Unknown language code should fallback to site default instead of "en"
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	Siddhartha-Ghai
	Oct 28 2012, 6:16 PM

Description

Currently, using a non-existent/incorrect uselang parameter defaults the interface back to en. E.g [1] This is not good/graceful behaviour. Mediawiki should rather first revert to the site's default interface language.

Stumbled upon this while using the hi-wp upload form. One of the links used in the form is [2], which uses the uselang hack to display an appropriate subpage of Mediawiki:Uploadtext to the user per the selected option. However, when the option doesn't exist, Mediawiki defaults back the entire interface to en, which is very inconvenient.

[1]: https://ar.wikipedia.org/?uselang=nonexistent

[2]: http://hi.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B7:Upload&uselang=hi-nonfree&wpUploadDescription={{%E0%A4%89%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A4+%E0%A4%89%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%97+%E0%A4%94%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%0A+%7C%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A3++++++++=+%0A+%7C%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%A4++++++++++=+%0A+%7C%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%96++++++++++=+%0A+%7C%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%97++++++++++=+%0A+%7C%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%AE_%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%A8++=+%0A+%7C%E0%A4%89%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF+++++++++=+%0A+%7C%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B5_%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%B5++++=+%0A+%7C%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF_%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80+++=+%0A}}

Version: unspecified
Severity: enhancement

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Reference: bz41475

Related Objects

Mentioned In: T106687: Flow does not support varying language of parts of content based on user interface language (e.g. {{int:}})

Event Timeline

• bzimport raised the priority of this task from to Lowest.Nov 22 2014, 12:50 AM

• bzimport added a project: MediaWiki-Internationalization.

• bzimport set Reference to bz41475.

• bzimport added a subscriber: Unknown Object (MLST).

Siddhartha-Ghai created this task.Oct 28 2012, 6:16 PM

Further clarification: When opening [1], I would expect Mediawiki to display the source of [2], not [3]; i.e use the site's interface message, not the default message for that language.

1: http://hi.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mediawiki:Uploadtext/hi-nonfree&action=edit

2: http://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediawiki:Uploadtext

3: http://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediawiki:Uploadtext/hi

So is this about uselang, language subpages or language codes in general? Uselang is only for debugging and http://hi.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mediawiki:Uploadtext/hi-nonfree&action=edit doesn't seem a plausible usecase.

(In reply to comment #2)

So is this about uselang, language subpages or language codes in general?
Uselang is only for debugging and
http://hi.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mediawiki:Uploadtext/hi-nonfree&action=edit
doesn't seem a plausible usecase.

This is about how mediawiki handles fallback language for interface if a non-existent uselang is given, and how mediawiki detects the message for interface subpages. (Aren't they the same thing at work?)

Its not often that the uselang hack is used (like in the upload form), but if someone (mis)types a non-existent uselang, mediawiki should fall back to the default site interface language, not to en.

Does this only affect the fallback as shown on MediaWiki-namespace subpages, or the underlying system for the actual interfaces as well?

btw for the original issue of Special:Upload: to workaround it, I'm hacking special page parameter instead of &uselang= currently. See the solution on http://zh.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MediaWiki:Uploadtext&action=edit&uselang=en and its usage on http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:%E4%B8%8A%E4%BC%A0 .

(In reply to comment #4)

Does this only affect the fallback as shown on MediaWiki-namespace subpages, or
the underlying system for the actual interfaces as well?

Its the underlying system for the actual interface. See the first link in the original report for an example.

mwalker wrote:

Siddhartha -- I'm not sure if this patch entirely solves the issue you're reporting, but it seems like it might go some way.

Re bug: https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1495
https://gerrit.wikimedia.org/r/#/c/44224/1

Because I'm not totally sure if this will completely solve what you're reporting I'll leave this open.

MarcoAurelio added a project: Hindi-Sites.Dec 24 2016, 5:28 PM

MarcoAurelio removed a parent task: T43348: [DO NOT USE] Hindi Wikiprojects (tracking) [superseded by #Hindi-Sites].Dec 24 2016, 5:31 PM

Liuxinyu970226 mentioned this in T106687: Flow does not support varying language of parts of content based on user interface language (e.g. {{int:}}).Jan 22 2017, 3:29 PM

Aklapper changed the subtype of this task from "Task" to "Feature Request".Feb 4 2022, 11:14 AM

Aklapper removed a subscriber: • wikibugs-l-list.

Unknown language code should fallback to site default instead of "en"Open, LowestPublicFeatureActions

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Unknown language code should fallback to site default instead of "en"
Open, LowestPublicFeature
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