i18n

i18n Guidelines (Supplement)

For basic i18n usage (useForkliftTranslation, ForkliftTrans, t function), see AGENTS.md. This rule adds detailed patterns.

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1. Overview

• Uses react-i18next for runtime translations
• Plugin namespace: plugin__forklift-console-plugin
• Translation files: locales/{lang}/plugin__forklift-console-plugin.json
• Source language: English (en)

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2. Translation Utilities

For the three utilities (useForkliftTranslation, ForkliftTrans, t) and when to use each, see AGENTS.md.

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3. String Patterns

Interpolation

t('Hello, {{name}}', { name: userName })
t('{{count}} of {{total}} VMs running', { count: running, total })

Pluralization

t('{{count}} plan', { count: planCount })
// Requires locale file entries (i18next v4 / CLDR suffixes):
// "{{count}} plan_one": "{{count}} plan"
// "{{count}} plan_other": "{{count}} plans"
// Keys carry _one/_other/_many; VALUES must NOT include those suffixes.

Extractor defaultValue (i18next-cli)

In i18next.config.ts, return the 4th argument (value = unsuffixed source string), not key:

defaultValue: (_key, _namespace, _language, value) => value

For plurals, key is already suffixed (…_one). Returning key leaks CLDR suffixes into secondary-locale placeholder values. English is cleaned by ocp-i18n-defaults; secondary locales are not.

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4. Console Extensions

For labels in plugin extension files, use the special format:

{
  "type": "console.navigation/href",
  "properties": {
    "name": "%plugin__forklift-console-plugin~Migration Plans%",
    "href": "/mtv/plans"
  }
}

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5. What to Translate vs Not

Always Translate

• Page titles, headings, button labels
• Form labels, placeholders, help text
• Error messages, success messages
• Tooltip text, table headers
• Empty state and loading messages

Never Translate

• Proper nouns (Kubernetes, OpenShift, Forklift, PatternFly)
• Technical identifiers (VM names, namespaces, resource names)
• API field names, code values, URLs
• Log messages (internal)