# Multilingual

## 1. Theme "Text Domain" requirement

Advanced Views utilizes WordPress's built-in multilingual capabilities, and in order to translate strings within *Layouts* and *Post Selections*, your theme must define the "Text Domain" in the [theme's style.css file](https://developer.wordpress.org/themes/basics/main-stylesheet-style-css/).

{% hint style="info" %}
If you are using a pre-built theme, no action is required on your part. However, if you are using a custom theme or a custom child theme, open the **style.css** file in the root folder and ensure that the "Text Domain" is defined in the header. If it is missing, add it in the format "Text Domain: x," where x can be your own name (with dashes as delimiters) or the same value as your parent theme.
{% endhint %}

## 2. Single *Layout* and *Post Selection* for different languages

Advanced Views uses the built-in WordPress translation function `__('field label', 'yourThemeTextDomain')` for all *Layouts* and *Post Selection* labels. This allows you to translate labels seamlessly using your preferred multilingual plugin, eliminating the need for creating a separate Layout or *Post Selection* for every language.

{% hint style="info" %}
'`yourThemeTextDomain`' will be picked up automatically, based on the Text Domain defined in the heading of the **style.css** file of your current theme.
{% endhint %}

## 3. Automatic strings detection (in your translation tool)

While the multilingual string translation works out-of-the-box, by default, there is no 'labels list' in your theme, and your translation tool will require 'registering/entering' each string manually.

To streamline this process, you can active the [File system storage](https://docs.advanced-views.com/templates/file-system-storage). When enabled, during *Layout* and *Post Selection* saving process, Advanced Views automatically deposits the labels into special files. It enables the use of the 'scan' feature in your translation tool, automatically loading all labels for efficient translation.

## 4. Translate labels within templates 

Multilingual capabilities extend to the Twig and Blade templates as well.

### 4.1) Blade

Blade allows you to call any PHP functions, so you can translate any string by calling the [WordPress translate (\_\_) function](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/__/), as you would do normally:

```
{{ __("my-string", "yourThemeTextDomain") }}
```

### 4.2) Twig (Pro)

 To translate labels within your Twig template, employ our [translation function](https://wplake.gitbook.io/advanced-views/template-engines/twig#our-functions) or filter.

Upon saving a *Layout* or *Post Selection*, Advanced Views will scan all these translation calls and interact with them in the same manner, like with the labels from the UI, described above.