Laminas Translator Laravel Package

Getting Started

1. Install via Composer: composer require laminas/laminas-translator
2. Create your first translation catalog (e.g., en_US.php or messages.mo) — a simple associative array of msgid => msgstr pairs works for PHP arrays; gettext .mo/.po files are also supported.
3. Instantiate the translator with an adapter:

   use Laminas\Translator\Translator;
   use Laminas\Translator\Adapter\PhpArray;
   
   $translator = new Translator(new PhpArray(['locale' => 'en_US', 'directory' => __DIR__ . '/languages', 'pattern' => '/^%s\.php$/']));
   

4. Translate a message:

   echo $translator->translate('Hello world'); // Outputs: Hello world (or translated version)
   

5. Detect locale at runtime (common pattern):

   $locale = $_SESSION['user_locale'] ?? 'en_US';
   $translator->setLocale($locale);
   

Implementation Patterns

• DI Integration: Use Laminas ServiceManager or a custom container to register Translator as a shared service. Inject it into services, controllers, or view helpers.
• Text Domains: Organize messages by context (e.g., errors, forms, emails) to avoid collisions:

  $translator->translate('Invalid email', 'errors');
  

• Pluralization: Use translatePlural() with count:

  echo $translator->translatePlural('%d apple', '%d apples', $count);
  

• Dynamic Adapter Switching: Swap translation sources without code changes — e.g., fall back to database loader in admin panels:

  $translator->setAdapter(new DatabaseAdapter($db));
  

• View Helper Integration: In Laminas MVC, create a view helper that injects the Translator service for use in .phtml files:

  <?= $this->translate('Save changes') ?>
  

Gotchas and Tips

• Locale Format Matters: Use full locales (en_US, fr_FR) instead of partial codes — adapter behavior varies (e.g., gettext relies on OS locale support).
• Caching is Critical: For production, wrap adapters in Laminas\Translator\Adapter\gettext + Laminas\Translator\Translator::setCache() (e.g., File or Apcu) to avoid parsing catalogs on every request.
• No Auto-Detection: Unlike some i18n libs, this package does not auto-detect locale from headers or Accept-Language — you must implement detection logic (e.g., via Laminas\Locale\Locale or middleware).
• Adapter-Specific Requirements:
  • gettext: Requires ext-gettext and properly compiled .mo files.
  • Csv: No support for plural forms — avoid for multi-language UIs with count-sensitive messages.
  • PhpArray: Fast and cache-friendly, but edits require cache clear.
• Extending Adapters: Implement Laminas\Translator\Adapter\AdapterInterface to support custom sources (e.g., JSON, API-based translations).
• Case Sensitivity: Message IDs are exact-match only — avoid hardcoded strings in templates; use constants or enums (e.g., MessageKeys::WELCOME_MESSAGE) to prevent breakage on typo.