This JavaScript article tutorial provides us a very detailed guide about localization in WordPress platform; throughout the instructions within this JavaScript article tutorial, we can easily manage uploaded JavaScript files/source codes effectively.

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When adding scripts to WordPress, you will inevitably run into a small, but painful, issue of localization.

Localizing a plugin or theme is relatively straightforward, but JavaScript presents its own difficulties since we can't easily call the PHP functions necessary (which is one reason authors embed JavaScript in PHP files).

Since embedding JavaScript in PHP files is never a good technique, we use localization to save the day.

With JavaScript localization, you can use PHP magic to build your localized strings, and then use JavaScript to read/parse those strings. What you do with them is only limited to your imagination.

Furthermore, if you display anything with JavaScript, chances are your users will want the strings to be localized.

Fortunately, WordPress provides the ultra-handy wp_localize_script function.

wp_localize_script

The wp_localize_script takes three arguments:

• handle
• object_name
• l10n

Handle

The handle argument will be the same handle you use for your script name.
For example, if you have a handle of my_script, you would use the same name when calling the wp_localize_script function.

Object_name

The object_name argument is a string that tells WordPress to create a JavaScript object using the name you specify.

It's important that the string you pass is as unique as possible in order to minimize naming conflicts with other scripts.

For the upcoming example, our object name will be my_unique_name.

l10n

The l10n argument is an array of strings you would like to localize.
Within this array, you will want to take advantage of the __ function.

wp_localize_script Example

For the purpose of this example, let's create a function called localize_vars and have it return an array.

<?php
function localize_vars() {

    return array(
        'SiteUrl' => get_bloginfo('url'),
        'OtherText' => __('my text', "my_localization_name")

    );
} //End localize_vars
?>

Please note the use of the __() function. It takes in the text we want to localize, and our localization name. This will be the same name you use if you take advantage of localization within WordPress.

The variable SiteURL gives us the http path to our WordPress site, which comes in handy in certain situations.

From another area in our code, we call the localize_vars function:

<?php 
wp_enqueue_script('my_script', plugins_url('your-plugin-name') .'/my_script.js', array('jquery'), '1.0.0');

wp_localize_script( 'my_script', 'my_unique_name', localize_vars());
?>

WordPress then conveniently adds localization JavaScript immediately before our main script is included. Viewing the page source will reveal:

/* <![CDATA[ */
    my_unique_name = {
        SiteUrl: "http://www.mydomain.com",

        OtherText: "my localized text"
    }
/* ]]> */
</script>
<script type='text/javascript' src='http://www.mydomain.com/wp-content/plugins/my_plugin/my_script.js?ver=1.0.0'></script>

With the localize example, you can use PHP magic to add just about anything to your localization object. Hence, no need to ever embed JavaScript within a PHP file.

Now you can call your localized JavaScript variables from your my_script.js file. Here's an example of an alert:

alert(my_unique_name.SiteUrl);

alert(my_unique_name.OtherText);

It's really as easy as that. You can now localize JavaScript strings.

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