_()').
   These strings get localized (translated) by each external resource file.

   echo "Hello from PHP!"; -> echo _("Hello from PHP!");
   

   
   

2. Write Initalizing Code

   Apply user locale (language & region) and tell the resource name and path to gettext mechanism.

   index.php (or other php)
   
   <?php require_once($_SERVER["DOCUMENT_ROOT"].'/gettext/wwnaviRs/' . 'wwnavi.gettext.php');?>
   // Running initializing code for locale setting and gettext reading.
   ...
   echo _("Hello from PHP!");
   ...
   

   wwnavi.gettext.php // Initializing code.
   
   require_once('wwnaviLang.php');
   // Language and region arrays used later.
   
   $header = $_SERVER['HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE'];
   // Getting user HTTP header with language info.
   
   $lang='';
   // Parse user locale from HTTP headers.
   // Locale expression are different from each web browser('en', 'en-us', 'en_US'...),
   // but setlocale parameters need to be 'language_REGION'.
   if(strpos($header, ',')>0) {
       $hds = explode(',', $header);
       $lang = $hds[0];
       $lang = str_replace('-', '_', $lang);
       if(strpos($lang, '_')>0) {
           $ls = explode('_', $lang);        
           if(count($ls)>1) $lang = $ls[0] . '_' . strtoupper($ls[1]);        
       }else if(!empty($wwnaviLang[$lang])) {
           $lang .= '_' . $wwnaviLang[$lang]; 
           // If language code (e.g. 'en') only, add region code (e.g. 'US') 
           // from pre-defined arrays because setlocale needs full locale name.
       }
   }
   //echo $lang . '
   ';
   //putenv("LC_ALL=$lang");
   
   setlocale(LC_ALL, $lang);
   // $lang need to be language and region name (e.g. "en_US") at least.
   
   $domain = 'wwnaviBundle';
   // Telling gettext resource name and path.
   bindtextdomain($domain, dirname(__FILE__));
   textdomain($domain);
   bind_textdomain_codeset($domain, 'UTF-8');
   
   

   wwnaviLang.php // Pre-defined arrays of language and default region code.
   
   $wwnaviLang = array(
   ...
   'de'=>'DE',
   'en'=>'US',
   'es'=>'ES',
   'et'=>'EE',
   'eu'=>'ES',
   'fa'=>'IR',
   'fi'=>'FI',
   'fo'=>'FO',
   'fr'=>'FR',
   ...
   'ja'=>'JP',
   ...
   

   
   

3. Create gettext Master Template Resource (.POT)

   You need to create a master resource (.pot) with pairs of msgid and msgstr under the resource path.
   xgettext command is useful which scans '_()' strings and create pot files.

   YOUR_DOCUMENT_ROOT/gettext/wwnaviRs/(*1)
    ... wwnaviBundle.pot(*1)
   
   *1)The same directory as specified in the code above.
   

   wwnaviBundle.pot
   ...
   
   #, fuzzy
   msgid ""
   msgstr ""
   "Project-Id-Version: PACKAGE VERSION\n"
   "Report-Msgid-Bugs-To: \n"
   "POT-Creation-Date: 2012-03-05 17:32+0900\n"
   "PO-Revision-Date: YEAR-MO-DA HO:MI+ZONE\n"
   "Last-Translator: FULL NAME <EMAIL@ADDRESS>\n"
   "Language-Team: LANGUAGE <LL@li.org>\n"
   "MIME-Version: 1.0\n"
   "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8\n"
   "Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit\n"
   
   #: /...../examples/php/gettext/index.php:10
   msgid "Hello from PHP!"
   msgstr ""
   
   #: /...../examples/php/gettext/index.php:13
   msgid "This is a DIV text."
   msgstr ""
   ...
   
   #: /root/wwnavi/workspace/examples/php/gettext/sub/sub2/sub2.php:31
   #, php-format
   msgid "My local time is %c!"
   msgstr ""
   
   

   xgettext -j -L php  -k"_" --from-code=UTF-8 -o /..../examples/php/gettext/wwnaviRs/wwnaviBundle.pot  \ 
      /..../examples/php/gettext/index.php
   
   

   
   

4. Localize .POT Into Each Language Resource (.PO)

   Copy the master template to the target locale directory (LOCALE(e.g. 'ja_JP')/LC_MESSAGES) as a .po file and translate msgstr.

   Case of Japanese Translation
   
   YOUR_DOCUMENT_ROOT/gettext/wwnaviRs/ja_JP/LC_MESSAGES
    ... wwnaviBundle.po
   
   

   ja_JP/LC_MESSAGES/wwnaviBundle.po
   ...
   
   #, fuzzy
   msgid ""
   msgstr ""
   "Project-Id-Version: PACKAGE VERSION\n"
   "Report-Msgid-Bugs-To: \n"
   "POT-Creation-Date: 2012-03-05 17:32+0900\n"
   "PO-Revision-Date: YEAR-MO-DA HO:MI+ZONE\n"
   "Last-Translator: FULL NAME <EMAIL@ADDRESS>\n"
   "Language-Team: LANGUAGE <LL@li.org>\n"
   "MIME-Version: 1.0\n"
   "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8\n"
   "Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit\n"
   
   #: /...../examples/php/gettext/index.php:10
   msgid "Hello from PHP!"
   msgstr "PHPからこんにちは!"
   
   #: /...../examples/php/gettext/index.php:13
   msgid "This is a DIV text."
   msgstr "これはDIVのテキストです。"
   ...
   
   #: /root/wwnavi/workspace/examples/php/gettext/sub/sub2/sub2.php:31
   #, php-format
   msgid "My local time is %c!"
   msgstr "わたしの現地時間は%cです!"
   
   

   ***CAUTION: Do not modify(translate) format string like '%c'.
   
   

5. Compile .PO Into .MO (Resource Binary)

   Run msgfmt command to create a resource binary (.mo) in the target locale directory.

   msgfmt -o wwnaviBundle.mo wwnaviBundle.po
   
   

   Now you can switch your messages between English and Japanese changing your browser language settings.
   

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