Frappe Translation / i18n

Deterministic patterns for translating Frappe apps across v14, v15, and v16.

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Quick Reference

Task	Python	JavaScript
Translate string	_("Hello")	__("Hello")
With substitution	_("Hello {0}").format(name)	__("Hello {0}", [name])
With context	_("Change", context="Coins")	__("Change", null, "Coins")
Lazy (module-level)	_lt("Pending") [v15+]	N/A
Check RTL	frappe.utils.is_rtl()	frappe.utils.is_rtl()

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Decision Tree

Need to translate a string?
├── In Python (.py)?
│   ├── Inside a function/method → _("text {0}").format(val)
│   ├── Module-level constant [v15+] → _lt("text")
│   └── Module-level constant [v14] → define inside function or use lazy
├── In JavaScript (.js)?
│   └── ALWAYS → __("text {0}", [val])
├── In Jinja template (.html)?
│   └── {{ _("text") }}
├── In Vue (.vue)?
│   └── __("text") in <script>, {{ __("text") }} in <template>
└── DocType label/description/option?
    └── Auto-extracted — no _() needed

Where do translations live?
├── v14 → apps/{app}/{app}/translations/{lang}.csv
├── v15+ → apps/{app}/{app}/locale/{lang}/LC_MESSAGES/{app}.po
└── User overrides → Translation DocType (highest priority)

Need to extract untranslated strings?
├── v14 → bench --site {site} get-untranslated {lang} {output}
└── v15+ → bench generate-pot-file --app {app}

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Translation Priority (Highest First)

Priority	Source	Scope
1	Translation DocType (user overrides)	Per-site
2	MO files (locale/{lang}/.../{app}.mo)	Per-app [v15+]
3	CSV files (translations/{lang}.csv)	Per-app
4	Parent language (e.g., pt for pt-BR)	Fallback

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Version Differences

Feature	v14	v15	v16
_() / __()	Yes	Yes	Yes
_lt() lazy translation	No	Yes	Yes
CSV translations	Yes	Yes (legacy)	Yes (legacy)
PO/MO (gettext)	No	Yes	Yes
bench generate-pot-file	No	Yes	Yes
Babel JS extractor	No	Yes	Yes
Type hints on _()	No	No	Yes

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Auto-Extracted Strings (No _() Needed)

These are extracted automatically by the framework:

• DocType labels and descriptions
• Select field options (each option line)
• Workflow states and actions
• Print Format labels
• Report column labels
• Notification subjects (not body)
• Dashboard chart labels

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String Extraction Rules

File Type	Extractor	What It Finds
.py	Babel (AST)	_("..."), _lt("...") calls
.js	Babel tokenizer [v15+] / regex [v14]	__("...") calls
.html	Regex	{{ _("...") }} in Jinja
.vue	Same as JS	__("...") in script/template
.json	DocType parser	Labels, descriptions, options

CRITICAL: Extractors work on the AST/tokens. They CANNOT extract dynamically constructed strings. See Anti-Patterns.

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Anti-Patterns (NEVER Do These)

Pattern	Why It Breaks	Correct Form
_(f"Hello {name}")	f-string not extractable	_("Hello {0}").format(name)
_("Hello " + name)	Concatenation fragments	_("Hello {0}").format(name)
_("Welcome %s") % name	Old-style not extractable	_("Welcome {0}").format(name)
__(`Hello ${name}`)	Template literal not extractable	__("Hello {0}", [name])
_(" Hello ")	Leading/trailing spaces trimmed	_("Hello")
_("item" if x else "items")	Ternary inside _()	_("item") if x else _("items")
_(variable)	Variable not extractable	_("Known String")

Full anti-pattern catalog with code examples: references/anti-patterns.md

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CSV Translation File Format

Location: apps/{app}/{app}/translations/{lang}.csv

"source","translation","context"
"Hello","Hallo",""
"Change","Wisselgeld","Coins"
"Change","Wijziging","Amendment"

• ALWAYS use UTF-8 encoding (no BOM)
• ALWAYS quote all fields with double quotes
• Context column is optional but MUST be present (empty string if unused)
• No hooks registration needed — auto-discovered from translations/ directory

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PO/MO Files [v15+]

Location: apps/{app}/{app}/locale/{lang}/LC_MESSAGES/{app}.po

# Generate POT template
bench generate-pot-file --app {app}

# Migrate existing CSV to PO
bench migrate-csv-to-po --app {app}

# Compile PO to MO (required for runtime)
bench compile-po-to-mo --app {app}

PO files follow standard GNU gettext format. Use any PO editor (Poedit, Weblate, Transifex).

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Bench Commands

Command	Version	Purpose
bench --site {site} get-untranslated {lang} {output.csv}	All	Export untranslated strings
bench update-translations {lang} {untranslated.csv} {translated.csv}	All	Import translations
bench generate-pot-file --app {app}	v15+	Generate .pot template
bench migrate-csv-to-po --app {app}	v15+	Convert CSV to PO format
bench compile-po-to-mo --app {app}	v15+	Compile PO to binary MO

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RTL Support

Hardcoded RTL languages: ar (Arabic), he (Hebrew), fa (Persian/Farsi), ps (Pashto)

# Python
if frappe.utils.is_rtl():
    # Apply RTL-specific logic

// JavaScript
if (frappe.utils.is_rtl()) {
    // Apply RTL-specific logic
}

• Frappe auto-applies dir="rtl" to the <html> element
• ALWAYS use logical CSS properties (margin-inline-start not margin-left) for RTL compatibility
• Bootstrap RTL stylesheet is auto-loaded when RTL language is active

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Custom App Translation Workflow

Adding translations to your custom app:

1. Write translatable strings using _() / __() with positional placeholders
2. Extract untranslated strings:
   • v14: bench --site {site} get-untranslated {lang} untranslated.csv
   • v15+: bench generate-pot-file --app {app}
3. Translate the extracted strings (manually or via PO editor)
4. Place translations:
   • CSV: apps/{app}/{app}/translations/{lang}.csv
   • PO: apps/{app}/{app}/locale/{lang}/LC_MESSAGES/{app}.po
5. Compile (v15+ PO only): bench compile-po-to-mo --app {app}
6. Clear cache: bench --site {site} clear-cache

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Reference Files

File	Contents
references/api-reference.md	Full Python _() and JS __() API with all signatures and edge cases
references/csv-and-bench.md	CSV format spec, bench commands, PO/MO workflow, custom app setup
references/anti-patterns.md	Complete anti-pattern catalog with failing and corrected examples