This module handles documents available in different languages. Documents get an extra suffix, specifying the languages. For instance, .sv would be a resource in Swedish, and .en one in English.

To decide which resource to send to which user, the module looks at a cookie or a prestate. It does not use the Accept-Language header of HTTP, since the semantics differ. Accept-Language is based upon the assumption that the user chooses a fixed list of languages once, and then automatically gets pages accordingly. The Language module is based upon the assumption that the user wants to know which languages a document is available in, and be able to make the choice any time. The user might well want to look at the different translations of a page to see if one translation contains more information.

The Language module is also a directory parsing module. It has to be in order to handle index.html files in different languages.

<language>

Prints the language the current page is in. See the language page of the Web Site Creator manual for more information.

<available_languages>

Gives a list of all other languages the current page is available in, and links to them. See the available_languages page of the "Web Site Creator"-manual for more information.

<unavailable_language>

Shows the language the user requested the page in, if the page is not available in that language. See the unavailable_language page of the "Web Site Creator"-manual for more information.

Variables

Default language

This is the default language for documents on this site. It is used when deciding which language file to send when the user has made no choice. Files without a language extension are considered to be in this language.

Languages

This specifies which languages are supported by the site. Support for each language is defined on one row, on the form language code, language name and optionally one or more next language code.

An example follows below.

sv Svenska en de en English de de Deutsch en

The language name is used in the tags to show what language the page is in and to create links to the other translations.

next language codes are used to determine which language to use if the one selected is not available. To find a page in an appropriate language, languages are tried as follows:

1. The selected language, stored as a prestate.
2. The user agent's accept-headers.
3. The default language.
4. The default next-language-codes for the default language.
5. All languages, in the order listed in this variable.

Empty lines as well as lines beginning with # or // will be ignored.

Flag directory

The path to a directory holding small GIF format image files of flags or other symbols, representing the various languages.

language-code.selected.gif

Shown to indicate that the page is in that selected language, usually by the header-module.

language-code.available.gif

Shown as a link to the page in that language. Only shown if the page is available in that language.

language-code.unavailable.gif

Shown to indicate that the user has selected a language that this page is not available in.

language-code.dir.selected.gif

Shown to indicate that the directory entry will be shown in that language.

language-code.dir.available.gif

Shown as a link to the directory entry translated to that language.

Text only

If set the tags will default to text only.

Use config

If set the module will use cookies for storing the users language preference. Will use prestates otherwise.