ElCheco Translator

A powerful and flexible translation library for PHP applications with support for both NEON files and database storage, featuring full Unicode CLDR plural rules support.

Features

• CLDR Plural Rules Support - Full Unicode CLDR compliance for accurate pluralization
• Legacy Format Compatibility - Seamless support for existing numeric plural formats
• Multiple Storage Backends - NEON files or database storage
• Advanced Pluralization - Support for all CLDR categories (zero, one, two, few, many, other)
• Decimal Number Support - Correct handling of decimal plurals (e.g., Czech uses 'many' for decimals)
• Locale-Specific Number Formatting - Automatic number formatting based on locale
• Translation Usage Tracking - Monitor which translations are actually used
• Console Commands - Import, export, and convert translations
• Migration Tools - Convert legacy formats to CLDR standard
• Fallback Locale Support - Automatic fallback when translations are missing
• Compatible with Nette Framework - Full integration with Nette DI

What's New in Version 2.0

• 🎉 CLDR Plural Rules - Industry-standard pluralization for 100+ languages
• 🔢 Decimal Number Support - Proper handling of fractional numbers in plurals
• 🔄 Automatic Format Detection - Use legacy and CLDR formats in the same project
• 🛠️ Migration Tools - Convert existing translations to CLDR format
• 📊 Enhanced Database Support - Store CLDR patterns and ICU MessageFormat
• ⚡ Zero Breaking Changes - Full backward compatibility maintained

Requirements

• PHP 8.3 or higher
• Nette Framework 3.0 or higher (if using with Nette)
• Dibi database library (if using database storage)
• PHP Intl extension (recommended for CLDR support)

Installation

composer require elcheco/translator

Configuration

Basic Configuration (Nette DI)

extensions:
    translator: ElCheco\Translator\Extension

NEON File-Based Translations

translator:
    default: en_US     # Default locale
    fallback: en_US    # Fallback locale
    debugMode: %debugMode%
    dictionary:
        factory: ElCheco\Translator\NeonDictionary\NeonDictionaryFactory
        args:
            directory: %appDir%/translations    # Directory with NEON files
            cache: %tempDir%/cache/translations # Cache directory
            autoRefresh: %debugMode%            # Auto refresh translations

Database-Based Translations

translator:
    default: en_US     # Default locale
    fallback: en_US    # Fallback locale
    dictionary:
        factory: ElCheco\Translator\DbDictionary\DbDictionaryFactory
        args:
            - @Dibi\Connection  # Database connection
            - MyModule           # Module name
            - true               # Track usage
    commands:
        - ElCheco\Translator\Console\ImportNeonTranslationsCommand(@Dibi\Connection)
        - ElCheco\Translator\Console\ExportNeonTranslationsCommand(@Dibi\Connection)
        - ElCheco\Translator\Console\ConvertToCldrCommand(@Dibi\Connection) # NEW!

CLDR Plural Rules Support

The translator now supports the Unicode CLDR (Common Locale Data Repository) standard for plural rules, providing linguistically correct pluralization for all languages.

What are CLDR Plural Rules?

CLDR defines standardized categories for plural forms:

• zero: For zero items (some languages have special forms)
• one: For singular (but not always just 1!)
• two: For dual forms (e.g., Slovenian)
• few: For small quantities (e.g., 2-4 in Czech)
• many: For larger quantities or special cases (e.g., decimals in Czech)
• other: The default/general plural form

CLDR vs Legacy Format

The translator supports both formats simultaneously:

Legacy Format (still supported):

messages_count:
    0: You have no messages
    1: You have %s message
    2: You have %s messages

# Czech with ranges
days_count:
    1: %s den
    "2-4": %s dny
    5: %s dní

CLDR Format (recommended):

messages_count:
    zero: You have no messages
    one: You have one message
    other: You have {count} messages

# Czech with proper decimal support
days_count:
    one: {count} den
    few: {count} dny
    many: {count} dne      # for decimals like 1.5, 2.5
    other: {count} dní

Special Case: Czech Decimals

Czech (and Slovak) use the many category specifically for decimal numbers:

# Czech translations
distance:
    one: "{count} kilometr"      # 1 kilometr
    few: "{count} kilometry"     # 2, 3, 4 kilometry  
    many: "{count} kilometru"    # 1.5 kilometru, 2.5 kilometru
    other: "{count} kilometrů"   # 0, 5, 6... kilometrů

This ensures grammatically correct output:

• ✅ 1,5 kilometru (not "kilometrů" or "kilometr")
• ✅ 2,5 kilometru (not "kilometry")

Usage

In Presenters or Services

use ElCheco\Translator\Translator;

class BasePresenter extends \Nette\Application\UI\Presenter
{
    private Translator $translator;

    public function injectTranslator(Translator $translator)
    {
        $this->translator = $translator;
    }

    public function beforeRender()
    {
        // Set translator for templates
        $this->template->setTranslator($this->translator);
    }

    public function handleSwitchLocale(string $locale)
    {
        $this->translator->setLocale($locale);
        $this->redirect('this');
    }
}

In Templates (Latte)

{* Simple translation *}
<h1>{_'Welcome to our website'}</h1>

{* Translation with parameters *}
<p>{_'Hello %s', $userName}</p>

{* Legacy plural format *}
<p>{_'You have %s new messages', $count}</p>

{* CLDR format with automatic number formatting *}
<p>{_'items_count', $itemCount}</p>

{* Decimal numbers are formatted correctly *}
<p>{_'distance_km', 1.5}</p> {* Czech: "1,5 kilometru" *}

Direct Usage in PHP

use ElCheco\Translator\Translator;

$translator = new Translator($dictionaryFactory);
$translator->setLocale('cs_CZ');

// Simple translation
echo $translator->translate('Welcome'); // "Vítejte"

// Legacy plural format
echo $translator->translate('You have %s messages', 5); // "Máte 5 zpráv"

// CLDR format
echo $translator->translate('days_count', 1);    // "1 den"
echo $translator->translate('days_count', 2);    // "2 dny"
echo $translator->translate('days_count', 1.5);  // "1,5 dne" (decimal → many)
echo $translator->translate('days_count', 5);    // "5 dní"

NEON Translation Files

Translation files support both legacy and CLDR formats:

Simple Translations

# en_US.neon
Welcome: Welcome to our website
"Hello %s": Hello %s

Legacy Plural Format

# cs_CZ.neon
"You have %s messages":
    0: Nemáte žádné zprávy
    1: Máte %s zprávu
    "2-4": Máte %s zprávy
    5: Máte %s zpráv

CLDR Format (Recommended)

# en_US.neon
items_count:
    zero: You have no items
    one: You have one item
    other: You have {count} items

# cs_CZ.neon
items_count:
    one: Máte {count} položku
    few: Máte {count} položky
    many: Máte {count} položky    # for decimals
    other: Máte {count} položek

Command Line Tools

Import Translations from NEON to Database

php bin/console translations:import-neon /path/to/neon/files ModuleName \
    --locale=en_US \
    --mark-as-approved \
    --overwrite

Export Translations from Database to NEON

php bin/console translations:export-neon ModuleName en_US \
    --output-dir=./translations \
    --include-keys=key1,key2 \
    --include-untranslated

Convert Legacy Translations to CLDR Format (NEW!)

# Convert NEON files
php bin/console translations:convert-to-cldr neon /path/to/translations \
    --locale=cs_CZ \
    --output-dir=./translations/cldr \
    --backup

# Convert database translations
php bin/console translations:convert-to-cldr database ModuleName \
    --locale=cs_CZ \
    --dry-run

Database Structure

The database schema has been enhanced to support CLDR:

-- New column for format type
ALTER TABLE `translation_keys` 
ADD COLUMN `format_type` ENUM('sprintf', 'icu') DEFAULT 'sprintf';

-- Stores ICU MessageFormat patterns
ALTER TABLE `translation_keys`
ADD COLUMN `cldr_message_pattern` TEXT NULL;

Number Formatting

The translator automatically formats numbers according to locale:

$translator->setLocale('en_US');
echo $translator->translate('distance_km', 1234.5); // "1,234.5 kilometers"

$translator->setLocale('cs_CZ');
echo $translator->translate('distance_km', 1234.5); // "1 234,5 kilometru"

$translator->setLocale('de_DE');
echo $translator->translate('distance_km', 1234.5); // "1.234,5 Kilometer"

Migration Guide

Migrating to CLDR Format

1. Automatic Detection: The translator automatically detects and handles both formats
2. Gradual Migration: You can migrate translations one by one
3. Migration Tool: Use the console command to convert existing translations

# Backup and convert
php bin/console translations:convert-to-cldr neon ./translations \
    --backup \
    --output-dir=./translations

Example Migration

Before (Legacy):

days:
    0: žádný den
    1: %s den
    "2-4": %s dny
    5: %s dní

After (CLDR):

days:
    zero: žádný den
    one: {count} den
    few: {count} dny
    many: {count} dne     # for decimals
    other: {count} dní

Advanced Features

Custom Plural Rules

use ElCheco\Translator\Cldr\CldrPluralRules;

// Get plural category for a number
$category = CldrPluralRules::getPluralCategory('cs_CZ', 1.5); // 'many'

// Get available categories for a locale
$categories = CldrPluralRules::getAvailableCategories('cs_CZ'); 
// ['one', 'few', 'many', 'other']

Usage Tracking (Database Only)

// Enable usage tracking
$factory = new DbDictionaryFactory($connection, 'Module', true);

// Later, save statistics
$dictionary->saveUsageStats();

// Query usage data
SELECT key, usage_count FROM translation_keys ORDER BY usage_count DESC;

Testing

# Run all tests
composer test

# Run specific test suites
vendor/bin/phpunit --testsuite "CLDR Tests"
vendor/bin/phpunit --filter testCzechDecimalSupport

Language Support

The translator includes built-in CLDR plural rules for 100+ languages, including:

• Simple plurals (one/other): English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian
• Slavic languages: Czech, Slovak, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Croatian
• Complex plurals: Arabic (6 forms), Irish, Maltese, Lithuanian
• No plurals: Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese
• Special decimals: Czech/Slovak (many), Lithuanian (many), Romanian (few)

Examples

E-commerce Site

# products.cs_CZ.neon
product_count:
    zero: Žádné produkty
    one: "{count} produkt"
    few: "{count} produkty"
    many: "{count} produktu"    # 1,5 produktu
    other: "{count} produktů"

in_stock:
    zero: Vyprodáno
    one: "Poslední kus"
    few: "Posledních {count} kusy"
    other: "Skladem {count} kusů"

Weather App

# weather.cs_CZ.neon
temperature:
    one: "{count} stupeň"
    few: "{count} stupně"
    many: "{count} stupně"      # 20,5 stupně
    other: "{count} stupňů"

days_forecast:
    one: "Předpověď na {count} den"
    few: "Předpověď na {count} dny"
    many: "Předpověď na {count} dne"   # 1,5 dne
    other: "Předpověď na {count} dní"

Changelog

Version 2.0.0

• Added full Unicode CLDR plural rules support
• Added decimal number handling for all languages
• Added ICU MessageFormat support
• Added migration tools for legacy → CLDR conversion
• Enhanced database schema for CLDR storage
• Maintained 100% backward compatibility

Version 1.x

• Basic translation support
• Legacy plural forms
• Database and NEON storage
• Import/export commands

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Add tests for new functionality
4. Ensure all tests pass
5. Submit a pull request

License

MIT License

Credits

Inspired by rostenkowski/translate, enhanced with:

• Full CLDR plural rules support
• Decimal number handling
• Modern PHP 8.3+ features
• Enhanced database functionality
• Comprehensive migration tools

Support

For questions and support:

• Create an issue on GitHub
• Check the documentation
• See examples