Request for mod to choose language before registration

[Auke]

Hi all,

First of all, I'm not able to pay you for the following request. I'm requesting this for a forum with SMF 2.0.8, but I figure it will come in handy for more forums than just mine.

I have just started a forum on which I expect to welcome people with various first languages. Unfortunately, it is now not possible to choose the language BEFORE registration. That means that if my forum default language is English, people who don't read English won't understand the Registration Agreement they're supposed to sign. I found a mod which is supposed to take care of this, but it is made only for SMF 1.1.4 and the author hasn't been on SMF for over 4 months: http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=1011

It would be very nice if someone around here would be able and willing to create a new mod to solve this problem. By the way, I already installed the three languages (English, Dutch and French) that people on my forum can choose from.

Thanks in advance,

Auke

[br360]

This one may be close. http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=2705

I haven't tested to see if it would be on the registration page, but from the images, it looks like it will at least be on the index page; where someone can click on their language and then hit the register link.

[Auke]

Thanks for the suggestion, but that one was actually suggested to me in another topic. Unfortunately, some parts of it failed the automated test and after installation I saw no changes at all in my forum. Maybe it's not compatible with my SMF version. Of course, when people have already become members I can just give them multilingual instructions on how to change the default language into the one of their preference. That leaves me with the part before registration (Registration Agreement, verification questions).

Thanks in advance for any additional help.

Auke

[margarett]

I submitted a MOD for this
It has to be approved first, of course

Verification questions with Multiple Languages is another story, though...

[Auke]

Thank you for making a mod for this! I hope it gets approved soon.

Verification questions with Multiple Languages is another story, though...

I think I know what you mean: the explanatory text regarding the verification questions may change with the chosen language, but the actual questions stay the same. Correct? That would mean there is a need (or at least I got a need ) for a mod which allows you to make several sets of verification questions which change with the chosen language.

Auke

[margarett]

SMF 2.1 (in development) already supports multilanguage questions and answers. TBH I don't know how it's done...

[Arantor]

Magic and voodoo.

Also, https://github.com/SimpleMachines/SMF2.1/commit/fccc38d70d430c2cf6e83a21f4cd5e91260988fc

[Auke]

The stuff in that link certainly looks like hocus pocus to me!

I guess I just have to wait for the approval (for the changeable language of the Registration Agreement) and the finalization of the magic (for the rest)

Thanks,

Auke

[NanoSector]

There's two mods in the queue that might interest you right now. We're working to get them through as fast as possible!

[Arantor]

Well, one of the two has a bug and I'm not sure which route to take (on the basis that it affects 2.1)...

[margarett]

And the other is mine How much worse can it get?

[Arantor]

I've fixed the bug in the multi-language, multi-answer Q&A mod (and documented what needs doing for 2.1) so it's just awaiting approval now

[butchs]

Great job!

[Arantor]

There is something raised as a possible edge case (admin changes default language to one that doesn't have any questions defined, internal code gets quite upset) but in my mind that's an edge case that can be resolved in a support context rather than code juggling to fix it (bearing in mind the consequences that we shouldn't give users a free pass to spam just because the admin's a tool and didn't set up questions for the language)

[Auke]

Thank you both very much ‽ and margarett!  I will await the approval.

[Auke]

Some other technical issues are fixed now too! There's also someone outside of SMF working on a translation of my English intro text into French which should be completed somewhere this week. That only leaves me with the approval of this mod to wait for before I can open my forum.

(Well, and maybe some mods which I didn't think about yet, but at least all the stuff I consider necessary will be done.)

[margarett]

I submitted a MOD for this
It has to be approved first, of course

It was approved
http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=3895

[Auke]

Thanks margarett, I just installed it.

This sure is an improvement of the single language Registration Agreement that I had before. However, it does not really give potential members to choose the language they would like to use, it merely makes them able to choose the language of the Registration Agreement. They still have to read the rest of the registration text in the default forum language. This means that if I would have Dutch as default language, you would have to cope with e.g. this sentence: "Sta gebruikers toe mij een e-mail te sturen".
I will await ‽'s mod and then make the decision which one I will use in my forum.

[Arantor]

Huh wait, what mod?

[Auke]

Huh wait, what mod?

Well, this one 

[Arantor]

Oh, that was approved days ago.

[Auke]

Do you have a link to it, or otherwise its name and type?

Can't use it if i can't find it.

[Arantor]

I posted a link in that topic for it. And it's on the front page of the mod site, but it's also available: http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=3896

[Auke]

I posted a link in that topic for it. And it's on the front page of the mod site, but it's also available: http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=3896

Eh, no, you didn't. That topic is in fact this topic (first page). And except for the link to the 2.1 version you never posted a link here or notified people here that it was approved. Anyway, I'm off to put it on my site now!

[Arantor]

So it's in one of the other links about, I've *definitely* linked it before it was approved.

[Auke]

Well, at least I got it now.

Unfortunately, it appears not to work? Because I thought margarett's mod might interfere with yours, I first uninstalled hers. I then uploaded yours (all well) and installed it (not a problem). But then I wanted to have a look at it in IE (I do admin work in FireFox and testing in IE so I don't have to log in and out all the time) but all I saw was the default registration page with the next page the Arantor CAPTCHA. I've then uninstalled the Arantor CAPTCHA as well, but now all I got are the default Registration Agreement page and the default CAPTCHA. I also found I lost my favicon and logo in IE while they're still up in FireFox, but that may be unrelated.

I've now also logged out of FireFox, but the situation here is the same; just default pages when trying to register. What have I done wrong?



Edit: the logo and favicon are back (no clue what happened) although the favicon is only there when I'm logged in. But maybe that's normal.

[Arantor]

1. Did you actually put some questions in?
2. Did you tell it how many questions you wanted? I deliberately moved the number-of-questions thing.

[margarett]

OT:

hers

Should read "his"

[Auke]

Partly solved! I had not put questions in yet, so of course the verification page went back to default. But I've now put in questions and answers for all 3 languages, but I only get to see the default English (both on the Registration Agreement page and the verification page). Somehow the 'choose language' button is missing. Next tip?

Ah... margarett is m/v. Forgot to check the spear and shield/mirror thing.

[Arantor]

Um... there's no choose language button. As I pointed out right at the start of all of this, you need a mod for picking languages to kick everything off before the user even begins the registration process.

[Auke]

Ah, my fault then. Unfortunately, there is no mod yet for chosing language pre-registration for 2.0.8. Which unfortunately means that I can still only use a single language for the verification questions. Let's hope someone will soon make such a mod.

[Arantor]

I'm sure several were already pointed out.

[Auke]

Um... there's no choose language button. As I pointed out right at the start of all of this, you need a mod for picking languages to kick everything off before the user even begins the registration process.

Just reread the whole thread, but you didn't. Might be that thing you told about a week ago that sometimes you're sure you wrote something while in fact you only thought about writing it. Buit never mind, it's clear now.

I'm sure several were already pointed out.

This refers to exactly what?

[Illori]

http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=598

[Arantor]

Well, a quick search for 'language' showed me http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=2705 and http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=598 and Kindred pointed out at least another one previously.

[Auke]

Ah, okay. I thought those mods gave you something in your site that made it easy to change languages but I considered it unnecessary since members can already change the language in the settings. I didn't understand they also make it possible to change the language before you register. Also, I figured that a mod needed to be specifically compatible with 2.0.8 to work in 2.0.8. One of my upcoming questions is in fact what things like '2.0 RC5' mean.

Anyway, I just downloaded Language Drop Down by pasting the URL. Upon installation, all tests are successful except for this one:
1.    Replace    ./Themes/core/index.template.php    Test failed
Would that be problematic? Or shall I just continue with 'Install Now'?

[Arantor]

2.0 RC5 is a version before 2.0, like a beta version but most of the time it'll still work.

That particular change is to the Core theme. The Core theme is not the default SMF theme in 2.0 - it's the theme from older versions of SMF. If you're not using it, you don't need to worry about that.

[Auke]

Thank you, that was a very clear answer and exactly what I needed to know!

I just installed Language Drop Down and noticed that it actually makes margarett's mod unnecessary... The only objection that I have is that the button is really small, which might be a problem for people who have visual problems. If only I had understood this before...