Custom language variables

When working with a multi-language site, you often need language-specific variables/strings. Simple things like translated button labels for your contact form, for example, or other translatable parts which don't need to be modified by editors. For such cases, Kirby has a built-in language variable management.

Language variables are added as an array of key/value pairs in your language definition files in /site/languages.

Those files can contain as many custom variables as you need.

/site/languages/en.php

<?php

return [
  'code' => 'en',
  'default' => true,
  'direction' => 'ltr',
  'locale' => 'en',
  'name' => 'English',
  'url' => '/',
  'translations' => [
    'change' => 'Change',
    'confirm' => 'OK',
    'copy' => 'Copy',
    'create' => 'Create'
  ]
];

/site/languages/de.php

<?php

return [
  'code' => 'de',
  'default' => false,
  'direction' => 'ltr',
  'locale' => 'de_DE',
  'name' => 'Deutsch',
  'translations' => [
    'change' => 'Ändern',
    'confirm' => 'OK',
    'copy' => 'Kopieren',
    'create' => 'Erstellen'
  ]
];

Using language variables in your template

Those translated variables can be fetched in your template, plugins or snippets with the t() helper:

<input type="submit" value="<?php echo t('change') ?>" />

You can provide a fallback if the language variable is not defined:

<input type="submit" value="<?php echo t('change', 'Change') ?>" />

More information

Check out the following cookbook recipes to find out how to make language variables more flexible: