links are not being translated

This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:
You are developing a site using WPML's auto-translate feature and have encountered an issue where links within content translated using the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) remain in the original language and point to the main language pages.
Solution:
To resolve this issue, you need to modify your template code to ensure that links are correctly translated and point to the appropriate language versions. Here is a step-by-step guide:

Ensure that your ACF link field is set to 'Translate' to allow for the translation of the link URL and text.

Modify your template code to use the

wpml_permalink

filter for translating the URL, and the

wpml_translate_string

filter for translating the link title. Here is an example of how you can implement this:

if ($link_url && $link_title) {<br />    $translated_link_url = apply_filters('wpml_permalink', $link_url);<br />    $translated_link_title = apply_filters('wpml_translate_string', $link_title, 'acf', 'link_title_' . $colourBox['link']['title']);<br />    echo '<a href="' . $translated_link_url . '">' . $translated_link_title . '</a>';<br />}

Adjust the return value of the link field to 'Link URL' to ensure the correct data type is used for URLs.

Please note that this solution might be outdated or not applicable to your specific case. If this solution does not resolve your issue, we highly recommend checking the related known issues, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. If you still need assistance, please open a new support ticket.

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Tagged: Custom Work, Documentation request

This topic contains 16 replies, has 0 voices.

Last updated by Andreas W. 4 months, 3 weeks ago.

Assisted by: Andreas W..

Author	Posts
February 7, 2025 at 2:37 pm #16680225
vitaliiO	I've created 2 new pages: test-page-1 and test-page-2. Did all the steps and the link still points to main language. Link in previous message is acf link field, which is children of block, that is childern of Flexible Content
February 7, 2025 at 4:27 pm #16680626
vitaliiO	help me
February 7, 2025 at 10:03 pm #16681351
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	Hi, I would like to offer to take a closer look and request temporary access (wp-admin and FTP) to the site to investigate the issue further. The required fields are below the comment section when you log in to leave the next reply. The information you provide is private, meaning only you and I can see and access it. IMPORTANT Please be sure to back up the site and database before granting us access. If you can't see the "wp-admin / FTP" fields, your post and site login details will be set to "PUBLIC". DO NOT publish the data unless you see the required wp-admin / FTP fields. The private reply form looks like this: hidden link The next time you reply, click on "I still need assistance". Video: hidden link Please note that we are obliged to request this information individually on each ticket. We are not allowed to access any credentials that were not specifically submitted on this ticket in the private response form. Best regards Andreas
February 7, 2025 at 10:57 pm #16681404
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	Your field groups are not configured correctly. Repeater Fields, Groups, and Flexible content fields need to be set to "Copy once" or "Copy". All your fields are set to "Not translate". As long as a field is set to "Not translate", nothing will happen if you translate the page. You need to set the link fields to "Copy" to copy the link or to "Translate" to translate the link. Please follow this guide to set up the fields: https://wpml.org/documentation/related-projects/translate-sites-built-with-acf/recommended-custom-fields-translation-preferences-for-acf-and-wpml/ Copy > The field value will be copied every time you translate content Copy once > The field value will only be copied once (use this only if you translate posts or pages with the WordPress Editor) Translate > The field will be available inside the translation editor for translation After making changes to the fields you will need to edit the fields again on the original page, save the page, and then open the translation editor.
February 8, 2025 at 1:38 pm #16682319
vitaliiO	Hello, Here’s what I did: 1. Set a "Flexible Content" field to "Copy". 2. Within the "Stats Banner" (a flexible content block), the "Colour Box" group and the "link" field inside it were set to "Copy". 3. Created a new page: "weekend-test-page" (hidden link) and translated it. 4. Created another page: "weekend-test-page-2"(hidden link), added the "Stats Banner" block, and selected the first page in the "link" field. 5. Saved the changes. 6. Created a translation for the second page using the Advanced Translation Editor. The "link" field did not appear in the editor, which is expected based on your previous explanation: "This is why the link field is set to 'Copy' by default and does not appear in the WPML Translation Editor. In this case, it should automatically use the translated URL if the linked page is translated and published." So I expected the link to the first page to be automatically changed to the French version after translation. However, after translation, the link still points to the original language version instead of the translated one.
February 8, 2025 at 4:04 pm #16682638
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	We do have a known issue for this use case which is already escalate to our development team. Please take a backup of your site incl. database and try to apply the following workaround: Workaround Edit wp-content\plugins\acfml\classes\class-wpml-acf-blocks.php go to line 191 and replace private function get_text_type( $text ) { $type = 'LINE'; if ( is_array( $text ) ) { $type = 'array'; } elseif ( strip_tags( $text ) !== $text ) { $type = 'VISUAL'; } elseif ( strpos( $text, "\n" ) !== false ) { $type = 'AREA'; } return $type; } with private function get_text_type( $text ) { $type = 'LINE'; if ( is_array( $text ) ) { $type = 'array'; } elseif ( strip_tags( $text ) !== $text ) { $type = 'VISUAL'; } elseif ( strpos( $text, "\n" ) !== false ) { $type = 'AREA'; } else if (preg_match('/^(?:https?):\/\/\S+/i', $text)) { $type = 'LINK'; } return $type; }
February 8, 2025 at 4:48 pm #16682720
vitaliiO	I've made changes to this file: dev.polarisagency.com/wp-content/plugins/acfml/classes/class-wpml-acf-blocks.php You can see the changes in the screenshot. I repeated all the steps by creating two new pages and adding a link from the second page to the first. However, the link still points to the main language.
February 8, 2025 at 5:02 pm #16682793
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	You are using a version of ACF PRO that was released in November 2023. Also, WPML and our addons are outdated. Please update all plugins and then test again.
February 9, 2025 at 1:44 pm #16684086
vitaliiO	Hi, I updated the WPML, WPML addons and ACF Pro plugins, created two new pages again, translated them, and the links still point only to the main language. You can try creating two new pages yourself and following these steps.
February 11, 2025 at 12:12 pm #16691388
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	As you can see on the screenshot, your field group is still not configured correctly. If you use the "Expert" mode you need to follow this guide: https://wpml.org/documentation/related-projects/translate-sites-built-with-acf/recommended-custom-fields-translation-preferences-for-acf-and-wpml/ If you have doubts about how to set each field, please use the group settings: - Same fields across languages (for translation with the WPML Translation Editor) - Different fields across languages (for translation with the WordPress Editor)
February 11, 2025 at 1:46 pm #16691967
vitaliiO	Hi, almost all my pages are built using Flexible Content. This is the 'Components Page' field group, as you can see in the screenshot. It seems to be configured correctly. I have properly configured the 'Stats Banner' block, which is a child of Flexible Content. You can check it. hidden link
February 11, 2025 at 2:00 pm #16692027
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	Thank you for the details. I went through half of the group and there are various configuration issues. For example, all the Repeater Fields were set to "Translate". They should be set to "Copy". Now, this is a huge group and I can not go through it all for you. If you want to save time, and if all your links ar internal links anyways, then please set the field group to "Same fields across languages" and then translate the page again. This usually should solve the issue.
February 11, 2025 at 3:38 pm #16692667
vitaliiO	In fileds group "Components Page" (flexible content) I set Repeater Fields, Groups, and Flexible content fields to "copy". I created again new pages (hidden link) and built it with "Components Page" (flexible content) blocks. But the link still points to main language.
February 11, 2025 at 6:04 pm #16693212
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	Ths issue is inside your template. Using the following approach solves the issue while keeping links on "copy". if ($row === 'stats_banner') { $image = get_sub_field('image'); $src = wp_get_attachment_image_src($image['id'], 'thumb_2000_0'); echo '<div class="stats-banner" style="background-image: url(' . $src[0] . ');" data-colour="dark">'; echo '<div class="stats-banner__content container">'; echo '<div class="stats-banner__stats">'; echo '<div class="stats-banner__left-stat">'; $largeStat = get_sub_field('large_stat'); if ($largeStat) { echo '<span>' . $largeStat . '</span>'; } $text = get_sub_field('text'); if ($text) { echo $text; } echo '</div>'; $colourBox = get_sub_field('colour_box'); $firstColour = $colours[$colourBox['colours']['first']]; $secondColour = $colours[$colourBox['colours']['second']]; // Translate the link and title $link_url = $colourBox['link']['url']; $link_title = $colourBox['link']['title']; if ($link_url && $link_title) { // Translate the URL (if needed), WPML generally handles URLs of translated pages $translated_link_url = apply_filters('wpml_permalink', $link_url); // Translate the link title (if the title is a translatable string) $translated_link_title = apply_filters('wpml_translate_string', $link_title, 'acf', 'link_title_' . $colourBox['link']['title']); // Output the translated link echo '<div class="stats-banner__right-stat" style="background: linear-gradient(to right, ' . $firstColour . ' 40%, ' . $secondColour . ' 40%);">'; if ($colourBox['top_text']) { echo $colourBox['top_text']; } if ($colourBox['stat']) { echo '<span>' . $colourBox['stat'] . '</span>'; } if ($colourBox['bottom_text']) { echo $colourBox['bottom_text']; } if ($translated_link_url) { echo '<a href="' . $translated_link_url . '">' . $translated_link_title . '</a>'; } echo '</div>'; } echo '</div>'; echo '</div>'; echo '</div>'; } Using the 'wpml_permalink' hook in your template will make sure that the correct URL will be loaded for each language. This will automatically adjust the link without the need to translate it. The downside is, that you will not be able to translate the link text, as it is being copied. To translate the link text, the link field would need to be set to "Translate" but this would include that you also need to translate the links.
February 12, 2025 at 10:08 am #16695411
vitaliiO	Hi, I fixed some of my templates this way: $translated_link_url = apply_filters('wpml_permalink', $link['url']); And it actually changes links by adding "fr". But there's a problem: I have a page: hidden link When using apply_filters('wpml_permalink', $link['url']);, it changes the link to hidden link (see screenshot). This link is located on the page: hidden link. When I click on it, it opens hidden link instead of hidden link. This happens because the actual translated page URL is hidden link, not hidden link.