Multi-language support in Yii framework: achieving internationalization

With the acceleration of globalization, more and more websites need to support multiple languages. As a widely used PHP framework, the Yii framework provides convenient multi-language support and can help us achieve internationalization more easily.

1. What is multi-language support?

Multi-language support, also known as internationalization (i18n), refers to the technology of using multiple languages ​​on the same website. The best way to understand multilingual support is by comparing operating systems with multiple software languages.

For example, you can use English, French, Chinese and other operating system languages. You can then use different text editors and browser plug-ins so that you can view different fonts for these languages.

The purpose of using multi-language support is to make your website suitable for a global audience and increase the localization effect.

2. Multi-language support in the Yii framework

The Yii framework provides multiple ways to achieve internationalization. First, it provides the Yii::t() method, which can be used to translate text, sentences, and paragraphs in views or controllers.

The following is an example of using the Yii::t() method:

echo Yii::t('app', 'Hello World'); // 输出“你好，世界。”

Here, "app" is the application identifier, which can be defined in the configuration file. The second parameter is the text to be translated.

The Yii::t() method will find a translation based on the application's current locale. By default, Yii uses the current user's locale, which is obtained from the HTTP request header. The Yii framework provides a convenient way to set the current locale:

Yii::$app->language = 'zh-CN';

This code sets the current locale to Simplified Chinese.

Another available internationalization method is to use the message class of the Yii framework. The message class puts the entire translation string into the message source file. For example, the following code can be used to define a message in the Yii framework:

Yii::t('app', 'Hello {name}', ['name' => 'Tom']);

In this example, "Hello {name}" is the message source string, which can be defined in the message source file. The message source file should be a PO file, which contains source language strings and target language strings.

Here, "Tom" is the parameter to be replaced. If the current locale is English, this code will output "Hello Tom". If the current locale is French, this code will output "Bonjour Tom".

3. How to create a message source file

The format of the message source file used to store translation strings is very important. The Yii framework provides a convenient way to create these files using the Yii framework's message manager.

To create a message source file, run the following command in the console of the Yii application:

yii message/extract config/messages.php

Where, config/messages.php is the directory where you want to place the message source. It must be a PHP file containing configuration similar to the following code:

return [
    'sourcePath' => __DIR__ . '/..',
    'languages' => [
        'zh-CN',
        'en-US',
    ],
    'translator' => 'Yii::t',
    'sort' => false,
    'overwrite' => true,
    'removeUnused' => false,
    'markUnused' => false,
    'phpTranslators' => ['Yii::t'],
    'messagePath' => __DIR__,
    'messageCategory' => 'app',
];

In this example, 'messageCategory' is the 'app' used above, and the other key-values ​​are used for Configure the parameters of the message source file.

This command will inspect your application, then extract all translation strings and create new message source files in the message directory.

4. Comparison of multi-language support in Yii framework and other frameworks

Yii framework provides many multi-language support that is more convenient compared to other frameworks. It provides message classes and t methods that allow it to switch text, sentences, and paragraphs in multiple locales almost seamlessly. In addition, the Yii framework provides convenient command line tools to help you manage translation strings.

On the other hand, many other frameworks require you to manually handle translation strings, which can make the code verbose and difficult to maintain. For other frameworks, you may need to use custom methods or third-party libraries to achieve similar functionality.

In addition, the Yii framework provides message source files to make the translation process more convenient. You can directly find messages in the system without looking for translation strings.

5. Summary

The Yii framework provides many convenient methods to achieve internationalization. It provides t methods and message classes to help you switch text, sentences and paragraphs in multiple locales easily.

In addition, the Yii framework also provides convenient command line tools to help you manage translation strings, and provides message source files so that you can find messages directly in the system.

By using the Yii framework’s multi-language support, you can easily prepare your website to adapt to languages ​​and cultures around the world.

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