rosetta

A general purpose internationalization library in 298 bytes!

Features

• Simple and Familiar API
• Unobstrusive and Unopinionated
• Less than 300 bytes – including dependencies!

Install

$ npm install --save rosetta

Usage

import rosetta from 'rosetta';
 
const i18n = rosetta({
  en: {
    intro: {
      welcome: 'Welcome, {{username}}!',
      text: 'I hope you find this useful.',
    },
    support(obj) {
      let hour = Math.floor(Math.random() * 3) + 9;
      let str = `For questions, I'm available on ${obj.date.toLocaleDateString()}`;
      str += `, any time after ${hour}:00.`
      return str;
    }
  }
});
 
// set default language
i18n.locale('en');
 
// add new language
i18n.set('pt', {
  intro: {
    welcome: obj => `Benvind${obj.feminine ? 'a' : 'o'}, ${obj.username}!`,
    text: 'Espero que você ache isso útil.'
  }
});
 
// append extra key(s) to existing language
i18n.set('pt', {
  support(obj) {
    let hour = Math.floor(Math.random() * 3) + 9;
    let str = `Se tiver perguntas, estou disponível em ${obj.date.toLocaleDateString()}`;
    str += `, qualquer hora depois às ${hour}:00.`
    return str;
  }
});
 
const data = {
  feminine: false,
  username: 'lukeed',
  date: new Date()
};
 
// Retrieve translations
// NOTE: Relies on "en" default
i18n.t('intro.welcome', data); //=> 'Welcome, lukeed!'
i18n.t('intro.text', data); //=> 'I hope you find this useful.'
i18n.t('support', data); //=> 'For questions, I'm available on 4/8/2020, any time after 11:00.'
 
// Retrieve translations w/ lang override
i18n.t('intro.welcome', data, 'pt'); //=> 'Benvindo, lukeed!'
 
// Change default language key
i18n.locale('pt');
 
// Retrieve translations w/ new defaults
i18n.t('intro.text', data); //=> 'Espero que você ache isso útil.'
i18n.t('intro.text', data, 'en'); //=> 'I hope you find this useful.'

API

rosetta(dict?)

Returns: Rosetta

Initializes a new Rosetta instance.
You may optionally provide an initial translation object.

rosetta.locale(lang?)

Returns: String

Sets the language code for the Rosetta instance.
This will cause all rossetta.t() lookups to assume this lang code.

The function will return the currently active lang code. This means that a setting a new value will reply with the same value. Additionally, calling locale() without any argument will return the lang code that the Rosetta instance was last given.

lang

Type: String
Required: false

The language code to choose.
If locale() is called without an argument (or with a falsey value), then the current lang code is returned.

rosetta.set(lang, table)

Merge (or override) translation keys into the lang collection.

lang

Type: String

The language code to target.

table

Type: Object

A new record of key-values to merge into the lang's dictionary.

Each key within the table can correspond to a function or a string template.

When using a function, it will receive the entire data input (see params).
You are required to ensure the function returns a (string) value of your liking.

When using a string template, anything within double curly brackets ({{ example }}) will be interpreted as a key path and interpolated via templite. The key path can use dot-notation to access nested values from the data input (see params). Additionally, if a key path did not resolve to a value, an empty string is injected.

const ctx = rosetta({
  en: {
    foo: (obj) => `function sees "${obj.value || '~DEFAULT~'}"`,
    bar: 'template sees "{{value}}"'
  }
});
 
ctx.t('foo', {}, 'en');
//=> 'function sees "~DEFAULT~"
ctx.t('foo', { value: 123 }, 'en');
//=> 'function sees "123"
 
ctx.t('bar', {}, 'en');
//=> 'template sees ""
ctx.t('bar', { value: 123 }, 'en');
//=> 'template sees "123"

rosetta.table(lang)

Returns: Object or undefined

Retrieve the the lang's full dictionary/table of translation keys.

If the language does not exist (aka, no translations have been provided for it), you'll receive undefined.
Otherwise, you'll receive the full object as it exists within the Rosetta instance. See table.

Important: Manipulating this object is any way will mutate and affect your Rosetta instance. Be careful!

lang

Type: String

The language code's table to retrieve.

rosetta.t(key, params?, lang?)

Returns: String

Retrieve the value for a given key.

Important: In the normal/default mode, an empty string will be returned for unknown keys.
Conversely, in "debug" mode, an error message will be printed and undefined will be returned for unknown keys.

key

Type: String or Array<String|Number>

The identifier to retrieve.

A key can access nested properties via:

• a string that with dot notation — 'foo.bar[1].baz'
• an array of individual key segments — ['foo', 'bar', 1, 'baz']

Important: You are expected to know & traverse your own dictionary structure correctly.

const ctx = rosetta({
  en: {
    fruits: {
      apple: 'apple',
    }
  }
});
 
ctx.locale('en');
 
ctx.t('fruits.apple'); //=> 'apple'
ctx.t(['fruits', 'apple']); //=> 'apple'

params

Type: any
Optional: true

The data object argument to pass your dictionary keys' string templates and/or functions.

Note: If your string template tries to access a key that doesn't exist, an empty string is injected.

const ctx = rosetta({
  es: {
    hello: '¡Hola {{name}}!'
  },
  en: {
    hello(obj) {
      return obj.name === 'lukeed' ? 'wazzzuppp' : `Hello, ${obj.name}!`;
    },
  },
  pt: {
    hello: 'Oi {{person}}, tudo bem?' // <-- key is wrong
  },
});
 
const user1 = { name: 'lukeed' };
const user2 = { name: 'Billy' };
 
ctx.t('hello', user1, 'es'); //=> '¡Hola lukeed!'
 
ctx.t('hello', user1, 'en'); //=> 'wazzzuppp'
ctx.t('hello', user2, 'en'); //=> 'Hello, Billy!'
 
ctx.t('hello', user1, 'pt'); //=> 'Oi , tudo bem?'

lang

Type: String
Optional: true

A language code override without changing the entire Rosetta instance's default language.

const ctx = rosetta();
 
ctx.locale('en'); //=> set default
 
ctx.t('greeting', 'lukeed');
//=> (en) 'Hello lukeed!'
ctx.t('greeting', 'lukeed', 'es');
//=> (es) '¡Hola lukeed!'
ctx.t('bye');
//=> (en) 'Cya'

Debugging

There is a "debug" mode included for development environments.

The only difference with "debug" mode is that rossetta.t() will log an error to the console when attempting to access a key that does not exist. Conversely, the main/default runtime will quietly return an an empty string for consistent output.

Otherwise, the API is exactly the same as the main/default export!
This makes it easy to alias or swap the versions for development vs production bundles. Checkout the Configuration section below for recipes.

// debug mode
import rosetta from 'rosetta/debug';
 
const i18n = rosetta({
  en: {
    hello: 'hello'
  }
});
 
i18n.locale('en');
 
i18n.t('hello');
//=> 'hello'
 
i18n.t('foobar');
// [rosetta] Missing the "foobar" key within the "en" dictionary
//=> undefined

Note: With the non-"debug" runtime, an empty string would be returned for the foobar key.

Configuration

Here are quick configuration recipes for Rollup and webpack that allow you to choose the right version of rosetta for your current environment without changing you application code.

With both recipes, you will import rosetta like this:

import rosetta from 'rosetta';

It is up to the bundler to change what 'rosetta' resolves to...

Rollup

You will need to install @rollup/plugin-alias before continuing.

const isDev = /*custom logic*/ || !!process.env.ROLLUP_WATCH;
 
export default {
  // ...,
  plugins: [
    // ...
    require('@rollup/plugin-alias')({
      entries: {
        rosetta: isDev ? 'rosetta/debug' : 'rosetta'
      }
    })
  ]
}

webpack

The ability to add aliases within webpack comes by default.
One simply needs to add a resolve.alias value depending on the environment:

const isDev = /*specific to your config*/;
 
module.exports = {
  //...,
  resolve: {
    alias: {
      // ...,
      rosetta: isDev ? 'rosetta/debug' : 'rosetta'
    }
  }
}

Runtime Support

The library makes use of Object shorthand methods and Object.assign.
This yields the following support matrix:

Chrome	Safari	Firefox	Edge	IE	Node.js
45+	9+	34+	12+	❌	4.0+

If you need to support older platforms, simply attach rosetta to your project's Babel (or similar) configuration.

Examples

• Using Next.js — Thank you @SharpTech
  Official Next.js example using React Hooks and Context to provide SSR, SSG, CSR compatible i18n solutions.

Credits

Thank you @7sempra for gifting the rosetta name on npm.

License

MIT © Luke Edwards