Elm i18next - Load and use JSON translations files at runtime
Functions for working with dynamically loaded translations in Elm. PRs and suggestions welcome.
Simple Example
elm package install ChristophP/elm-i18next
Then use the module in your app like this.
import Http
import Html exposing (Html)
import I18Next exposing
( t
, tr
, Translations
, Delims(..)
, initialTranslations
, fetchTranslations
)
type alias Model = {
translations: Translations
}
type Msg = TranslationsLoaded (Result Http.Error Translations)
init : (Model, Cmd Msg)
init = (
{ translations = initialTranslations }
, fetchTranslations TranslationsLoaded "http://awesome.com/locale/translation.en.json"
)
update : Msg -> Model -> Model
update msg model =
case msg of
TranslationsLoaded (Ok translations) ->
{ model | translations = translations }
TranslationsLoaded (Err msg) ->
...
{- Imagine your translations file looks like this:
{
"hallo": "Hallo",
"greetings": {
"goodDay": "Good Day.",
"greetName": "Hi {{name}}"
}
}
-}
view : Model -> Html Msg
view model =
div []
[ div [] [ text (t model.translations "hello") ] -- "Hallo"
, div [] [ text (t model.translations "greetings.goodDay") ] -- "Good day."
, div [] [ text (t model.translations "nonExistingKey") ] -- "nonExistingKey"
, div [] [ text (tr model.translations Curly "greetings.greetName" [("name", "Peter")]) ] -- "Hi Peter"
]Using preloaded Translations
If you don't need to load the translations, but for example already have them on the page as a string or JSON and pass them to the Elm programm as flags, you can just use the decoder on it and put it into the Model.
In JS do:
// translations is a JSON string or JS object
Elm.YourApp.embed(someDomNode, translations);Then in elm, you use them in the init function of your app:
import Json.Encode
import Json.Decode
import I18Next exposing (decodeTranslations)
init: Json.Encode.Value -> (Model, Cmd msg)
init flags =
let
-- use Json.Decode.decodeString here instead if you are pasing the translations as a string
translationsResult = Json.Decode.decodeValue decodeTranslations flags
in
case translationsResult of
Ok translations -> ({ model | translations = translations }, Cmd.none)
Err err -> ... -- handle the error or use `Result.withDefault`Advanced Stuff: Placeholders and fallback languages
There is also support for placeholders and fallback languages. Check the official docs for usage examples.
Background
Dealing with Translations in Elm has always come with some hoops to jump through. Existing solutions include tricks like passing already translated strings into the elm app as flags or generating Translation modules as a pre-build step like here or here.
Inspired by the i18next client in from the JS world. This elm module
allows you to load JSON translation files via HTTP and then use the
data in your Elm app. This should allow for a easier-to-use
internationalization as existing solutions.
Contributing
If you want to contribute, PRs are highly welcome. If you need a feature or want to share ideas, please open an issue or catch me in the elm slack channel.
