How to Dynamically Generate CodeIgniter Language Files from a Database?

Passing Data from Database to Codeigniter Language Files

In your quest to create a multi-lingual website with Codeigniter, you rightly envision using a database to manage language content. This article will guide you through the specific steps to achieve this.

Database Structure and Language Files

Firstly, set up a database table named lang_token to store language tokens. Populate it with columns for id, category, description, lang, and token. For instance, create English tokens like:

| id | category | description | lang | token |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | error | noMail | english | You must submit a valid email address |
| 2 | error | noUser | english | You must submit a username |

Next, organize language files in subdirectories within application/language (e.g., application/language/english).

Codeigniter Language Files Structure

Language files follow a specific structure:

$lang['category_description'] = 'token';

For example, in application/language/english/general_lang.php:

$lang['error_noMail'] = 'You must submit a valid email address';
$lang['error_noUser'] = 'You must submit a username';

Controller Function for Dynamic Language File Generation

To create language files dynamically from the database, create a controller function like this:

function updatelangfile($my_lang){
    $query = $this->db->where('lang', $my_lang)->get('lang_token');

    $langstr = "<?php if ( ! defined('BASEPATH')) exit('No direct script access allowed');\n\n\n";

    foreach ($query->result() as $row){
        $langstr.= "$lang['".$row->category."_".$row->description."'] = \"$row->token\";\n";
    }

    write_file('./application/language/'.$my_lang.'/general_lang.php', $langstr);
}

Usage

Whenever you update your database, call the function updatelangfile('english') to regenerate the language file.

Additional Notes

• Load the File Helper and Language Class in the controller's constructor.
• Use a common prefix for message categories in language files to avoid conflicts.

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