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[Resolved] using existing .po files

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

Problem:
The client is having issues with the WPML plugin not automatically loading existing .po/.mo files for plugins such as Events Manager. Additionally, the client is unable to see the country flag options on the Events pages, even after loading strings into the WPML system.

Solution:
1. WPML should automatically load .po/.mo files if they exist for a plugin and are in the correct language. If the translations are not working, the client can regenerate the .mo files through WPML by navigating to WPML -> Support -> Troubleshooting and using the relevant option.

2. Importing .po/.mo files alone will not display flags for Events in other languages. The client needs to translate the Events themselves or use a fallback option for displaying untranslated content in secondary languages, which can be found here: Displaying Untranslated Content on Pages in Secondary Languages.

If the provided solution does not apply or is outdated, or if the issue persists, we recommend opening a new support ticket. We also highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins.

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This topic contains 5 replies, has 2 voices.

Last updated by Bruno Kos 2 years, 8 months ago.

Assisted by: Bruno Kos.

Author Posts
April 7, 2022 at 6:26 pm #10976173

clintS-2

Hi,

We have several plugins installed on the site that came with their own .po files. I'll use Events Manager as an example. We would like to get all the Events related content to be accessible in different languages. Here are the issues I'm currently stuck with:

1. Cannot find a way for the WPML plugin to load the existing .po/.mo files automatically. I was able to load the individual .pos for each plugin and language into the string translation system. This seems very tedious. I feel like there has to be a better way. Can you show me where?

2. With the strings loaded into the system I still do not see the countries flag options showing on the Events pages. I keep looking at the list of post types and pages related to Events Manager in the WPML settings but most of the pages are custom slugs generated on the fly. How can I tell WPML to attempt to translate (using the available strings) all the pages related to the Events plugin.

Thanks,
Joanna
April 11, 2022 at 7:27 am #10992083

Bruno Kos
Supporter

Languages: English (English ) German (Deutsch ) French (Français )

Timezone: Europe/Zagreb (GMT+01:00)

Hi,

Thank you for contacting WPML support!

WPML uses WordPress logic to load every mo/po files in case such thing exists for any plugin and assuming that it has language packs for the specific language.

So I'm not sure what exactly isn't working for you? This whole process is done automatically, there are no specific settings for this.

If files are there but translation don't work, you can generate them again through WPML - > Support -> Troubleshooting and the option outlined in image.

As for the other question, if I understood this right - if you import po/mo files, you will not get flags on the Events in all the other languages because you need to translate them as well (so events themselves), or at least use fallback if you don't plan to translate them into other languages (https://wpml.org/documentation/translating-your-contents/displaying-untranslated-content-on-pages-in-secondary-languages/)

Regards,
Bruno Kos

custo mo.jpg
import optons in string translation.jpg
April 13, 2022 at 7:53 pm #11016383

clintS-2

Thank you!
I realized that most of the issues I'm seeing where resolved by switching to "Translatable
use translation if available or fallback to default language" options for the post/pages.
I have a new issue now. We are using the "Language name added as a parameter" option for URL. Now I have a page generated via plugin with string translation. When I switch languages the text on the page adjusts great but I the links on the page are changed as well.

Ex. The page I'm looking at is hidden link
The internal link on the hidden link
On the translated page the link is hidden link
I need it to be hidden link

How can I fix that?

Thanks,
Joanna
April 14, 2022 at 5:20 am #11018579

Bruno Kos
Supporter

Languages: English (English ) German (Deutsch ) French (Français )

Timezone: Europe/Zagreb (GMT+01:00)

Hi,

*********************
Ex. The page I'm looking at is hidden link
The internal link on the hidden link
On the translated page the link is hidden link
I need it to be hidden link
*********************

But the above scenario is expected - if you want to translate custom post type slugs, you can do it like this:
https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/translating-page-slugs/#translating-a-post-types-url

Regards,
Bruno Kos
April 14, 2022 at 5:54 pm #11023941

clintS-2

Hi Bruno,
The particular link on the page that is being overwritten is to a page, not a post. I have some of the pages on the site translated explicitly (there is a separate page id with the translated content). Other pages are just being translated using the strings. The problem above is that a link to a page that does not have explicit translation is overwritten with a link to the page the user is currently on. Instead I would like it to be a tier system:
1. If the fully translated page exists - link to that slug
2. If the fully translated page does not exist - add the language parameter to the url.
How can I accomplish that?
And if that is impossible I would rather have the plugin NOT change any links on the page than overwriting with links to the current page. That makes the site unusable.

Thanks,
Joanna
April 15, 2022 at 7:15 am #11026241

Bruno Kos
Supporter

Languages: English (English ) German (Deutsch ) French (Français )

Timezone: Europe/Zagreb (GMT+01:00)

Hi,

Perhaps this is what you are after?
https://wpml.org/documentation/translating-your-contents/displaying-untranslated-content-on-pages-in-secondary-languages/#using-the-default-language-as-a-fallback-for-untranslated-content

As for similar slug redirections, this is in fact WordPress feature:
hidden link

Regards,
Bruno Kos