FastGettext

GetText but 3.5 x faster, 560 x less memory, simple, clean namespace (7 vs 34) and threadsave!

It supports multiple backends (atm: .mo files, .po files, Database(ActiveRecor + any other), Chain, Loggers) and can easily be extended.

Example Rails application

Setup

1. Install

sudo gem install fast_gettext

2. Add a translation repository

From mo files (traditional/default) FastGettext.add_text_domain('my_app',:path=>'locale')

Or po files (less maintenacnce than mo) FastGettext.add_text_domain('my_app',:path=>'locale', :type=>:po)

Or database (scaleable, great for many locales/translators) require "fast_gettext/translation_repository/db" include FastGettext::TranslationRepository::Db.require_models #load and include default models FastGettext.add_text_domain('my_app', :type=>:db, :model=>TranslationKey)

3. Choose text domain and locale for translation

Do this once in every Thread. (e.g. Rails -> ApplicationController) FastGettext.text_domain = 'my_app' FastGettext.available_locales = ['de','en','fr','en_US','en_UK'] # only allow these locales to be set (optional) FastGettext.locale = 'de'

4. Start translating

include FastGettext::Translation
_('Car') == 'Auto'
_('not-found') == 'not-found'
s_('Namespace|no-found') == 'not-found'
n_('Axis','Axis',3) == 'Achsen' #German plural of Axis

Managing translations

mo/po-files

Generate .po or .mo files using GetText parser (example tasks at gettext_i18n_rails)

Tell Gettext where your .mo or .po files lie, e.g. for locale/de/my_app.po and locale/de/LC_MESSAGES/my_app.mo FastGettext.add_text_domain('my_app',:path=>'locale')

Use the original GetText to create and manage po/mo-files. (Work on a po/mo parser & reader that is easier to use has started, contributions welcome @ pomo )

###Database !!!new/only short time in production, please report back any ideas/suggestions you have!!!
Example migration for ActiveRecord
The default plural seperator is |||| but you may overwrite it (or suggest a better one..).

This is usable with any model DataMapper/Sequel or any other(non-database) backend, the only thing you need to do is respond to the self.translation(key, locale) call. If you want to use your own models, have a look at the default models to see what you want/need to implement.

To manage translations via a Web GUI, use a Rails application and the translation_db_engine

Performance

50_000 translations speed / memory
small translation file <-> large translation file
(ruby enterprise 1.8.6, your results may vary, try rake benchmark) Baseline: (doing nothing in a loop) 0.250000s / 0K <->

Ideal: (primitive Hash lookup)
0.820000s / 4K <-> 0.760000s / 4K

FastGettext:
1.360000s / 8K <-> 1.320000s / 8K

GetText 2.0.1:
4.880000s / 4480K <-> 4.810000s / 4480K

ActiveSupport I18n::Backend::Simple :
21.770000s / 10100K <->

Rails

Try the gettext_i18n_rails plugin, it simplifies the setup.
Try the translation_db_engine, to manage your translations in a db.

Setting available_locales,text_domain or locale will not work inside the evironment.rb, since it runs in a different thread then e.g. controllers, so set them inside your application_controller.

#environment.rb after initializers
Object.send(:include,FastGettext::Translation)
FastGettext.add_text_domain('accounting',:path=>'locale')
FastGettext.add_text_domain('frontend',:path=>'locale')
...

#application_controller.rb
class ApplicationController ...
  include FastGettext::Translation
  before_filter :set_locale
  def set_locale
    FastGettext.available_locales = ['de','en',...]
    FastGettext.text_domain = 'frontend'
    session[:locale] = I18n.locale = FastGettext.set_locale(params[:locale] || session[:locale] || request.env['HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE'] || 'en')
  end

Advanced features

###Abnormal pluralisation Pluralisation rules can be set directly via a lambda (see specs/), or by using the Gettext plural definition (see spec/locale/en/test_plural.po or Plural expressions for all languages.

###default_text_domain If you only use one text domain, setting FastGettext.default_text_domain = 'app' is sufficient and no more text_domain= is needed

###default_locale If the simple rule of "first availble_locale or 'en'" is not suficcient for you, set FastGettext.default_locale = 'de'.

###default_available_locales Fallback when no available_locales are set

###Chains You can use any number of repositories to find a translation. Simply add them to a chain and when the first cannot translate a given key, the next is asked and so forth. repos = [ FastGettext::TranslationRepository.build('new', :path=>'....'), FastGettext::TranslationRepository.build('old', :path=>'....') ] FastGettext.add_text_domain 'combined', :type=>:chain, :chain=>repos

###Logger When you want to know which keys could not be translated or were used, add a Logger to a Chain: repos = [ FastGettext::TranslationRepository.build('app', :path=>'....') FastGettext::TranslationRepository.build('logger', :type=>:logger, :callback=>lamda{|key_or_array_of_ids| ... }), } FastGettext.add_text_domain 'combined', :type=>:chain, :chain=>repos If the Logger is in position #1 it will see all translations, if it is in position #2 it will only see the unfound. Unfound may not always mean missing, if you chose not to translate a word because the key is a good translation, it will appear nevertheless. A lambda or anything that responds to call will do as callback. A good starting point may be examples/missing_translations_logger.rb.

###Plugins Want a yml, xml version ? Write your own TranslationRepository! #fast_gettext/translation_repository/xxx.rb module FastGettext module TranslationRepository class Wtf define initialize(name,options), [key], plural(*keys) and either inherit from TranslationRepository::Base or define available_locales and pluralisation_rule end end end

FAQ

• Problems with ActiveRecord messages?

TODO

• YML backend that reads ActiveSupport::I18n files
• any ideas ? :D

Author

Mo/Po-file parsing from Masao Mutoh, see vendor/README

###Contributors

• geekq
• Rudolf Gavlas

Michael Grosser
grosser.michael@gmail.com
Hereby placed under public domain, do what you want, just do not hold me accountable...