Translations
Keys, interpolation, CLDR plurals, missing keys and the typed translation contract.
@workspace/active-i18n 1.1.0Developmentunreleased, in development in Foundationbaseline ce081dc3
Interpolation, plurals and a missing keyClient
Hello Ada
2 new messages
inbox.archived
Missing keys reported: inbox.archived
// apps/docs/examples/i18n/translator.tsx'use client';
import {useState} from 'react';
import { createTranslateFunction, type LocaleTranslations,} from '@workspace/active-i18n';import {Button} from '@workspace/active-ui/components/primitives/button';import { Tabs, TabsList, TabsTrigger,} from '@workspace/active-ui/components/primitives/tabs';
// The host's dictionaries: one tree per language, keyed by namespace.const DICTIONARIES: Record<'en' | 'nl' | 'ar', LocaleTranslations> = { en: { inbox: { greeting: 'Hello {{name}}', messages: {one: '{{count}} new message', other: '{{count}} new messages'}, }, }, nl: { inbox: { greeting: 'Hallo {{name}}', messages: { one: '{{count}} nieuw bericht', other: '{{count}} nieuwe berichten', }, }, }, ar: { inbox: { greeting: 'مرحبًا {{name}}', messages: { zero: 'لا توجد رسائل جديدة', one: 'رسالة جديدة واحدة', two: 'رسالتان جديدتان', few: '{{count}} رسائل جديدة', many: '{{count}} رسالة جديدة', other: '{{count}} رسالة جديدة', }, }, },};
/** A translator per language: interpolation, CLDR plurals and a missing key. */export default function Translator() { const [locale, setLocale] = useState<'en' | 'nl' | 'ar'>('en'); const [count, setCount] = useState(2); // Filled while this render translates: the translator reports a miss // through the callback and still returns the raw key. const missing: string[] = []; const t = createTranslateFunction(DICTIONARIES[locale], locale, { onMissingKey: ({key}) => missing.push(key), }); return ( <div className="flex flex-col gap-4"> <Tabs value={locale} onValueChange={(value) => setLocale(value as 'en' | 'nl' | 'ar')} > <TabsList aria-label="Language"> <TabsTrigger value="en">English</TabsTrigger> <TabsTrigger value="nl">Nederlands</TabsTrigger> <TabsTrigger value="ar">العربية</TabsTrigger> </TabsList> </Tabs> <div lang={locale} dir={locale === 'ar' ? 'rtl' : 'ltr'} className="flex flex-col gap-1" > <p data-i18n-greeting>{t('inbox.greeting', {name: 'Ada'})}</p> <p data-i18n-count={count}>{t('inbox.messages', {count})}</p> <p className="text-muted-foreground font-mono text-sm"> {t('inbox.archived')} </p> </div> <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-2"> <Button variant="outline" size="sm" onClick={() => setCount((n) => Math.max(0, n - 1))} > Fewer </Button> <Button variant="outline" size="sm" onClick={() => setCount((n) => n + 1)} > More </Button> <span className="text-muted-foreground text-sm">count = {count}</span> </div> <p className="text-muted-foreground text-sm"> Missing keys reported:{' '} {missing.length > 0 ? missing.join(', ') : 'none'} </p> </div> );}Keys#
A key is a dot path whose first segment is the namespace: inbox.messages reads the messages
value of the inbox tree. A dictionary for one language is LocaleTranslations, an object keyed by
namespace.
Interpolation#
{{name}} is replaced with String(value). count is always interpolated when it is a number.
t('inbox.greeting', {name: 'Ada'}); // 'Hello Ada'Plurals#
A plural value is an object whose own keys are all CLDR categories: zero, one, two, few,
many, other. With a numeric count, zero is used for 0 when present, otherwise the category
Intl.PluralRules gives for the language, otherwise other. Arabic uses all six categories; the
example above shows them as you change the count.
Missing keys and failures#
- A missing key returns the raw key and calls
onMissingKey({key, locale})once. - An invalid path, a value that is not a string or a failed plural selection returns the raw key and
calls
onWarning; an exception returns the raw key and callsonError. - Callback messages are stable English sentences;
keyandlocaletravel inmeta.
const t = createTranslateFunction(dictionary, 'nl', { onMissingKey: ({key, locale}) => report(`missing ${locale}:${key}`),});Typed keys#
TranslationCapability<PlainKey, Params> is generic. A resource package of your application can
instantiate it with a generated union of its keys and the variables each key needs; a component
library keeps the untyped TranslateFunction and receives the host's translator.
Names from CLDR#
getLanguageName, getStandaloneLanguageName, getCurrencyName, getCurrencyOptions and
getRegionName read Intl.DisplayNames in the display language, with your own labels as a
fallback where the runtime has no name.