questions on using multilingual function

[guybr]

Hi, I'm using VM 2.6.6 on Joomla 2.5.28, and I recently added the Joomla German and Hebrew language packs (my site is in English by default).

Following Joomla's instuctions to make the site multilingual, I created 3 versions of the top menu bar (Atomic template) and all the relevant content (for EN, DE and HE).

Here's my quandry:
1. the translated top menu bar appears on all the Joomla pages and the VM store homepage (not the same as my site homepage) - but in German and Hebrew the top menu bars don't appear on any other VM pages
---> I tried using metamodpro to define specific German and Hebrew menus to be displayed on all VM pages, but for some reason this doesn't work. Doing the same for the "language switcher" also doesn't display it on the VM pages for those languages. Any ideas why?

2. I installed the same languages for VM and activated them, only to discover that without me translating the products, they won't be displayed at all when a person is on the German/Hebrew pages of VM. But since I selected the option to use English as a fallback when the strings are not translated, why are the VM category pages still blank? Is there any workaround for this?

My goal is to have at least the infrastructure of the site (menus, breadcrumbs, system instructtions) available in German and Hebrew even if (for the time being) the content itself remains in English...

[Frans D]

1) Do you see the relevant language flags behind your menu main items and did you unpublish the standard main menu?
2) The option you selected is for language strings, text you've input yourself are not language strings.
Whenever I create a new product I add the languages at the product image tab and with me, the products are shown in every language, even if I didn't translate them. I always translate the categories.

[guybr]

I do see the flags but I didn't unpublish the standard main menu (eg. the one set to "all" languages) because I thought that had to remain active for all the other languages.

Initially even my EN-GB menu didn't appear on the virtuemart pages (other than the homepage), but once I created a metamod it did (and also the language switcher - in a separate metamod). But my German and Hebrew menus and switchers don't appear even though I used the same approach...

From your reply, it sounds like my products won't appear on the German and Hebrew pages until I translate the category names -?

[Muszti]

Hello!
I have similar error. I'm using VirtueMart 3.0.8. And Joomla! 3.4.1
I installed 2 languages: Hungarian and English GB.
On product editing the hungarian flag shows but the english flag does not.
I can select from the top left the english but after selecting the flag does not appear.
Maybe the system should create database values when first adding the english language in the VM setup, but I can not see the information about it.
Please help, what to do for being able to use multilanguage.
I tried to remove english from the VM multilanguage settintgs and re add it, but it is not a solution.

[Frans D]

Normally your would make an additional Main menu EN, Hauptmenu DE etc and after you're fininished you would unpublish the standard main menu, set content items at language and so on.
Try to find a good explanation about making a J site multilingual, because you both seem to have made some mistakes.

@guybr: I never had problems with categories or products not showing.
In a lot of cases I first set priority to my standard language and translate other languages at a later stage.
But the only thing I always do when adding a new product or category, is setting the languages at the image tab.
Perhaps it is due to that, that I don't have problems with things not showing up in not translated languages.
Just try it and you will find out soon enough.
The only things you'll have to translate directly are the shipping and payment options, these won't work if their not translated and if you test the order process in other languages.

I am working with VM3 and am not sure if the languages can also be set at the image tabs within VM2.

Edit, this is the part that I mean;



@Muszti; did you also set the content languages?



-

[guybr]

Thank you for taking the time to help Frans :-)

I checked my back-end but it looks like VM 2 doesn't have the extra field to enable selecting language per image.

As far as unpblishing the main menu, I didn't do that because as per these 2 sources I used, it sounds like it has to remain active -?
reference point #9 here: https://www.ostraining.com/blog/joomla/multi-language-sites-in-joomla-17/
reference point #3 here: https://www.gavick.com/documentation/uncategorized/configuration-multilanguage-site-with-joomla-1-7

...but there is a critical discrepancy between these 2 sources, and maybe that's where I'm falling: gavick says that to make a multilingual site, you need to create a new MENU for each language (and retain the "all" language menu as a backup), whereas OSTraining, in their images, is showing that the multilingual ability is made by creating new MENU ITEMs for the languages and assigning these to the original main menu...?

Confused??? I am :-) ...Since I began the work with the Gavick link and later read the OST link, I did the multilingual work according to Gavick's approach...

Frans, how are you doing "menu item associations" for pages inside VM? How does Joomla 'see' those alternate pages when you create new menu items?

[Frans D]

It seems creating a multilingual site is a bit different in J3, as I had to unpublish the original main menu.
I followed this walkthrough; http://www.slideshare.net/erictiggeler/creating-a-multilingual-site-in-joomla-joomla-3-beginners-guide-eric-tiggeler

Perhaps someone who uses J2.5 can enlighten you.

[Muszti]

Yes I already set up the content language settings.
It seems like the system did not recognize that I want to use the english product details. Even if I choose the english language nothing happens in the right side.
But when I choose the hungarian, then the hingarian flag appears on the right.
When I change the default language of the site to english it brings up an error message that the database values of the products are empty.

[Frans D]

@ Muszti; did you update the tables after adding extra languages?
VM BE > Tools > Tools & Migration > Install or if necessary update tables
Its not something drastic, but I always recommend to make a back-up upfront, with such things.

[Muszti]

I'm very happy because I managed to fix this issue.

I've removed Hungarian language and set up only english language. Then added back the hungarian.

Now it's working fine.

Thank you!

[Frans D]

Well you did it all yourself, but good to hear you solved it.