i18n for node with expressJS
- key => value Style
- Deep file structure
- View helpers
var i18n_options = {}
var i18n = require('node-i18n')(i18n_options)
app.use(i18n.middleware) //call before app.use(app.router)
{
default : 'en'
, enabled : ['en']
, dir : './assets/private/i18n'
, helper_translate : '__'
, helper_path : '__p'
, helper_locale : '__l'
}
dir is where translation files are stored. Relative to your express application file.
helper* are the avaible function in Jade templates
let's say you have a route /products where you want to implement i18n
Before implementing i18n your route would have look like so :
app.get('/products', function(req, res){
res.end()
})
After
app.get(i18n.route('products'), function(req, res){
res.end()
})
Note that the argument that i18n.route() takes is a RegExp, and we ommitted the / before products
Now this route will match /products and /en/products
As en is set to be the default, when making a request to /en/products you will be redirected to /products
Every translation file is JSON and must end with .json
You can have as many files as you want for each locale. This let you seperate content.
For example : en.json header_en.json footer_en.json
Each file start with the locale key.
You can now write your definition going how deep as you like in objects.
{ "en": {
"baseline": "Welcome to my site",
"header" : {
"menu" : {
"h1" : "Hello {{name}} !",
"h2" : "What's up"
}
},
"footer" : {
"who" : "Who are we ?",
"info" : "Contact us by clicking {{{link|on this text}}}"
}
}}
Labels are variables that you pass to your text definition and are defined in double brackets : "Hello {{name}} !"
If you call __('header.menu.h1', { name: 'Batman' }) you'll get Hello Batman
**Hooks** are like labels except the value passed is defined in the dictionnary. This let you **wrap** the value. Imagine you need to include a link in your dictionnary, you could define it like so :
//dictionnary
{ "en": {
"key" : "click on <a href='/url'>this link</a>"
}}
The disadvantage of this is that you write html in your dictionnary and you don't have control of the <a/> tag in your template. This is where you want to use hooks :
//dictionnary
{ "en": {
"key" : "click on {{{link|this link}}}"
}}
Hooks use 3 brackets, the first paramater link is the key that will match with the object that you pass in the template and is separated with | with the second parameter wich is the translated text that you will call later on in your template like $link.
On your template you can now write :
__('key', { link: '<a href="/url">$link</a>' })
Notice that $link refer to the translated text on the link key. You just need to add $
You will get the following :
"click on <a href="/url">this link</a>"
Don't forget to unescape it in your jade as it's html
p= __('baseline')
p Current locale is #{__l}
div.header
h1= __('header.menu.h1', { name: 'Batman' })
h2= __('header.menu.h2')
div.footer
a(href="#{__p('/contact')}")= __('footer.who')
- var info = __('footer.info', { link: '<a href="mailto:mail@me.fr">$link</a>' })
p !{info}
__l return current locale
__p('/contact') return given path prefixed with locale
npm test