How to implement multi-language support in Retool?

 

Implementing Multi-Language Support in Retool

 

Adding multi-language support to a Retool application involves comprehensive preparation and custom implementation, given that Retool does not natively support multi-language features. Here is a step-by-step guide to enable multi-language capabilities in your Retool app.

 

Prerequisites

 

• Access to a Retool account with permission to modify the application settings and code execution.
• Basic knowledge of Retool's interface, JavaScript and familiarity with resource translation files such as JSON.

 

Structuring Translation Files

 

• Create JSON files for each language you wish to support. These files should include key-value pairs, with keys being identifiers and values being translated strings.
• Example for an English language file (en.json):

      {
        "greeting": "Hello",
        "farewell": "Goodbye"
      }
      

• And a French translation (fr.json):

      {
        "greeting": "Bonjour",
        "farewell": "Au revoir"
      }
      

 

Setting Up a Translation Handling Function

 

• Navigate to the "scripts" section of your Retool app to define a global JavaScript utility function.
• This function will dynamically load the appropriate translation file based on a selected language:

  function loadTranslations(language) {
    let translations;
    switch (language) {
      case 'en':
        translations = {{ en.json }};
        break;
      case 'fr':
        translations = {{ fr.json }};
        break;
      default:
        translations = {{ en.json }};
    }
    return translations;
  }
  

• The function uses {{ }} to embed the contents of each JSON translation file directly into the script.

 

Creating a Language Selection Interface

 

• Add a dropdown component to your Retool app that allows users to select their preferred language.
• Populate the dropdown with options corresponding to each language you support (e.g., English and French).
• Bind a temporary state in Retool to track the selected language:

  {{tempState.language = yourDropdownComponent.value}}
  

 

Implementing Dynamic Content Translation

 

• Create a transformer or script that will be triggered whenever the language selection is changed.
• Use the loadTranslations utility to load translations based on the selected language:

  const language = {{tempState.language}};
  const translations = loadTranslations(language);
  

• For each text component (or any displayable element), apply the translation using the loaded translation database:

  {{translations['greeting']}}
  

 

Updating UI Components with Translations

 

• Ensure all text components in your Retool app reference keys from the translation files using curly braces {{ }} to identify them.
• If a UI component displays dynamic text, use a JavaScript transformer to ensure the display is updated when the temporary state changes:

  {{translations['farewell']}}
  

 

Testing and Validation

 

• Verify each component correctly displays its respective translation based on the active language selection.
• Test transitions between different languages to ensure there are no delays or errors in updating UI elements.
• Check edge cases, such as defaulting to a fallback language if a translation is missing for a selected language.

 

Deploying and Managing Translations

 

• Prepare deployment by ensuring all resources, JSON translation files, and script references are updated and correctly linked.
• Regularly update translation files as new text is added to your Retool application. Maintain consistency and validity for each language file.
• Implement a versioning system to manage translation updates in production efficiently.

 

By following these steps, you can effectively equip your Retool app with multi-language support, thus broadening its accessibility to a wider audience globally.