Structured localization framework for gadgets
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	Amire80
	Nov 14 2019, 10:54 PM

Description

Gadgets that are useful in more than one language need a convenient and uniform localization framework for translating their messages.

This is needed for gadgets that are used across wikis, and even for gadgets that are used in multilingual wikis such as Commons or Wikidata.

At the moment there is no such framework, and this causes several difficulties:

Gadgets usually rely on editing raw JavaScript or JSON, which is inconvenient for people who are generally uncomfortable with code and especially for people who write in right-to-left alphabets and other scripts that don't work well in plain text.
Gadget source code is stored on wiki pages, which are usually protected, and every localization update requires the involvement of a sysadmin or an interface editor.
The API for loading, parsing, and displaying the messages is inconsistent and different gadgets use different functions for this.

It would be much nicer if gadgets could be translated the same way as extensions are: using a dedicated translation interface so that translators wouldn't have to deal with any code (probably with the Translate extension), letting everyone update translations in true wiki style ("anyone can edit"), and using a consistent API for message parsing, including all the MediaWiki features such as PLURAL, GRAMMAR, etc.

This will possibly require some adaptation in the Gadgets extension and the Translate extension, and some updates in the gadgets themselves, but it will make life easier for everyone.

This task is specifically for gadgets. Templates and modules have some similar requirements, but they are handled in other tasks. See also:

T238341: Structured localization framework for Templates, Lua modules, and Gadgets
- T238417: Structured localization framework for Scribunto modules
- T238411: Structured localization framework for templates

Details

	Subject	Repo	Branch	Lines +/-
	Allow gadgets to support messages	mediawiki/extensions/Gadgets	master	+5 -2

Customize query in gerrit

Related Objects
Search...

Status	Subtype	Assigned	Task
Open		None	T240647 Run QUnit tests for gadgets and user scripts during edit preview
Open		None	T39230 Provide standard way to create/run QUnit tests for Gadgets and user scripts
Open	Feature	None	T66475 Make crosswiki bits and pieces truly global (tracking)
Open		None	T176787 Automatic infobox implementation
Open		None	T121470 Central Global Repository for Templates, Lua modules, and Gadgets
Open		None	T238341 Structured localization framework for Templates, Lua modules, and Gadgets
Duplicate		None	T60462 Gadgets enabled by default should be held to a higher level of quality
Open		None	T53651 Auto-generated gadget code documentation
Open		None	T71445 Implement a proper code-review process for MediaWiki JS/CSS pages on Wikimedia sites
Open		None	T22153 Implement global gadgets (WMF-wide)
Open		None	T238386 Structured localization framework for gadgets

Event Timeline

Amire80 created this task.Nov 14 2019, 10:54 PM

Amire80 added a parent task: T22153: Implement global gadgets (WMF-wide).Nov 14 2019, 11:09 PM

Amire80 updated the task description. (Show Details)

LucasWerkmeister subscribed.Nov 15 2019, 11:28 AM

Amire80 renamed this task from Structured localization framework for Gadgets to Structured localization framework for gadgets.Nov 15 2019, 4:43 PM

Amire80 mentioned this in T238417: Structured localization framework for Scribunto modules.Nov 15 2019, 4:58 PM

Amire80 updated the task description. (Show Details)

There is another option how gadgets can be localized. For example, ProveIt-Gadget and Convenient-Discussions use localization strings from gerrit:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/MediaWiki:Gadget-ProveIt.js

// Get the latest English messages
$.get( '//gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/plugins/gitiles/wikipedia/gadgets/ProveIt/+/master/i18n/en.json?format=text', function ( data ) {

	var englishMessages = JSON.parse( ProveIt.decodeBase64( data ) );
	delete englishMessages[ '@metadata' ];

	// Get the latest translations to the preferred user language
	var userLanguage = mw.config.get( 'wgUserLanguage' );
	$.get( '//gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/plugins/gitiles/wikipedia/gadgets/ProveIt/+/master/i18n/' + userLanguage + '.json?format=text' ).always( function ( data, status ) {

		$( '#proveit-logo-text' ).text( 'ProveIt' ); // Finish loading

		var translatedMessages = {};
		if ( status === 'success' ) {
			translatedMessages = JSON.parse( ProveIt.decodeBase64( data ) );
			delete translatedMessages[ '@metadata' ];
		}

		// Merge and set the messages
		var messages = $.extend( {}, englishMessages, translatedMessages );
		mw.messages.set( messages );

		// Finally, build the list
		ProveIt.buildList();
	} );
} );

Localization files are updating from translatewiki.net.

He7d3r subscribed.Jun 29 2020, 3:59 PM

Iniquity mentioned this in T256585: Сreate a User Guide on how to properly internationalize and localize users' gadgets, scripts and modules.Jul 17 2020, 2:16 AM

Amire80 moved this task from Backlog to Global templates on the Language-strategy board.Jul 30 2020, 1:54 PM

• Rileych added a project: Technical-Debt.Dec 21 2020, 3:42 PM

AntiCompositeNumber mentioned this in T163254: Disable translate extension on non-wikitext page.Sep 4 2021, 6:10 PM

Nikerabbit moved this task from Backlog to cross projects on the MediaWiki-extensions-Translate board.Sep 13 2021, 11:06 AM

Winston_Sung moved this task from Untriaged to Design research required on the I18n board.Aug 9 2023, 2:58 PM

I was surprised to learn this wasn't implemented. Agree this would be beneficial - would reduce a lot of cargo-cult programming copy/pasting across projects if localizing a gadget was simply a case of loading a gadget from a foreign wiki alongside a localization module local to that wiki.

Change 993205 had a related patch set uploaded (by Jdlrobson; author: Jdlrobson):

[mediawiki/extensions/Gadgets@master] Allow gadgets to support messages

https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/993205

gerritbot added a project: Patch-For-Review.Jan 27 2024, 2:04 AM

I am confused what this task is about. Gadgets do support messages. It is possible to commit messages to Wikimedia-messages and use them from gadgets at any wiki.

In T238386#9492397, @Base wrote:

I am confused what this task is about. Gadgets do support messages. It is possible to commit messages to Wikimedia-messages and use them from gadgets at any wiki.

Here are talking more about convenient translation and convenient storage of messages. Now there is the only fast way to receive translated messages - through gerrit.