We’re ready with a first beta of WPML 2.3.1. This version improves usability and makes your multilingual administration easier and more fun.
In WPML 2.3.0, we added some major new features. This release just makes them easier to use and more intuitive. It’s not yet ready for production sites, but you’re welcome to use on test sites and see how it’s working for you.
Real-time Custom Fields Sync
I might be mistaken, but this was the most requested feature for a long time now. It was also kinda implemented, but never worked properly – until now.
In WPML 2.3.1, when you select a custom field as «copy», it actually gets copied onto translations.
If you have a post or page with custom fields and you edit the default-language post, translations update immediately. As soon as you hit Update in the post in the default language, all translations update immediately.
Also, when you create a new translation, the custom fields are pre-populated from the original.
So, if you’re building a site that uses many custom fields (like real-estate listing), you no longer need to update values in all translations – just edit the original and save.
Real-time Category and Taxonomy Update
Like it works with custom fields, it also works for categories, tags and other taxonomy. When you update the original language, WPML will try to synchronize the taxonomy for all translations. Go to WPML->Translation Management->Multilingual content setup. You’ll see a new option for synchronizing taxonomy.
For this to work, the categories need translation. We recommend that you create categories manually in the Posts->Category screen. After you create the categories in the default language, translate them.
Then, when you assign categories to posts, their translations will automatically inherit the translated categories.
Translation for Author Fields
When you go to any author field, you see the description, but all in the default language. WPML 2.3.1 hooks to the author meta information and makes it translatable through the String Translation screen.
You’ll be able to translate the name, nickname and bio (description).
Smarter Admin Language Switcher
Remember that Admin Content Language Switcher that we added to WPML 2.3.0?
It does great things but is also a huge pain in the b%!t. After you add translation, you’re stuck in a different language. If you forget to switch back to the default language, you’ll be adding new content in the wrong language.
This is something that we only noticed ourselves after about a week of using WPML 2.3.0.
WPML 2.3.1 fixes it. When you add translations, you add translation. Next time you click on ‘posts’ or ‘pages’ (or anything else), you get back to the language you started from. When you actually switch the Admin language, it stays, but not when you just translate.
Simplified Theme Localization Options
Until now, we had three options in the Theme and Plugins Localization menu. To be honest, they don’t make perfect sense.
Now, it’s down to two options – to enable or disable translation with WPML.
When disabled, themes and plugins take care of themselves, just like they do when you don’t use WPML. When enabled, you can translate using WPML’s String Translation.
Also, in the spirit of improvements, WPML also locates theme .mo files in sub-directories. WPML no longer assumes that .mo files must exist in the root folder. It will find them where they are. This helps when you already have some translation in .mo files (in some directory in the theme) and you want to continue translating with WPML.
Admin Locale Switches When Translating
We’ve added a new option to see the WordPress Admin in the same language you’re translating to.
You may ask why something like that is useful. Well, try translating to an RTL language when WordPress locale is set to English. The Visual editor is practically impossible to use.
When you go to Users->Your Profile, you’ll see a new option called «Set admin language as editing language». When set, WordPress locale will follow the language you’re writing in. Just try this new feature with Hebrew or Arabic and tell us what you think.
Full Support for All GetText Calls
Until this release, WPML only hooked to the _e() and __() GetText calls.
WordPress allows a greater depth of functions and WPML now supports them all. This includes the powerful _x() call (translate with context), the _n() call (translate with plurals) and everything else that WordPress has to offer.
Synchronization for Publish Date
WPML 2.3.1 can automatically copy the publish date from the default language to translations. If you want all translations to have the same timestamp, enable this feature. Then, when creating new translations or when you change the publish date on the original, the translations get the same time.
Easy to Resign Translators
Have you ever sent a job to a translator, only to discover that this translator is unresponsive? Now what? You have to login to the translator’s account and resign in their behalf.
No more.
WPML 2.3.1 lets site Admins cancel jobs that are in-progress. It’s not very friendly to kick someone out, but it’s better to have this ability than have to beg for it.
Download and Try
WPML 2.3.1 is not quite ready yet for production sites, but it’s getting there very quickly. If you want to check out these new features, login to your WPML account and click on Downloads. It’s at the bottom, under the Beta Versions.
Let us know what you think. We’re planning to release WPML 2.3.1 next week and your feedback is critical.
BTW – We’re saving a really big surprise for the final release.