Language Instructions
Customising a Language (Local Language File)
Modifying one or more languages (i.e. if you want apply the terminology of your institution into ILIAS) is very easy. Before you start with your modification, copy the existing file you want to edit and name it ilias_xx.lang.local.
Inside a language file you will find the header information and the actual data. The language data starts beyond the line <!-- language file start -->. Each line contains one language snippet and has the structure: module_name#:#identifier#:#value.
The entries in module_name and identifier should never be changed! They are required to find the correct values in the database. The entry for value holds that piece of data that is shown on the screen and that you might want to change. You can use a simple text editor or a spreadsheet application to edit the language data. When you use a spreadsheet import the files as CSV-data (character separated values).
Some guidelines when editing the values:
When you edit ILIAS lang files, please use an editor which supports UTF-8 perfectly to avoid damaging the lang files!
Don't touch the separators (#:#). They are needed to distinguish between the fields.
Do not use whitespace like
\r(carriage return) or\n(new line), because the parser expects this whitespace to be the end marker for each language entry. However, you may use XHTML entities such as<p>...</p>and<br />.You may delete the header, but not the line
<!-- language file start -->!
When you put a local language file into your language directory, ILIAS will detect that file as a new local language (see in admin section: languages). However, if the data inside the local language file is corrupt or contains wrong data, it will not be imported into ILIAS. When the import was successful, the status of that language will be updated to indicate that local modifications have been added. If you wish to remove the local language values, simply update the language through the administration menu without selecting the local language option.