Setting up Joomla 2.5.x and VirtueMart 2.0.x for multiple languages

[jjk]

Setting up Joomla 2.5.x and VirtueMart 2.0.x for multiple languages

   
• First make shure Joomla 2.5.x multilanguage setup is correct. See here: http://help.joomla.org/files/EN-GB_multilang_tutorial.pdf
• As a final check, before you continue,  go to 'Extensions' - 'Module Manager' - switch from 'site' to 'administrator' in the filter dropdown list and publish 'Multilingual Status'. Thereafter you can click on 'Multilanguage Status' in the upper right menu line. If everything is green on the status page, your Joomla multilanguage setup should be correct and you can unpubilish the 'Multilingual Status' module again. If something is red, you should solve that problem first.
• Choose your primary language as the default frontend language in Joomla.

   
• After installing Virtuemart 2.x.x, check if your required VM2 language pack has been installed in the Joomla language folders. Examples of VM2 language filenames are 'nl-NL.com_virtuemart.ini' or 'nl-NL.plg_vmpayment_paypal.ini'.
  For a dutch user, the VM2 frontend language files would be in the folder:
  your-joomla-root-folder\language\nl-NL
  and the dutch VM2 backend language files would be in the folder:
  your-joomla-root-folder\administrator\language\nl-NL
  
  If your language was not included in the com_virtuemart.2.x.x_ext_aio.zip, you might have to install it seperately. A number of additional language files are packed into the file com_virtuemart.2.x.x_languages_extract_first.zip available at http://dev.virtuemart.net/projects/virtuemart/files. Unzip it once and then pick your language, i.e. com_virtuemart_nl-NL.zip (nl-NL = dutch) and install it using the Joomla installer.  Even more language files (including partial translations of VM2) are available if you follow the links provided in this VirtueMart forum post: http://forum.virtuemart.net/index.php?topic=98362.0
• Then select your languages in VM2 Configuration - First tab - 'Multilingual shop' form field.
  After that you should be able to switch between languages in VM2 as described in the next two points.
• The VM2 categories can be translated by selecting one of your other languages in the VM2 'Product Category Form' language dropdown list on top of the view.
• Similarly, product descriptions in VM2 can be translated by selecting a different language from the dropdown list in the 'Product Edit' view.
  (Note: Set Joomla to use TinyMCE editor or use the JCE editor version 2.2.1 or higher. There is a conflict between VM2 and other editors)
• In Joomla create a menu for each of your languages, holding menu items for all your VM2 categories and the cart.

Third party translation extensions to set up a multilingual shop with Joomla 2.5.x/VirtueMart 2.0.x are NOT required.

Note: This and other tutorials are now also available on the new VirtueMart homepage at: http://docs.virtuemart.net/tutorials.html

[kmmmp]

Very usefull, thanks !

ps : 100 times better than Joomfish and other Falang ... ;-)

[Edze]

Setting up Joomla 2.5.x and VirtueMart 2.0.x for multiple languages

• First make shure Joomla 2.5.x multilanguage setup is correct. See here: http://help.joomla.org/files/EN-GB_multilang_tutorial.pdf


• Choose your primary language as the default frontend language in Joomla.


• After installing Virtuemart 2.x.x, check if your required VM2 language pack has been installed in the Joomla language folders. Examples of VM2 language filenames are 'nl-NL.com_virtuemart.ini' or 'nl-NL.plg_vmpayment_paypal.ini'.
  For a dutch user, the VM2 frontend language files would be in the folder:
  your-joomla-root-folder\language\nl-NL
  and the dutch VM2 backend language files would be in the folder:
  your-joomla-root-folder\administrator\language\nl-NL
  
  If your language was not included in the com_virtuemart.2.x.x_ext_aio.zip, you might have to install it seperately. A number of additional language files are packed into the file com_virtuemart.2.x.x_languages_extract_first.zip available at http://dev.virtuemart.net/projects/virtuemart/files. Unzip it once and then pick your language, i.e. com_virtuemart_nl-NL.zip (nl-NL = dutch) and install it using the Joomla installer.  Even more language files (including partial translations of VM2) are available if you follow the links provided in this VirtueMart forum post: http://forum.virtuemart.net/index.php?topic=98362.0


• 
  Then select your languages in VM2 Configuration - First tab - 'Multilingual shop' form field.
  After that you should be able to switch between languages in VM2 as described in the next two points.


• The VM2 categories can be translated by selecting one of your other languages in the VM2 'Product Category Form' language dropdown list on top of the view.


• Similarly, product descriptions in VM2 can be translated by selecting a different language from the dropdown list in the 'Product Edit' view.
  (Note: Set Joomla to use TinyMCE editor or use the JCE editor version 2.2.1 or higher. There is a conflict between VM2 and other editors)


• In Joomla create a menu for each of your languages, holding menu items for all your VM2 categories and the cart.

Third party translation extensions to set up a multilingual shop with Joomla 2.5.x/VirtueMart 2.0.x are NOT required.

Hi,

I installed Joomla 2.5.7 with English and Dutch, and the Language selector.
Working fine so far.
Afer installing VM 2.0.10 I copied the Dutch language files to their locations.

Configuration - Language Settings
English and Dutch
English as fallback V

In Control Panel - Shop I have a dropdown English and Dutch
In Products and Categories I see English in left top corner, no dropdown.

What am I missing here?

Kind regards,
Edze

[jjk]

Please check your Joomla multilanguage status first like described in the first post in this forum thread:
http://forum.virtuemart.net/index.php?topic=97776.msg354154#msg354154
Also, you can enable "Debug Language" in Joomla configuration and check if the virtuemart language files are loaded and if it reports errors in the dutch language files.

[maihoa]

Thank Jjk, It very good.

[seanlyf]

very useful,thanks!

[tobias_conrad]

Does anybody know if the new Joomfish 2.5 release works fine together with Virtuemart 2.0.18? or the upcoming 2.1?
The joomfish Forum (goo.gl/svGjL) says: Please note, that we do not provide support in respect to VirtueMart.

Will it be done here?

[jjk]

The joomfish Forum (goo.gl/svGjL) says: Please note, that we do not provide support in respect to VirtueMart.

I don't know if somebody from the JF team made that statement. However, it makes sense because VirtueMart has it's own translation system. I'm running an english/german language shop and I'm absolutely satisfied with the language tools J2.5x and VM2.x are providing and it's unlikely that I'll change back to Joomfish again. Therefore I haven't tested Jf 2.5 yet.

Back in Joomla 1.5.x days, you needed a "Translation Trailer" (Joomfish) attached to your "Joomla Car" if you wanted to go multilingual. But with J2.5.x you have a "Joomla Van" with all the necessary translation tools already in your trunk.

[bdimov]

Hey there,
I have a question:
Now I have categories and products in virtuemart in bulgarian language, but my site have 3 languages: bulgarian, english and russian.
When I change the default language to english for site in virtuemart I can make some english categories and products.
My first question is can I see all categories and products without changing the default language?
My second question is: Ok I change the language and create in english language new categories for english version, but when I go to some modules I have bought there is only bulgarian categories, module is set for english but I see only the bulgarian module... How can I fix that?

[jjk]

Provided that all three VM languages are installed and selected in the VM configuration > Shop tab > Language settings, the normal procedure is to add categories in your primary language (Bulgarian) and then in the 'Product Edit view' select one of the other two languages (you should see flags in the translatable fields) and type the translation. Of course, if you type a lot of i.e. English translations in a row, you can switch the Joomla default frontend language from Bulgarian to English, to avoid selecting the language again after every click on "Save".

Concerning the modules, you need to make copies of the modules and assign each one to one of your three languages. If the modules display for example a title, you enter the translation into the module's title field.

[bdimov]

Yes I made this in Shop tab there I select the languages.
My question is: I go to a category and change in to English, I write the name and etc. then save it and I see only the bulgarian categories and when I change joomla language to english then I can see the english categories... and my question is can I miss that changing of joomla language... Can I see the bulgarian, the russian and the english categories and products without changing the joomla language?
I understand how to create for three language but I don't see it and need to change the language of joomla...

The module - I create new, select it for english language but see only the bulgarian language... I will attach a picture of that module to see it...


The same is in the menu manager, there I create category menu for english, bulgarian and russian languages but when I select menu type - virtuemart category then I see only the bulgarian category to select.... categories in other language is missing...

[jjk]

When Bulgarian is your Joomla default site language, the language you will see when editing a VirtueMart product is Bulgarian. When you select English from the dropdown list, it will switch to English (with english flags for the translatable fields). When you click on "Save" after typing your english text, it will switch back to Bulgarian automatically. To see the English text in the backend editor again, you have to select English again from the dropdown list. If you want VirtueMart to stay in English (for example when you want to add many english product descriptions in a row), you have to change the Joomla default site language to English temporarily.

The language of the dropdown category selection (the yellow dropdown list in your second screenshot) does not affect the displayed language of the menu. If the dropdown list remains in Bulgarian, this happens because the Joomla default language (Bulgarian) still is in the Joomla cache. It will change if you select English as Joomla site default language and clear the Joomla cache in Joomla administration > Site > Maintenance > Clear Cache. But as mentioned above, this has no effect on which language the menu is displayed. (You can ignore this).

Your first screeshot shows that you are using an old Gavick News Show version. This one might not be compatible with the latest VirtueMart version. You should update that to the latest version available from the Gavick website (I think latest ist 3.3.7).

[bdimov]

Thank you man, now I realized the problem ... I test it and work... all is that I need to change the language to manage with products and categories in virtuemart!
Thank you for support!

[Markus21]

Very useful! Thanks

Saved me a lot of time 

[pacino68]

I have employed a web design company who are using Joomla 2.5 and Virtuemart 2.0. to create an ecommerce website for me. 

Does Joomla 2.5 and Virtuecart offer multilingual capacity without the requirement to upgrade to Joomfish ?

I just need a website that is English-Italian bilingual. 

They are asking me to pay for a Joomfish upgrade cosing nearly £300.