changing language!

[sirTemplar]

hi again. question:

i have a multilingual website. the user inputs his username and password combination with the option to choose among 4 languages. after a successful login they are redirected to the page and the contents are on the language they have chosen. to change language, they have to logout and login again with the new language they want. what i want is that they do not need to login, but include the language change option on the menu that when they click to a new language the content just changes to the new language without loggin out and that that they remain on the page they are viewing. how do i implement that? thanks.

[subwayman]

Hold the language value in your session data for the login and use that throughout the system to decide language. Then add the language change to you r menus and if they change it update the session. Bingo!

[sirTemplar]

this is part of the login page where they choose the language...

// start session 
session_start(); 

// convert username and password from _POST or _SESSION 
if($_POST["username"]) 
{ 
  $username=$_POST["username"]; 
  $password=$_POST["password"]; 
  $lang=$_POST["lang"]; 
} 
elseif($_SESSION["username"]) 
{ 
  $username=$_SESSION["username"]; 
  $password=$_SESSION["password"]; 
  $lang=$_SESSION["lang"]; 
} 

// start and register session variables 
session_register("username"); 
session_register("password"); 
session_register("lang");

this is part of the menu page and the pages i want to show...

<?
session_start(); 

// Register session key with the value 
   $_SESSION['lang'] = $lang; 
   $_SESSION['username'] = $username; 

// start with setting the language 
if ($lang == 'eng') 
{ 
include"lang/eng.php"; 
} 
elseif ($lang == 'ita') 
{ 
include"lang/ita.php"; 
} 
elseif ($lang == 'spa') 
{ 
include"lang/spa.php"; 
} 
// end of setting language 
?> 

what do i need to add? how do i put the link to the languages and update the session with the new language? thanks

[subwayman]

Very simply. Whenever a user selects a new language set the session value as follows

$_SESSION['lang'] = 'chinese';

BTW what version of PHP are you using. Later versions do not require session_register(). To instantiate a session variable simply invoke it in the same way as any variable.

[sirTemplar]

i am using php 4.4.1

how do i write that on the menu to change language, for example i have the page in english and i want to change to italian or spanish.

[subwayman]

Add a form with the choices and change the session variable in the form processing section.

[sirTemplar]

i added this on the menu, nothing happend when i change language

<form target="_self">
	<SELECT id=lang name=\"lang\"> 
<option selected value=eng>English</option>
<option value=ita>Italian</option>
<option value=spa>Espanol</option>
<option value=pol>Polski</option>
</SELECT>
<input type="submit" value="Submit" name="submit">
</form>

thanks for the patience...

[subwayman]

You need to add form processing to each page. The value returned in $_GET['lang'] has the user selection so at the head of each page include PHP script:

$SESSION['lang'] = $GET['lang'];

If you use post for your forms the change $GET to $POST

[sirTemplar]

some progress, maybe....

this is part of the code to login with the ability to choose language:

 // start session 
session_start();  

// convert username and password from _POST or _SESSION 
if($_POST["username"])  

{  

  $username=$_POST["username"];  

  $password=$_POST["password"];  

  $lang=$_POST["lang"];  

}  

elseif($_SESSION["username"])  

{  

  $username=$_SESSION["username"];  

  $password=$_SESSION["password"];  

  $lang=$_SESSION["lang"];  

}  

// start and register session variables 
session_register("username");  

session_register("password");  

session_register("lang"); 

after this they are suppose to see the texts on menu.php according to the language they have chosen when they logged in BUT the language texts are empty! however they will see the form to choose language and when they click on english or italian or spanish, they get the desired texts!

here part of the code on top of menu.php with the language change option

<?
session_start(); 

// Register session key with the value 
   $_SESSION['username'] = $username; 
   $_SESSION['lang'] = $_POST['lang'];

// start with setting the language 
if ($lang == 'eng') 
{ 
include"lang/eng.php"; 
} 
elseif ($lang == 'ita') 
{ 
include"lang/ita.php"; 
} 
elseif ($lang == 'spa') 
{ 
include"lang/spa.php"; 
} 
elseif ($lang == 'pol') 
{ 
include"lang/pol.php"; 
} 
// end of setting language 
?> 

 <form action="menu.php" target="_self" method="post"> 
    <SELECT id=lang name="lang"> 
<option value=eng>English</option> 
<option value=ita>Italian</option> 
<option value=spa>Espanol</option> 
<option value=pol>Polski</option> 
</SELECT> 
<input type="submit" value="Submit" name="submit"> 
</form> 

also another thing when they click their desired language they see the text in that language but on the form , the selected valed remains english, i want that when they choose another language that will also be the default on the form.

thanks.

[subwayman]

Change the form so that if the <option> is the current language it is 'selected' like so:

<option value=eng SELECTED>English</option>

[sirTemplar]

that doesn't do the trick!

when i have this:

 <form action="newsesmenu.php" target="_self" method="post"> 
    <SELECT id=lang name="lang"> 
<option value=eng SELECTED>English</option> 
<option value=ita SELECTED>Italian</option> 
<option value=spa SELECTED>Espanol</option> 

it shows always ESPANOL

when i have this:

 <form action="newsesmenu.php" target="_self" method="post"> 
    <SELECT id=lang name="lang"> 
<option value=eng SELECTED>English</option> 
<option value=ita >Italian</option> 
<option value=spa>Espanol</option> 

it's always in English!

[subwayman]

OK sirTemplar - enough is enough. You are clearly trying to use PHP when you know almost nothing about either PHP or HTML. I have tried to always point you in the right direction without writing the code for you which is the best way for you to learn. But it is clear you are soaking up the information like a sponge and not advancing your knowledge one jot. Go and get hold of a book (something like teach yourself PHP in 24 hours) and read it. In a couple of days you will know enough to have solved this problem yourslef right from the start. And don't just read it - do the exercises and worked cases as well.

I am sorry to depart like this but after everything else your last post had me rolling about on the floor for ages. It finally occurred to me that you have swiped someone else's code and are trying to get it to work when you don't know the least about what you are doing.

Come back when you know a bit more of the basics - you might then stand a chance of understanding what we are trying to tell you.

[sirTemplar]

ok. i will do as you suggested. i am sorry. thanks anyway for all the help. i have tried another work around and it seems it is working....