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Add new community article: `How to Design Multi-Lingual Entity`
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# How to Design Multi-Lingual Entity
## Introduction
If you want to open up to the global market these days, end-to-end localization is a must. ABP provides an already established infrastructure for static texts. However, this may not be sufficient for many applications. You may need to fully customize your app for a particular language and region.
Let's take a look at a few quotes from Christian Arno's article "[How Foreign-Language Internet Strategies Boost Sales](https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/155250/how-foreign-language-internet-strategies-boost-sal.html)" to better understand the impact of this:
- 82% of European consumers are less likely to buy online if the site is not in their native tongue ([Eurobarometer survey](http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/11/556)).
- 72.4% of global consumers are more likely to buy a product if the information is available in their own language ([Common Sense Advisory](http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com/)).
- The English language currently only accounts for 31% of all online use, and more than half of all searches are in languages other than English.
- Today, 42% of all Internet users are in Asia, while almost one-quarter are in Europe and just over 10% are in Latin America.
- Foreign languages have experienced exponential growth in online usage in the past decade -- with Chinese now officially the [second-most-prominent-language](http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/7438489.html) on the Web. [Arabic](http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm) has increased by a whopping 2500%, while English has only risen by 204%
If you are looking for ways to expand your market share by fully customizing your application for a particular language and region, in this article I will explain how you can do it with ABP framework.
### Source Code
You can find the source code of the application at [abpframework/abp-samples](https://github.com/abpframework/abp-samples/tree/master/AcmeBookStoreMultiLingual).
### Demo of the Final Application
At the end of this article, we will have created an application same as in the gif below.
![data-model](./result.gif)
## Development
In order to keep the article short and get rid of unrelated information in the article (like defining entities etc.), we'll be using the [BookStore](https://github.com/abpframework/abp-samples/tree/master/BookStore-Mvc-EfCore) example, which is used in the "[Web Application Development Tutorial](https://docs.abp.io/en/abp/latest/Tutorials/Part-1?UI=MVC&DB=EF)" documentation of ABP Framework and we will make the Book entity as multi-lingual. If you do not want to finish this tutorial, you can find the application [here](https://github.com/abpframework/abp-samples/tree/master/BookStore-Mvc-EfCore).
### Determining the data model
We need a robust, maintainable, and efficient data model to store content in multiple languages.
> I read many articles to determine the data model correctly, and as a result, I decided to use one of the many approaches that suit us.
> However, as in everything, there is a trade-off here. If you are wondering about the advantages and disadvantages of the model we will implement compared to other models, I recommend you to read [this article](https://vertabelo.com/blog/data-modeling-for-multiple-languages-how-to-design-a-localization-ready-system/).
![data-model](./data-model.png)
As a result of the tutorial, we already have the `Book` and `Author` entities, as an extra, we will just add the `BookTranslation`.
> In the article, we will make the Name property of the Book entity multi-lingual, but the article is independent of the Book entity, you can make the entity you want multi-lingual with similar codes according to your requirements.
#### Acme.BookStore.Domain.Shared
Create a folder named `MultiLingualObjects` and create the following interfaces in its contents.
We will use the `IObjectTranslation` interface to mark the translation of a multi-lingual entity:
```csharp
public interface IObjectTranslation
{
string Language { get; set; }
}
```
We will use the `IMultiLingualObject<TTranslation>` interface to mark multi-lingual entities:
```csharp
public interface IMultiLingualObject<TTranslation>
where TTranslation : class, IObjectTranslation
{
ICollection<TTranslation> Translations { get; set; }
}
```
#### Acme.BookStore.Domain
In the `Books` folder, create the `BookTranslation` class as follows:
```csharp
public class BookTranslation : Entity, IObjectTranslation
{
public Guid BookId { get; set; }
public string Name { get; set; }
public string Language { get; set; }
public override object[] GetKeys()
{
return new object[] {BookId, Language};
}
}
```
`BookTranslation` contains the `Language` property, which contains a language code for translation and a reference to the multi-lingual entity. We also have the `BookId` foreign key to help us know which book is translated.
Implement `IMultiLingualObject` in the `Book` class as follows:
```csharp
public class Book : AuditedAggregateRoot<Guid>, IMultiLingualObject<BookTranslation>
{
public Guid AuthorId { get; set; }
public string Name { get; set; }
public BookType Type { get; set; }
public DateTime PublishDate { get; set; }
public float Price { get; set; }
public ICollection<BookTranslation> Translations { get; set; }
}
```
Create a folder named `MultiLingualObjects` and add the following class inside of this folder:
```csharp
public class MultiLingualObjectManager : ITransientDependency
{
protected const int MaxCultureFallbackDepth = 5;
public async Task<TTranslation> FindTranslationAsync<TMultiLingual, TTranslation>(
TMultiLingual multiLingual,
string culture = null,
bool fallbackToParentCultures = true)
where TMultiLingual : IMultiLingualObject<TTranslation>
where TTranslation : class, IObjectTranslation
{
culture ??= CultureInfo.CurrentUICulture.Name;
if (multiLingual.Translations.IsNullOrEmpty())
{
return null;
}
var translation = multiLingual.Translations.FirstOrDefault(pt => pt.Language == culture);
if (translation != null)
{
return translation;
}
if (fallbackToParentCultures)
{
translation = GetTranslationBasedOnCulturalRecursive(
CultureInfo.CurrentUICulture.Parent,
multiLingual.Translations,
0
);
if (translation != null)
{
return translation;
}
}
return null;
}
protected TTranslation GetTranslationBasedOnCulturalRecursive<TTranslation>(
CultureInfo culture, ICollection<TTranslation> translations, int currentDepth)
where TTranslation : class, IObjectTranslation
{
if (culture == null ||
culture.Name.IsNullOrWhiteSpace() ||
translations.IsNullOrEmpty() ||
currentDepth > MaxCultureFallbackDepth)
{
return null;
}
var translation = translations.FirstOrDefault(pt => pt.Language.Equals(culture.Name, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase));
return translation ?? GetTranslationBasedOnCulturalRecursive(culture.Parent, translations, currentDepth + 1);
}
}
```
With `MultiLingualObjectManager`'s `FindTranslationAsync` method, we get the translated version of the book according to `CurrentUICulture`. If no translation of culture is found, we return null.
> Every thread in .NET has `CurrentCulture` and `CurrentUICulture` objects.
#### Acme.BookStore.EntityFrameworkCore
In the `OnModelCreating` method of the `BookStoreDbContext` class, configure the `BookTranslation` as follows:
```csharp
builder.Entity<BookTranslation>(b =>
{
b.ToTable(BookStoreConsts.DbTablePrefix + "BookTranslations",
BookStoreConsts.DbSchema);
b.ConfigureByConvention();
b.HasKey(x => new {x.BookId, x.Language});
});
```
> I haven't explicitly set up a one-to-many relationship between `Book` and `BookTranslation` here, but the entity framework will do it for us.
After that, you can just run the following command in a command-line terminal to add a new database migration (in the directory of the `EntityFrameworkCore` project):
```bash
dotnet ef migrations add Added_BookTranslation
```
This will add a new migration class to your project. You can then run the following command (or run the `.DbMigrator` application) to apply changes to the database:
```bash
dotnet ef database update
```
Add the following code to the `ConfigureServices` method of the `BookStoreEntityFrameworkCoreModule`:
```csharp
Configure<AbpEntityOptions>(options =>
{
options.Entity<Book>(bookOptions =>
{
bookOptions.DefaultWithDetailsFunc = query => query.Include(o => o.Translations);
});
});
```
Now we can use `WithDetailsAsync` without any parameters on `BookAppService` knowing that `Translations` will be included.
#### Acme.BookStore.Application.Contracts
Implement `IObjectTranslation` in the `BookDto` class as follows:
```csharp
public class BookDto : AuditedEntityDto<Guid>, IObjectTranslation
{
public Guid AuthorId { get; set; }
public string AuthorName { get; set; }
public string Name { get; set; }
public BookType Type { get; set; }
public DateTime PublishDate { get; set; }
public float Price { get; set; }
public string Language { get; set; }
}
```
`Language` property is required to understand which language the translated book name belongs to in the UI.
Create the `AddBookTranslationDto` class in the `Books` folder as follows:
```csharp
public class AddBookTranslationDto : IObjectTranslation
{
[Required]
public string Language { get; set; }
[Required]
public string Name { get; set; }
}
```
Add the `AddTranslationsAsync` method to the `IBookAppService` as follows:
```csharp
public interface IBookAppService :
ICrudAppService<
BookDto,
Guid,
PagedAndSortedResultRequestDto,
CreateUpdateBookDto>
{
Task<ListResultDto<AuthorLookupDto>> GetAuthorLookupAsync();
Task AddTranslationsAsync(Guid id, AddBookTranslationDto input); // added this line
}
```
#### Acme.BookStore.Application
Now, we need to implement the `AddTranslationsAsync` method in `BookAppService` and include `Translations` in the `Book` entity, for this you can change the `BookAppService` as follows:
```csharp
[Authorize(BookStorePermissions.Books.Default)]
public class BookAppService :
CrudAppService<
Book, //The Book entity
BookDto, //Used to show books
Guid, //Primary key of the book entity
PagedAndSortedResultRequestDto, //Used for paging/sorting
CreateUpdateBookDto>, //Used to create/update a book
IBookAppService //implement the IBookAppService
{
private readonly IAuthorRepository _authorRepository;
public BookAppService(
IRepository<Book, Guid> repository,
IAuthorRepository authorRepository)
: base(repository)
{
_authorRepository = authorRepository;
GetPolicyName = BookStorePermissions.Books.Default;
GetListPolicyName = BookStorePermissions.Books.Default;
CreatePolicyName = BookStorePermissions.Books.Create;
UpdatePolicyName = BookStorePermissions.Books.Edit;
DeletePolicyName = BookStorePermissions.Books.Create;
}
public override async Task<BookDto> GetAsync(Guid id)
{
//Get the IQueryable<Book> from the repository
var queryable = await Repository.WithDetailsAsync(); // this line changed
//Prepare a query to join books and authors
var query = from book in queryable
join author in await _authorRepository.GetQueryableAsync() on book.AuthorId equals author.Id
where book.Id == id
select new { book, author };
//Execute the query and get the book with author
var queryResult = await AsyncExecuter.FirstOrDefaultAsync(query);
if (queryResult == null)
{
throw new EntityNotFoundException(typeof(Book), id);
}
var bookDto = ObjectMapper.Map<Book, BookDto>(queryResult.book);
bookDto.AuthorName = queryResult.author.Name;
return bookDto;
}
public override async Task<PagedResultDto<BookDto>> GetListAsync(PagedAndSortedResultRequestDto input)
{
//Get the IQueryable<Book> from the repository
var queryable = await Repository.WithDetailsAsync(); // this line changed
//Prepare a query to join books and authors
var query = from book in queryable
join author in await _authorRepository.GetQueryableAsync() on book.AuthorId equals author.Id
select new {book, author};
//Paging
query = query
.OrderBy(NormalizeSorting(input.Sorting))
.Skip(input.SkipCount)
.Take(input.MaxResultCount);
//Execute the query and get a list
var queryResult = await AsyncExecuter.ToListAsync(query);
//Convert the query result to a list of BookDto objects
var bookDtos = queryResult.Select(x =>
{
var bookDto = ObjectMapper.Map<Book, BookDto>(x.book);
bookDto.AuthorName = x.author.Name;
return bookDto;
}).ToList();
//Get the total count with another query
var totalCount = await Repository.GetCountAsync();
return new PagedResultDto<BookDto>(
totalCount,
bookDtos
);
}
public async Task<ListResultDto<AuthorLookupDto>> GetAuthorLookupAsync()
{
var authors = await _authorRepository.GetListAsync();
return new ListResultDto<AuthorLookupDto>(
ObjectMapper.Map<List<Author>, List<AuthorLookupDto>>(authors)
);
}
public async Task AddTranslationsAsync(Guid id, AddBookTranslationDto input)
{
var queryable = await Repository.WithDetailsAsync();
var book = await AsyncExecuter.FirstOrDefaultAsync(queryable, x => x.Id == id);
if (book.Translations.Any(x => x.Language == input.Language))
{
throw new UserFriendlyException($"Translation already available for {input.Language}");
}
book.Translations.Add(new BookTranslation
{
BookId = book.Id,
Name = input.Name,
Language = input.Language
});
await Repository.UpdateAsync(book);
}
private static string NormalizeSorting(string sorting)
{
if (sorting.IsNullOrEmpty())
{
return $"book.{nameof(Book.Name)}";
}
if (sorting.Contains("authorName", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
{
return sorting.Replace(
"authorName",
"author.Name",
StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase
);
}
return $"book.{sorting}";
}
}
```
Create the `MultiLingualBookObjectMapper` class as follows:
```csharp
public class MultiLingualBookObjectMapper : IObjectMapper<Book, BookDto>, ITransientDependency
{
private readonly MultiLingualObjectManager _multiLingualObjectManager;
private readonly ISettingProvider _settingProvider;
public MultiLingualBookObjectMapper(
MultiLingualObjectManager multiLingualObjectManager,
ISettingProvider settingProvider)
{
_multiLingualObjectManager = multiLingualObjectManager;
_settingProvider = settingProvider;
}
public BookDto Map(Book source)
{
var translation = AsyncHelper.RunSync(() =>
_multiLingualObjectManager.FindTranslationAsync<Book, BookTranslation>(source));
return new BookDto
{
Id = source.Id,
AuthorId = source.AuthorId,
Type = source.Type,
Name = translation?.Name ?? source.Name,
PublishDate = source.PublishDate,
Price = source.Price,
Language = translation?.Language ?? AsyncHelper.RunSync(() => _settingProvider.GetOrNullAsync(LocalizationSettingNames.DefaultLanguage)),
CreationTime = source.CreationTime,
CreatorId = source.CreatorId,
LastModificationTime = source.LastModificationTime,
LastModifierId = source.LastModifierId
};
}
public BookDto Map(Book source, BookDto destination)
{
return default;
}
}
```
To map the multi-lingual `Book` entity to `BookDto`, we implement custom mapping using the `IObjectMapper<TSource, TDestination>` interface. If no translation is found, default values are returned.
So far we have created the entire infrastructure. We don't need to change anything in the UI, if there is a translation according to the language chosen by the user, the list view will change. However, I want to create a simple modal where we can add new translations to an existing book in order to see what we have done.
#### Acme.BookStore.Web
Create a new razor page named `AddTranslationModal` in the `Books` folder as below.
**View**
```html
@page
@using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.TagHelpers
@using Volo.Abp.AspNetCore.Mvc.UI.Bootstrap.TagHelpers.Modal
@model Acme.BookStore.Web.Pages.Books.AddTranslationModal
@{
Layout = null;
}
<form asp-page="/Books/AddTranslationModal">
<abp-modal>
<abp-modal-header>Translations</abp-modal-header>
<abp-modal-body>
<abp-input asp-for="Id"></abp-input>
<abp-select asp-for="@Model.TranslationViewModel.Language" asp-items="Model.Languages" class="form-select">
<option selected value="">Pick a language</option>
</abp-select>
<abp-input asp-for="TranslationViewModel.Name"></abp-input>
</abp-modal-body>
<abp-modal-footer buttons="@(AbpModalButtons.Cancel | AbpModalButtons.Save)"></abp-modal-footer>
</abp-modal>
</form>
```
**Model**
```csharp
public class AddTranslationModal : BookStorePageModel
{
[HiddenInput]
[BindProperty(SupportsGet = true)]
public Guid Id { get; set; }
public List<SelectListItem> Languages { get; set; }
[BindProperty]
public BookTranslationViewModel TranslationViewModel { get; set; }
private readonly IBookAppService _bookAppService;
private readonly ILanguageProvider _languageProvider;
public AddTranslationModal(
IBookAppService bookAppService,
ILanguageProvider languageProvider)
{
_bookAppService = bookAppService;
_languageProvider = languageProvider;
}
public async Task OnGetAsync()
{
Languages = await GetLanguagesSelectItem();
TranslationViewModel = new BookTranslationViewModel();
}
public async Task<IActionResult> OnPostAsync()
{
await _bookAppService.AddTranslationsAsync(Id, ObjectMapper.Map<BookTranslationViewModel, AddBookTranslationDto>(TranslationViewModel));
return NoContent();
}
private async Task<List<SelectListItem>> GetLanguagesSelectItem()
{
var result = await _languageProvider.GetLanguagesAsync();
return result.Select(
languageInfo => new SelectListItem
{
Value = languageInfo.CultureName,
Text = languageInfo.DisplayName + " (" + languageInfo.CultureName + ")"
}
).ToList();
}
public class BookTranslationViewModel
{
[Required]
[SelectItems(nameof(Languages))]
public string Language { get; set; }
[Required]
public string Name { get; set; }
}
}
```
Then, we can open the `BookStoreWebAutoMapperProfile` class and define the required mapping as follows:
```csharp
CreateMap<AddTranslationModal.BookTranslationViewModel, AddBookTranslationDto>();
```
Finally, change the content of `index.js` in the `Books` folder as follows:
```javascript
$(function () {
var l = abp.localization.getResource('BookStore');
var createModal = new abp.ModalManager(abp.appPath + 'Books/CreateModal');
var editModal = new abp.ModalManager(abp.appPath + 'Books/EditModal');
var addTranslationModal = new abp.ModalManager(abp.appPath + 'Books/AddTranslationModal'); // added this line
var dataTable = $('#BooksTable').DataTable(
abp.libs.datatables.normalizeConfiguration({
serverSide: true,
paging: true,
order: [[1, "asc"]],
searching: false,
scrollX: true,
ajax: abp.libs.datatables.createAjax(acme.bookStore.books.book.getList),
columnDefs: [
{
title: l('Actions'),
rowAction: {
items:
[
{
text: l('Edit'),
visible: abp.auth.isGranted('BookStore.Books.Edit'),
action: function (data) {
editModal.open({ id: data.record.id });
}
},
{
text: l('Add Translation'), // added this action
visible: abp.auth.isGranted('BookStore.Books.Edit'),
action: function (data) {
addTranslationModal.open({ id: data.record.id });
}
},
{
text: l('Delete'),
visible: abp.auth.isGranted('BookStore.Books.Delete'),
confirmMessage: function (data) {
return l(
'BookDeletionConfirmationMessage',
data.record.name
);
},
action: function (data) {
acme.bookStore.books.book
.delete(data.record.id)
.then(function() {
abp.notify.info(
l('SuccessfullyDeleted')
);
dataTable.ajax.reload();
});
}
}
]
}
},
{
title: l('Name'),
data: "name"
},
{
title: l('Author'),
data: "authorName"
},
{
title: l('Type'),
data: "type",
render: function (data) {
return l('Enum:BookType:' + data);
}
},
{
title: l('PublishDate'),
data: "publishDate",
render: function (data) {
return luxon
.DateTime
.fromISO(data, {
locale: abp.localization.currentCulture.name
}).toLocaleString();
}
},
{
title: l('Price'),
data: "price"
},
{
title: l('CreationTime'),
data: "creationTime",
render: function (data) {
return luxon
.DateTime
.fromISO(data, {
locale: abp.localization.currentCulture.name
}).toLocaleString(luxon.DateTime.DATETIME_SHORT);
}
}
]
})
);
createModal.onResult(function () {
dataTable.ajax.reload();
});
editModal.onResult(function () {
dataTable.ajax.reload();
});
$('#NewBookButton').click(function (e) {
e.preventDefault();
createModal.open();
});
});
```
## Conclusion
With a multi-lingual application, you can expand your market share, but if not designed well, may your application will be unusable. So, I've tried to explain how to design a sustainable multi-lingual entity in this article.
### Source Code
You can find source code of the example solution used in this article [here](https://github.com/abpframework/abp-samples/tree/master/AcmeBookStoreMultiLingual).

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