[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #29456: Deprecating WPLANG constant is a regression

[WordPress Trac]

#29456: Deprecating WPLANG constant is a regression
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 Reporter:  tenpura       |      Owner:
     Type:  defect (bug)  |     Status:  new
 Priority:  normal        |  Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  I18N          |    Version:  trunk
 Severity:  normal        |   Keywords:
  Focuses:                |
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 Current implementation for 4.0, adding new languages is not automatic. To
 get a new language to show up in the language switcher in the admin area,
 users have to manually copy language files to wp-content/languages
 directory.

 See: #15677, http://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/2014/08/29/let-me-share-
 some-issues-about-4-0-language/

 Seemingly this problem could be solved if the priority of the WPLANG
 constant is treated the same as WP 3.9.x.

 I made a quick testing plugin for this demo, so anyone who's interested,
 please try the following steps:

 1. Copy the wplang-test.php into your 4.0-RCx wp-content/mu-plugins
 directory.
 2. Set a newly adding locale to the WPLANG constant in wp-config.php.
 3. Go to Dashboard > Updates, then click "Update Translations" button.
 4. Core starts downloading disired new language files automatically.
 5. In Settings > General > Site Language, you will see new language is
 selected (and locked).
 6. Removing WPLANG constant from wp-config.php unlocks the language
 switcher.

 I don't see anything wrong with this flow and now my question is why the
 WPLANG constant is deprecated in 4.0. Is there any particular reason it
 should be deprecated?

 The advantage of having the WPLANG constant the same as before in 4.0 is
 that it gives us a simple locale locking capability. The language switcher
 is cool and fancy new functionality, but in reality most people rarely
 change his/her blog locale once their blog start running. In most cases
 people don't want to change the locale settings of a production site
 accidentaly by his/her clients or even by themselves, so they could lock
 it with the WPLANG constant.

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/29456>
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