An Introduction to WordPress Gettext Filter

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Introduction to WordPress GetText Filter
Finding a plugin for your WordPress site that meets all your requirements can be difficult. Many may come close to the goal but need some tweaking or customization. Also, as a developer, it is crucial to ensure that your code is flexible enough to support users from all over the world.

Fortunately, there are some features in WordPress core that can help you adapt some elements of your site. This allows you to customize a button or text label instead of abandoning an otherwise useful plugin, or even prepare the site for translation .

In this article, we'll learn more about the gettext filter and how it russia phone number data with your site's translation process. There's a lot to talk about, so let's dive right in!

Table of Contents view
What is Gettext filter?
The gettext filter allows you to modify text elements on your WordPress site. It is best understood through an example .

Let’s say your comment form has two fields: “Name” and “Email”. If you prefer that “Name” and “Email” be read, you can use the gettext filter to change that instead of having to manually replace every instance of each term in your theme files.

The gettext filter only works if your site has been prepared for translation. So before we dive into how you can use it to customize text, we need to discuss how to internationalize your code.

Some terms to understand before proceeding include:

Internationalization (i18n). This means that your WordPress code has been prepared for translation into other languages.
Localization (l10n). The process by which you can perform i18n programming and localize your WordPress installation for use in a native language.
GNU gettext library. GNU is a free and open source operating system. Its gettext library allows text to be wrapped in strings of code, which can then be extracted for translation.
POT files: To perform the extraction of translatable strings created with the gettext functions, Portable Object Template (POT) files are created.
PO File: A tool like Poedit uses a POT file to create Portable Object (PO) files that include completed translations and translatable strings.
MO File: A MO (Machine Object) file is created from a PO file. It resides in your plugin or theme directory and is delivered by your server if a translated version of your website is requested.
All of these elements play a role in preparing WordPress products for translation, as you will see in the steps below.

Gettext and PHP for Translation
Below, we explain the workflow for internationalizing a theme or plugin. Before experimenting with such changes, however, it is recommended to create a child theme to work with. This will protect your site from any disasters.

Step 1: Extract text strings as POT files
The first thing you’ll need to do is check if your theme or plugin already includes POT files. If not, you’ll need to auto-generate them , create them manually with Terminal , or use a WordPress-recommended app we mentioned earlier called Poedit:

Poedit Homepage
The Pro version of Poedit offers a quick WordPress feature for creating the necessary files but you can generate a POT file with just a few clicks using the free app.

To get started, you need to download and install Poedit, which will run on your desktop. Once that's done, go to File > New . You'll be prompted to select the language for translation:

Language selection in Poedit desktop app
You will then need to save your new project before proceeding. Afterwards, you will have the option to update an existing POT file or Extract it from sources :

Poedit updates from POT files
If needed, you can also start with an empty POT file , then edit the text strings in Poedit. Alternatively, you can search Glotpress for existing plugins and theme files to use. For this example, we'll go with the first option.

After clicking Extract from Sources you will have three settings tabs to configure:

Poedit Configuration Settings - Source Paths
You will need to set the paths for the text string sources. You can also exclude certain paths. So, we recommend that you set the translation properties:

Poedit Configuration Settings - Translation Properties
Here you will name your project and customize settings for plurals and other language-specific elements. Finally, you can use the Source Lookup Keys tab to complete the configuration of your POT file: