Last modified: 2011-03-13 18:06:22 UTC
Localised input control labels, especially for small controls, encourage filling in the language of the label. This is not appropriate for most installations where the moderators do not understand the text thus entered. Input control labels should be in the expected language of the input.
I realise the problem, but I totally disagree with the proposed solution.
Brion has resolved this entry as invalid, leaving no explanation why. I disagree because it affects me personally; I have not made it up.
I would guess in some multilingual sites it may be ok to use multiple languages.
Considering recent discussions regarding spell checking in HTML forms, if the site in question is unconditionally localized, it should also be beneficial to set the LANG attribute of the LABEL element: <LABEL LANG="en_gb" >Summary: <INPUT TYPE=TEXT ></LABEL > (not actually using a LABEL element, and not setting LANG anywhere, should perhaps make separate bugs)
Oops, of course should be LANG="en-gb".
The language of the site contents should be pretty clear... and if it isn't, why are you typing random things into it?
I never typed random things into the wiki. What makes you think so? The site contents consists, in particular, of the administrative interface, including labels for form controls. When these labels are localized, it is not clear that the editor is not allowed to use the language of the label, especially for single-line cotrols. BTW, a wiki where the language used for administration is different from the article language is perfectly imaginable.
Niklas, Brion, what exectly is the issue here that should/could/would be resolved, and if there is an issue, what effort would lead to a solution?
Although I am not being asked, I dare answer. Perhaps a reformulation will help you to understand the problem. The issue: Text input control labels that are localized suggest that the controls can have localised content themselves. As a result, site administrators do not understand input from editor who choose an interface language different from site language. The solution: Labels of text input controls that the editor is expected to fill should be presented in the site language, not the editor’s, except for sites that explicitly expect such multilingual input.
Reclosing as noted above.
In reply to comment #6) > The language of the site contents should be pretty clear... and if it isn't, > why are you typing random things into it? The "note above" is invalid because it refers to opinions I did not express and actions I did not take. It has nothing to do with this entry so it cannot serve as the rationale for any action with regards to this entry. Please provide an explanation why you consider this bug invalid.
This issue has been closed twice now, and comments have been given by a MediaWiki i18n developer and the MediaWiki lead developer. What else but annoyance do you expect to come from this, Christopher? I suggest you close it yourself and leave it be for now.
The comments given by Brion indicate that: 1. he misunderstands the problem, 2. he has not given a thought to the recommended solution because the problem as he (mis)understands it would indeed be invalid. I expect: 1. Siebrand, to tell whether the extended description I produced contributed satisfactorily to his understanding of the problem; 2. Niklas, to come up with a better solution than mine, or to demonstrate that a satisfactory solution is unlikely to exist (in which case it should be RESOLVED WONTFIX); 3. Brion, to provide a good reason why the problem is invalid, where "the problem" refers to the problem in my description, not the (invalid) problem in his imagination. Since, based on your feedback, those things are not very likely to happen any time soon, I suggest postponing the problem (RESOLVED LATER) in case leaving it as REOPENED does any harm (although I am not sure why this would be so, given there are many problems in MediaWiki that stay open for a very long time). However, I vehemently oppose making it RESOLVED INVALID because it has not been demonstrated that it is invalid indeed. HTH.
The development team appears to disagree with the original poster that this is a problem that needs to or should be solved in the suggested way. There is no plan to implement the suggestion. Resolving WONTFIX.
I never insisted the problem should be solved my way; you are free to find a better solution.
