String Translation — Lang Forge

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Lang Forge translates arbitrary strings (text that is not post content) using standard WordPress translation functions. This covers theme labels, button text, widget titles, page builder content, and any other hardcoded strings in your templates.

7.1 Automatic String Registration via gettext

Lang Forge automatically registers strings from allowed text domains when they appear on the frontend. Simply use standard WordPress __() and _e() in your theme:

// In your theme template — standard WordPress i18n:
echo __('Read More', 'flavor-theme');
_e('Contact Us', 'flavor-theme');
echo esc_html__('Subscribe to Newsletter', 'flavor-theme');

When a visitor loads a page containing these strings, Lang Forge detects them through WordPress’s gettext filter and auto-registers them in the wp_lf_strings database table. They then appear in Lang Forge > String Translation, ready to be translated.

Configuration:

Go to Lang Forge > Languages (Settings page)
Find “String Auto-Registration Domains” in the Content section
Enter text domains to auto-register (one per line). Default: your active theme’s text domain
Save settings

Example: Complete template using standard WordPress i18n

// single.php
<article <?php post_class(); ?>>
    <header class="entry-header">
        <h1><?php the_title(); ?></h1>
        <div class="entry-meta">
            <span class="posted-on">
                <?php echo esc_html__('Posted on', 'theme'); ?>
                <time datetime="<?php echo get_the_date('c'); ?>">
                    <?php echo get_the_date(); ?>
                </time>
            </span>
            <span class="byline">
                <?php echo esc_html__('by', 'theme'); ?>
                <?php the_author(); ?>
            </span>
        </div>
    </header>

    <div class="entry-content">
        <?php the_content(); ?>
    </div>

    <footer class="entry-footer">
        <?php if (comments_open()) : ?>
            <a href="#comments"><?php _e('Leave a Comment', 'theme'); ?></a>
        <?php else : ?>
            <p><?php _e('Comments are closed', 'theme'); ?></p>
        <?php endif; ?>
    </footer>
</article>

How it works internally:

Lang Forge hooks into WordPress’s gettext, gettext_with_context, and ngettext filters
On cache miss (string not in DB), the string is queued for registration
Queued strings are batch-inserted via INSERT IGNORE on the shutdown hook (one query, no duplicates)
In-memory deduplication prevents the same string from being queued twice per request
The filter only runs on the frontend (!is_admin()) to avoid interfering with WordPress admin translations
WordPress Core (default), empty domains, and Forge Suite domains are always skipped

Domains that are NEVER auto-registered:

default (WordPress core)
langforge, seoforge, formforge, fieldforge
Empty domain

Performance: Auto-registration adds zero database queries during page rendering. All strings are preloaded in one query at the start of the request. New strings are batched and inserted in a single query at the end.

7.2 Importing from PO Files

Programmatically import existing .po file translations into Lang Forge’s database:

// Import a Russian PO file for your theme
$count = LF_String_Translation::instance()->import_from_po(
    '/path/to/theme-ru.po',
    'my-theme',    // domain
    'ru'           // target language
);
echo "Imported $count strings";

// Import translations for multiple languages
$po_files = [
    'en' => get_template_directory() . '/languages/en_US.po',
    'de' => get_template_directory() . '/languages/de_DE.po',
    'fr' => get_template_directory() . '/languages/fr_FR.po',
];

foreach ($po_files as $lang => $file) {
    if (file_exists($file)) {
        $count = LF_String_Translation::instance()->import_from_po($file, 'my-theme', $lang);
        echo "Imported $count $lang stringsn";
    }
}

7.3 Translating Dynamic Strings

For strings that contain dynamic values, translate the template and inject values afterward:

// In the template — use sprintf with a translated template
$template = __('Showing %1$d-%2$d of %3$d results', 'theme');
echo sprintf($template, $start, $end, $total);
// English: "Showing 1-10 of 42 results"
// Russian: "Показаны 1-10 из 42 результатов"

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7. String Translation

7.1 Automatic String Registration via gettext

7.2 Importing from PO Files

7.3 Translating Dynamic Strings