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How to get firefox language setting? (REALLY)

Answer 1

+1 A:

I would assume that navigator.language returns it's interface language (I assume is GB English), not one that it wants documents in. User-agent string too report which version of firefox was downloaded.

Accept-language is what destination server should check.

I consider this behavior of his quite correct (assuming that it's interface (menus and such) are really in GB english).

Josip Medved 2009-07-30 11:50:17

I don't understand why it's good to change one (the accept_language in headers) and not anything else related to locale?

Ian Grainger 2009-07-30 13:59:28

@Ian: If I understand your question correctly, the answer is that the UI language and language you want to view your websites in may be different. Example: If I am at an Internet cafe in Germany, the German version of Firefox will most likely be installed. I probably can't install another browser, but I want my websites rendered in English. I change the Accept-Language and now I can view websites in the language of my choice even though the UI is in another language.

Grant Wagner 2009-07-30 16:42:09

@Grant: Exactly. That's exactly the problem we have. The user can only change 'accept-language' if they're on a Firefox that's not localized to the language they want to use. And you can't get to that in javascript from Firefox (you can from IE).

Ian Grainger 2009-07-31 08:11:38

Answer 2

A:

If you want the Accept-Language value, you can't retrieve if using client-side JavaScript. You'll have to get it from your server.

If you really want this value in client-side JavaScript, then read it on the server and write it back to the client:

<script type="text/javascript">
// setting the accept language HTTP header value
// in client-side JavaScript from PHP
var acceptLanguage = '<?php echo $_SERVER["HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE"]; ?>';
</script>

Grant Wagner 2009-07-30 16:52:08

I know. This is our current workaround (using ASP.NET):System.Web.HttpContext.Current.Request.UserLangauges.This may sound a bit 'religious', but I don't think we should have to do that, though!

Ian Grainger 2009-07-31 08:10:00

Answer 3

+1 A:

Both navigator.language and the HTTP User-Agent header use the value of the preference "general.useragent.locale", which is hard-coded in intl.properties to the locale of the Firefox build you downloaded: http://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/source/toolkit/locales/en-US/chrome/global/intl.properties#8

Or for your en-GB build: http://hg.mozilla.org/l10n-central/en-GB/file/88dd673c01f1/toolkit/chrome/global/intl.properties#l8

If you'd like to change it for your build, just load about:config, find general.useragent.locale, double-click it, and change the value.

Ted Mielczarek 2009-07-30 17:40:07

@Ted: `navigator.language` may use `general.useragent.locale` (I haven't tested it), but `Accept-Language` doesn't seem to use the `general.useragent.locale` value here. It appears to use `intl.accept_languages`. I manually changed `intl.accept_languages` (i.e. - not through Tools > Options... > Content > Languages) and Live HTTP headers shows Firefox using the new value.

Grant Wagner 2009-07-30 17:51:42

@Ted: `phpinfo()` also reports the new value of `intl.accept_languages` in the `Accept-Language` HTTP header so it isn't some odd local phenomenon.

Grant Wagner 2009-07-30 17:53:20

Oh oops, I meant "the User-Agent" header there, but I think I got confused by seeing your prior answer. Sorry!

Ted Mielczarek 2009-07-30 18:25:30

@Ted: Now it makes sense. Thanks for the edit.

Grant Wagner 2009-07-30 18:41:21

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How to get firefox language setting? (REALLY)

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