Laravel Multilanguage

Elegant package for managing multilanguage locale data in Laravel — with intelligent per‑language caching and a fluent API.

✨ Features

• 🌍 Multiple languages – easily switch & manage localized content
• 🔑 Key-value locale data – structured, namespaced keys per language
• ⚡ Smart cache – per-language forever cache with auto invalidation
• 📦 Batch operations – set or fetch many keys at once
• 🔄 Fluent API – expressive chaining ( localedata()->lang('en')->set(...) )
• 🧩 Blade directives – simple templating helpers & conditionals
• 🗄️ Clean schema – normalized tables with FK constraints

📦 Installation

Install via Composer:

composer require rdcstarr/laravel-multilanguage

1. (Optional) Publish migration files:

   php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Rdcstarr\Multilanguage\MultilanguageServiceProvider"
   

2. Run migrations:

   php artisan migrate
   

3. (Recommended) Use the install command (runs migrations & seeds default languages):

   php artisan multilanguage:install
   

Default seeded languages: English (en), Romanian (ro), French (fr).

🛠️ Artisan Commands

Install package (migrations + seed languages)

php artisan multilanguage:install [--force]

• --force : Skip interactive confirmation.

🔑 Usage

Set Values

// Single key per language
localedata()->lang('en')->set('site.title', 'Welcome to our website');
localedata()->lang('ro')->set('site.title', 'Bine ai venit pe site-ul nostru');

// Batch (multiple keys)
localedata()->lang('en')->setMany([
    'nav.home'        => 'Home',
    'nav.about'       => 'About',
    'nav.contact'     => 'Contact',
    'site.description'=> 'Best website ever',
]);

Get Values

$title = localedata()->lang('en')->get('site.title');
$titleWithDefault = localedata()->lang('es')->get('site.title', 'Default Title');

// Multiple
$navigation = localedata()->lang('en')->getMany(['nav.home', 'nav.about', 'nav.contact']);

// All for a language
$allEnglish = localedata()->lang('en')->all();

// Current app locale (app()->getLocale())
$localized = localedata()->get('site.title', 'Fallback');

Working with Languages

use Rdcstarr\Multilanguage\Models\Language;

// Create a language
Language::create([
    'name' => 'Spanish',
    'code' => 'es',
    'flag' => '🇪🇸'
]);

// Retrieve
$languages = Language::all();
$english   = Language::where('code', 'en')->first();

// Seed multiple values dynamically
foreach (['en','ro','fr','es'] as $lang) {
    localedata()->lang($lang)->set("demo.message", "Message for {$lang}");
}

Facade

use Rdcstarr\Multilanguage\Facades\LocaleData;

LocaleData::lang('en')->set('app.name', 'My App');
LocaleData::lang('ro')->set('app.name', 'Aplicația Mea');
$appName = LocaleData::lang('en')->get('app.name');

Helper

// Manager instance
localedata(); // same as app('localedata')

// Direct access (current locale)
$title = localedata('site.title', 'Default Title');

Extra Operations

localedata()->lang('en')->has('site.title');          // existence
localedata()->lang('en')->forget('old.unused.key');   // delete one
localedata()->lang('en')->flushCache();               // clear cache for one language
localedata()->flushAllCache();                        // clear cache for all languages

🎨 Blade Directives

{{-- Current locale value (with optional default) --}}
@localedata('site.title', 'Default Title')

{{-- Specific language --}}
@localedataForLang('"en"', '"site.title"', '"Default"')

{{-- Conditional (current locale) --}}
@hasLocaledata('site.title')
    <h1>{{ localedata('site.title') }}</h1>
@endhasLocaledata

{{-- Conditional (specific language) --}}
@hasLocaledataForLang('"ro"', '"site.title"')
    <h1>{{ localedata()->lang('ro')->get('site.title') }}</h1>
@endhasLocaledataForLang

Placeholders

// welcome.user => "Hello :NAME, your :type_plural are ready! :message_limit";
$result = localedata()->get('welcome.user')->placeholders([
    'name' => 'john doe',
    'type' => 'order',
    'message' => 'This is a very long message that will be truncated at 50 characters automatically',
]);
// Result: "Hello JOHN DOE, your orders are ready! This is a very long message that will be truncat..."

💡 Examples

Website Content

localedata()->lang('en')->setMany([
  'home.hero.title'    => 'Welcome to Our Platform',
  'home.hero.subtitle' => 'The best solution for your business',
]);
localedata()->lang('ro')->setMany([
  'home.hero.title'    => 'Bine ai venit pe Platforma Noastră',
  'home.hero.subtitle' => 'Cea mai bună soluție pentru afacerea ta',
]);

SEO Meta

localedata()->lang('en')->setMany([
  'seo.home.title' => 'Home - Best Platform Ever',
  'seo.home.description' => 'Discover our amazing platform features',
]);
<title>{{ localedata()->get('seo.' . request()->route()->getName() . '.title', 'Default') }}</title>

User Personalization

$userId = auth()->id();
localedata()->lang('en')->setMany([
  "user.{$userId}.welcome" => 'Welcome back!',
]);
localedata()->lang('ro')->setMany([
  "user.{$userId}.welcome" => 'Bine ai revenit!',
]);

Product Catalog

$productId = 123;
localedata()->lang('en')->setMany([
  "product.{$productId}.name" => 'Premium Laptop',
  "product.{$productId}.description" => 'High-performance laptop',
]);

🎯 Placeholders

The package includes powerful placeholder support with default date/time placeholders and the ability to add custom ones.

Default Placeholders (Available Automatically)

Date & Time:

• :year - 2025
• :month - 10
• :month_name - October
• :month_short - Oct
• :day - 20
• :day_name - Monday
• :day_short - Mon
• :quarter - 4
• :hour - 14 (24h)
• :hour_12 - 2 (12h)
• :minute - 30
• :second - 45
• :am_pm - AM/PM
• :am_pm_lower - am/pm

Complete Formats:

• :date - 2025-10-20
• :date_formatted - 20/10/2025
• :date_us - 10/20/2025
• :time - 14:30:45
• :time_short - 14:30
• :datetime - 2025-10-20 14:30:45
• :timestamp - Unix timestamp
• :iso - 2025-10-20T14:30:45+00:00
• :ago - "1 second ago" (human readable)

App Info:

• :app_name - Application name from config
• :app_env - Environment (production, local, etc.)
• :app_url - Application URL

Other:

• :week - Week number
• :day_of_year - Day of year (1-365)
• :days_in_month - Days in current month
• :timezone - UTC

Usage in Translations

localedata()->set('footer.copyright', '© :year :app_name. All rights reserved.');
// Output: © 2025 My App. All rights reserved.

localedata()->set('report.generated', 'Generated on :date at :time_short');
// Output: Generated on 2025-10-20 at 14:30

localedata()->set('greetings.time', 'It is :time, :day_name :month_name :day, :year');
// Output: It is 14:30:45, Monday October 20, 2025

Custom Placeholders

Method 1: Config File (Recommended for static values)

Publish config:

php artisan vendor:publish --tag=multilanguage-config

Edit config/multilanguage.php:

return [
    'placeholders' => [
        'company_name' => env('COMPANY_NAME', 'My Company'),
        'support_email' => 'support@example.com',
        'support_phone' => '+40 123 456 789',
        'copyright_year' => date('Y'),
        'vat_number' => 'RO12345678',
    ],
];

Usage:

localedata()->set('footer.copyright', '© :copyright_year :company_name. All rights reserved.');
localedata()->set('contact.info', 'Contact us at :support_email or call :support_phone');

Method 2: In AppServiceProvider (For dynamic values)

use Rdcstarr\Multilanguage\LocaleDataPlaceholders;
use App\Models\User;

public function boot()
{
    // Set multiple placeholders at once
    LocaleDataPlaceholders::setCustomPlaceholders([
        'total_users' => User::count(),
        'active_users' => User::where('active', true)->count(),
        'latest_post' => Post::latest()->first()?->title,
        'site_status' => Cache::get('site_status', 'online'),
    ]);

    // Or add individually
    LocaleDataPlaceholders::addCustomPlaceholder('active_sessions', Session::where('active', true)->count());
}

Usage:

localedata()->set('dashboard.stats', 'Platform Stats: :total_users users, :active_users active');
// Output: Platform Stats: 1,234 users, 567 active

Method 3: Helper Function

// Single placeholder
set_placeholder('username', 'John Doe');

// Multiple placeholders
set_placeholder([
    'product_name' => 'Super Widget',
    'product_price' => '$99.99',
]);

Method 4: Runtime (Context-specific)

// In controller
public function show(User $user)
{
    $greeting = localedata()->get('user.welcome', '', [
        'username' => $user->name,
        'last_login' => $user->last_login_at->diffForHumans(),
    ]);

    return view('profile', compact('greeting'));
}

Translation:

localedata()->set('user.welcome', 'Hello :Username! Last seen: :last_login');
// Output: Hello John Doe! Last seen: 2 hours ago

Placeholder Transformations

All placeholders (custom and default) support automatic transformations:

set_placeholder('company_name', 'my company');

// Available transformations:
:company_name           // my company
:Company_name           // My company (ucfirst)
:COMPANY_NAME           // MY COMPANY (uppercase)
:company_name_camel     // myCompany
:company_name_studly    // MyCompany
:company_name_snake     // my_company
:company_name_kebab     // my-company
:company_name_slug      // my-company
:company_name_plural    // my companies
:company_name_singular  // my company
:company_name_upper     // MY COMPANY
:company_name_lower     // my company
:company_name_title     // My Company

Placeholder Priority

Placeholders are applied in the following order (last one overrides):

1. Default placeholders (date, time, app info)
2. Config placeholders (config/multilanguage.php)
3. Custom static placeholders (LocaleDataPlaceholders::setCustomPlaceholders())
4. Runtime placeholders (parameter in get() method)

Safe Placeholder Usage with User Input

⚠️ Important: When using placeholders with user-generated content, always escape the input to prevent unwanted placeholder replacement.

The Problem

// User searches for ":year"
$query = ':year';

// Translation
localedata()->set('search.meta_title', 'Search results for: :query');

// Without escaping
$title = localedata()->get('search.meta_title')->placeholders(['query' => $query]);
// Output: "Search results for: 2025" ❌ WRONG! :year in query was replaced

The Solution: Use escape_placeholders()

// In Controller
public function search(Request $request)
{
    $query = $request->input('q');

    // ESCAPE user query
    $safeQuery = escape_placeholders($query);

    $title = localedata()->get('search.meta_title')->placeholders([
        'query' => $safeQuery
    ]);

    return view('search.results', compact('title', 'query'));
}

Now it works correctly:

$userInput = ':year in review';
$safe = escape_placeholders($userInput);

$title = localedata()->get('search.meta_title')->placeholders(['query' => $safe]);
// Output: "Search results for: :year in review" ✅ CORRECT!

When to Escape

✅ ALWAYS escape for:

• User input (search queries, comments, usernames)
• User-generated titles/descriptions
• Any user-provided data in placeholders

❌ NO need to escape for:

• Admin-controlled database values
• Code constants
• System-calculated values (counters, dates)
• Default placeholders (:year, :app_name, etc.)

Alternative Escape Methods

// Method 1: Helper function (recommended)
$safe = escape_placeholders($userInput);

// Method 2: Static method
use Rdcstarr\Multilanguage\LocaleDataPlaceholders;
$safe = LocaleDataPlaceholders::escape($userInput);

// Method 3: Facade
use Rdcstarr\Multilanguage\Facades\Placeholders;
$safe = Placeholders::escape($userInput);

Practical Examples

Search Results:

Route::get('/search', function (Request $request) {
    $query = escape_placeholders($request->input('q'));

    $title = localedata()->get('search.meta_title')->placeholders([
        'query' => $query, // Safe!
    ]);

    return view('search', compact('title'));
});

User Profile:

public function show(User $user)
{
    $metaTitle = localedata()->get('profile.meta_title')->placeholders([
        'username' => escape_placeholders($user->name), // Escape username
        // :app_name and :year are safe (default placeholders)
    ]);

    return view('profile.show', compact('user', 'metaTitle'));
}

Comment System:

public function store(Request $request, Post $post)
{
    $notification = localedata()->get('comment.notification')->placeholders([
        'username' => escape_placeholders(auth()->user()->name),
        'comment_preview' => escape_placeholders(Str::limit($request->content, 50)),
    ]);
}

For more details on safe placeholder usage, see the Safe Placeholder Usage with User Input section above.

Real-World Examples

Footer Copyright

// Config
'placeholders' => [
    'company_name' => 'Acme Corporation',
    'year' => date('Y'),
],

// Translation
localedata()->set('footer.text', '© :year :company_name. Made with ❤️ in Romania');
// Output: © 2025 Acme Corporation. Made with ❤️ in Romania

Live Statistics

// AppServiceProvider
LocaleDataPlaceholders::setCustomPlaceholders([
    'total_users' => Cache::remember('stats.users', 3600, fn() => User::count()),
    'total_posts' => Cache::remember('stats.posts', 3600, fn() => Post::count()),
    'total_comments' => Cache::remember('stats.comments', 3600, fn() => Comment::count()),
]);

// Translation
localedata()->set('stats.overview', 'We have :total_users users who created :total_posts posts with :total_comments comments!');

Personalized Messages

// In controller
$message = localedata()->get('user.welcome', '', [
    'username' => auth()->user()->name,
    'unread_count' => auth()->user()->unreadNotifications()->count(),
]);

// Translation
localedata()->set('user.welcome', 'Welcome back, :Username! You have :unread_count new notifications.');
// Output: Welcome back, John! You have 5 new notifications.

Product Catalog

// AppServiceProvider
$productId = 123;
LocaleDataPlaceholders::setCustomPlaceholders([
    'site_name' => config('app.name'),
    'total_products' => Product::count(),
]);

// Translation
localedata()->set('home.hero', 'Welcome to :site_name! We have :total_products amazing products.');

Email Subject

// Mailable
public function build()
{
    $userName = escape_placeholders($this->user->name);

    return $this->subject(
        localedata()->get('email.welcome.subject')->placeholders([
            'username' => $userName,
        ])
    );
}

// Translation
localedata()->set('email.welcome.subject', 'Welcome :username! Your account on :app_name');

Closure Support

For complex logic, use Closures:

LocaleDataPlaceholders::addCustomPlaceholder('dynamic_greeting', function($content) {
    $hour = now()->hour;
    if ($hour < 12) return "Good morning, $content";
    if ($hour < 18) return "Good afternoon, $content";
    return "Good evening, $content";
});

// In translation with XML tag
localedata()->set('greeting', '<dynamic_greeting>:username</dynamic_greeting>, welcome to our site!');

Debugging Placeholders

// View all custom placeholders
$custom = LocaleDataPlaceholders::getCustomPlaceholders();
dd($custom);

// Clear custom placeholders (useful in tests)
LocaleDataPlaceholders::clearCustomPlaceholders();

Best Practices

1. Use config for static values (company name, contact info)
2. Use static placeholders for cached values (user counts, statistics)
3. Use runtime placeholders for context-specific data (user names, IDs)
4. Cache expensive queries when using in placeholders
5. Always escape user input before using in placeholders
6. Test transformations to find the best fit for your use case

⚡ Performance

• Per-language cache buckets
• Forever cache via rememberForever
• Automatic invalidation on writes / deletes
• Minimal queries (one load per language as needed)
• Batch write operations

🧪 Testing

composer test

📖 Resources

• Changelog for more information on what has changed recently. ✍️

👥 Credits

• Rdcstarr 🙌

📜 License

• License for more information. ⚖️