Making Jade templates localizable

Ripple uses a custom internationalization system based on the GNU gettext translation solution.

Basic use

To make a string in one of the Jade templates translatable, simply add the l10n attribute:

p(l10n) I can be translated!

Ambiguous strings

Sometimes the same string translates in two different ways depending on the context.

button(l10n) Clear
select
  option(l10n) Clear
  option(l10n) Opaque

You can deal with this by explicitly assigning a unique ID to one or both of the conflicting instances, like so:

button(l10n) Clear
select
  option(l10n="Clear (transparent)") Clear
  option(l10n) Opaque

Dealing with subtags

Often when translating Jade templates you will run into situations where text is splintered across subtags, like so:

p(l10n)
  | Send money to
  strong(ng-bind="otherGuy") ???

The parser we use will turn this into:

msgid "Send money to {{1}}"

This makes it easy for the translators to move the element to a different position in the text if needed.

However, sometimes the subtag itself contains text that is important for comprehension:

p(l10n)
  | This is a
  strong(l10n) great
  | example.

Would become:

msgid "This is a {{1}} example."

# ...

msgid "great"

Here the context for the inner text snippet is lost. In a case like this we recommend using l10n-inc to mark the subtag for inclusion in the parent's translation:

p(l10n)
  | This is a
  strong(l10n-inc) great
  | example.

Will become:

msgid "This is a {{1:great}} example."

The translator can then translate and move the tag as needed:

msgid "This is a {{1:great}} example."
msgstr "Dies ist ein {{1:geniales}} Beispiel."