PHP localization

The PHP localization process is the process of adapting internationalized software for a specific region or language by adding locale-specific components and translating text.

How to Localize PHP Code

To localize PHP code, you need to use the gettext functions. The gettext functions are part of the PHP core and are used to translate text strings in PHP code.

Here is an example of how to localize a PHP string:

<?php
// Translate the string
_e( 'Hello, World!', 'your-text-domain' );
?>

In the example above, the _e() function is used to translate the string ‘Hello, World!’ into the current locale. The second parameter is the text domain, which is used to identify the translation file. The text domain is usually the name of the plugin. The text domain is defined in the main plugin file using the Text Domain header.

Here is an example of how to define the text domain in the main plugin file:

<?php
 
/**
 * Plugin Name: WP Kirk
 * Plugin URI: https://github.com/wpbones/WPKirk
 * Description: WP Bones template WordPress plugin
 * Version: 1.6.0
 * Requires at least: 6.2
 * Requires PHP: 7.4
 * Author: Giovambattista Fazioli
 * Author URI: https://wpbones.com/
 * License: GPLv2 or later
 * License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
 * Text Domain: wp-kirk
 * Domain Path: languages
 *
 */

How to Generate the .pot File

To generate the .pot file, you need to use the script npm run make-pot. The script will generate the .pot file in the languages folder.

Here is an example of how to generate the .pot file:

npm run make-pot

How to Translate the .pot File

To translate the .pot file, you need to use a translation editor like Poedit. Poedit is a free translation editor that allows you to translate the .pot file into different languages.

Here is an example of how to translate the .pot file using Poedit:

1. Open Poedit
2. Click on File > New Catalog from POT/PO file
3. Select the .pot file
4. Click on Create
5. Translate the strings
6. Save the file

In your languages folder, you will find the .po and .mo files with the translations.