Choose language via GUI

[Christopher Kramer]

Originally reported on Google Code with ID 211

Currently, the language can only be chosen via config-directive $language.
In an environment with multiple users with different mother tongues, it might be useful
to choose the language when logging in or even after being logged in.

Reported by crazy4chrissi on 2013-04-16 11:56:40

[Former user]

in my opinion it mach better choose the language in automatic way.

I'd change (at row 414): 

if($language != 'en') {
    if(is_file('languages/lang_'.$language.'.php'))
        include('languages/lang_'.$language.'.php');
    elseif(is_file('lang_'.$language.'.php'))
        include('lang_'.$language.'.php');
}
WITH:

if(substr($_SERVER['HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE'], 0, 2) != 'en') {
    $language=substr($_SERVER['HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE'], 0, 2);
    if(is_file('languages/lang_'.$language.'.php'))
        include('languages/lang_'.$language.'.php');
    elseif(is_file('lang_'.$language.'.php'))
        include('lang_'.$language.'.php');
}
THIS WAY YOU CHECK YOUR FAVORITE LANGUAGE, IF THERE IS THE TRANSLATION FILE IT WILL
BE LOADED. OTHERWISE IT WILL REMAIN "en" as default language.

In this case we can remove the $language variable both from phpliteadmin.config.php
and row 55.

Of course $_SERVER['HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE'] can check desiderate languages and dialects
as well (es en-us en-ca it-IT)  with priority for each one . But at present time the
script don't support the dialecs.

I would introduce dialecs.

Finally we can consider another strategy:
Setup \\$language as undefined. This way we can primary check the favorite language
(by $_SERVER['HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE']). But if $language is definied (and that laguage
is avalible) we can force the script to use it. It will necessary very few php code
for this.

What about?

(PS SORRY FOR MY ENGLISH) 

Reported by franco7tassi on 2013-04-26 13:17:59

[Christopher Kramer]

I agree automatically detecting the language would be nice. But still I would give the
user the possibility to choose another language. Assume you are on holiday in some
other country and use a computer there and it sets some language in HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE
that you don't speak. You'd like to change the language.

So what I would propose:
1. If there is a language file for the language set in HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE, us this
2. If there is no file for the language set in http, use the default language as defined
in $language (if this does not exist, use English)
3. The user can still choose another language at any time. If he does, store this language
into a cookie and use this from now on.

Regarding dialects: As long as there are no translations for dialects, we don't need
to support them. And I don't expect them to come too soon.

As far as I know, in HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE you can give multiple languages. So we should
not only check the first. If we don't have a file for the first one, we should continue
with the next one.

Also we need to be careful with HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE as it is user-input. You only
use the first 2 characters, so I currently can't think of a way to exploit this. Stuff
like '/.' could end up here, but would not hurt much. But we need to be aware that
this is user input and might be malicious.

Reported by crazy4chrissi on 2013-04-26 13:48:05