Abandon RTL-Support

1 Reasons to Abandon Feature

RTL-Support was introduced with Enabling Right-To-Left languages in ILIAS 5.1. In the workshops concerning the possible change to Bootstrap 4 (a long time ago) with ILIAS, see Migration to Bootstrap 4, we found the following issues with RTL:

• The current implementation seems incomplete, we believe that simple screen-mirroring is not doing the trick. A complete investigation of the problem scope would be needed to truly claim RTL-Support.
• In the community we have nobody insight who can currently tackle such a project.
• There is no real content available to test the RTL-Feature.
• Due to the lack of usage, it is probably not worth the effort to try to achieve RTL-Support for ILIAS 9.

Further note, that RTL support only fragmenterely works for ILIAS 5.4, 6, 7 and 8.

For those reason we propose to drop the support of RTL.

2 Technical Information

All CSS involving RTL instruction would neeed to be removed from delos. If somebody would feel up to the task, we could offer a skin with RTL support. However this would not be part of the trunk of ILIAS and not be shipped by default.

3 Contact

• Author of the Request: Amstutz, Timon [amstutz]
• Maintainer: Amstutz, Timon [amstutz]
• Implementation of the feature is done by: Amstutz, Timon [amstutz]

4 Funding

Removing the feature from the ILIAS code base might need funding. If you are interest in funding this request, please add your name and institution to this list.

• Universität Bern

5 Discussion

Use the following discussion section to express your objections against this request or your consent to get rid of this feature.

Kattenberg, Göran [gorankattenberg], 26 FEB 2019: There is a recent ILIAS user in the UAE, the United Emirates Airforce School (AFADi) that is using ILIAS 5.2 in Arabic (a recent translation and language file has been submitted). They are using ILIAS in RTL for Arabic and also in English. Future Learning has put in a lot of effort to create a system style and content style to support RTL. If support for RTL is completely omitted we would like to know what possibilities there are to support this ILIAS user and future ILIAS users in this region. They are interested in moving to a more recent ILIAS version both from an improved user interface perspective and an updated functionality and security perspective.

Hercher, Sophia, 29.03.2019: In our university we have two teachers of Arabic who have been working with ILIAS for almost two years now, since we ativated Arabic on our ILIAS 5.2 plattform. Both highly depend on RTL Support. I realise that there aren't many insitutions that both use ILIAS and have Arabic teachers but we do. That is why I would strongly recommend to not abandon the language package and RTL-Support. I am sure that our teachers would gladly prvide sample objects for testing. If funding is needed to keep it going, please contact me via sophia.hercher@uni-marburg.de

JourFixe, ILIAS [jourfixe], 19 SEP 2022: We follow the recommendation of the UI coordinator and CSS maintainer and abandon the current RTL support with ILIAS 9. We invite all users who need RTL support in ILIAS to help implementing a sound RTL support in the future. Please contact the Product Manager if you are interested in contributing (ideas, ressources, funding).

6 Implementation

{The maintainer has to give a description of the final implementation and possible consequences for existing installations.}

Removed Testcases

The following testcases have been removed from Testrail or modified because the feature is no longer part of the ILIAS core.

• RTL Testcase has been removed.

Approval

Approved at 13.12.2023 by Amstutz, Timon [amstutz].