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Use name for the default label and names for language-specific labels. Keys such as en, pl and de match the compiled language catalog codes. Page names, field names and dropdown option names can all have separate translations:

{
  "id":"settings",
  "name":"Settings",
  "names":{"en":"Settings","pl":"Ustawienia","de":"Einstellungen"},
  "fields":[
    {
      "id":"enabled","type":"switch","name":"Enabled",
      "names":{"en":"Enabled","pl":"Włączone","de":"Aktiviert"},
      "default":true
    },
    {
      "id":"profile","type":"select","name":"Profile",
      "names":{"en":"Profile","pl":"Profil","de":"Profil"},
      "options":[
        {"value":"eco","name":"Economy","names":{"en":"Economy","pl":"Oszczędny","de":"Sparmodus"}},
        {"value":"comfort","name":"Comfort","names":{"en":"Comfort","pl":"Komfort","de":"Komfort"}}
      ],
      "default":"eco"
    }
  ]
}

With English selected, this page displays Settings / Enabled / Profile / Economy. With Polish selected it displays Ustawienia / Włączone / Profil / Oszczędny. With German selected it displays Einstellungen / Aktiviert / Profil / Sparmodus. Compile the corresponding language catalogs as described below; adding pl or de to a page definition alone does not add a language to the selector. A missing localized label falls back to name.

Keep id, option value, MQTT topics and JSON property keys unchanged between languages. They are application/protocol identifiers. Only the displayed text changes. For example, selecting Oszczędny still produces the value eco.

Individual controls within a composite field can also use translated names:

{
  "id":"fan","type":"fan","name":"Fan",
  "names":{"en":"Fan","pl":"Wentylator","de":"Ventilator"},
  "default":{"state":"OFF","percentage":0},
  "controls":[
    {"key":"state","type":"switch","command":"","on":"ON","off":"OFF","name":"Power","names":{"en":"Power","pl":"Zasilanie","de":"Ein/Aus"}},
    {"key":"percentage","type":"slider","command":"percentage","min":0,"max":100,"step":1,"name":"Speed","names":{"en":"Speed","pl":"Prędkość","de":"Geschwindigkeit"}}
  ]
}

For grouped scene buttons, use group.names to translate the shared group title and the field's names for each button:

{
  "id":"morning","type":"scene","name":"Morning",
  "names":{"en":"Morning","pl":"Poranek","de":"Morgen"},
  "group":{"id":"scenes","name":"Scenes","names":{"en":"Scenes","pl":"Sceny","de":"Szenen"}}
}

Translations are compiled according to the control flags and ARDPORTAL_ENABLE_OTA, ARDPORTAL_ENABLE_MQTT and ARDPORTAL_ENABLE_CONSOLE, using the same flags as implementation and page assets. Disabled modules contribute neither their browser dictionary entries nor their native message entries. MQTT automatically disables Console and HA. Shared Info and dynamic-control translations remain available when HA is off; they belong to the local portal, not discovery.

All translations stay in languages/<code>.json. The module-to-key assignment is in tools/language_features.json; keys absent from this map are shared. When adding a module-specific key, add it to the corresponding assignment and regenerate LanguageData.h. Additional languages inherit the same assignments and the English fallback. ArdFS uses a separate storage-message table so its independent compilation cannot retain text from disabled portal modules.

Info labels, connection/status descriptions, units, network list captions and portal error messages are sourced from the language catalog. Device names, SSIDs, MQTT topics/payloads and identifiers such as ESP8266, ArdFS and ArdJSON are data or product names and are displayed unchanged. Custom dynamic page labels use their optional names translations and fall back to name.

All portal descriptions, labels, confirmations and native system messages are configured in one JSON file per language:

• src/languages/en.json — English

The library includes only English, so the language selector is hidden by default. Dynamic examples use English default names. Additional languages can still be added.

The top-right selector shows compact language-code buttons such as EN and DE, with the active language highlighted. It appears only when more than one language is compiled. A manual selection is remembered in browser localStorage. On the first visit, the portal checks the browser’s ordered navigator.languages list and navigator.language, matching locale/code first and then the base language. An available saved preference takes priority; otherwise the default catalog is the final fallback. Automatic detection does not overwrite a manual preference. Changing language preserves unsaved form values and does not write flash. HTTP requests carry X-ArdUI-Language; future native messages use the language of the most recent portal request. Application-defined text and generic JSON parser error codes are outside this translation catalog.

To add another language:

1. Copy en.json to a file named after the language code, for example de.json.
2. Set code to de, name to Deutsch, and locale to de-DE.
3. Translate strings, retaining every key and {placeholder} name.
4. From the project root, run python3 src/tools/generate_languages.py.
5. Recompile/upload the firmware. No separate filesystem upload is needed.

From an installed library directory, run python3 src/tools/generate_languages.py. The generator discovers all languages/*.json, validates filenames/metadata, duplicate keys and placeholders, and creates flash-resident LanguageData.h. Do not edit that generated file. Missing translations fall back to the default language; unknown keys and changed placeholder names are rejected. English is the default when present; otherwise the first sorted language becomes the default. Removing all but one language file and regenerating hides the selector. New languages increase firmware size; keep the selected application/OTA partition large enough.

ui_* keys are rendered with DOM textContent / placeholders, not injected as HTML. s_* keys are used by native messages. To add a description, add its key to the default catalog, provide translations and reference it from the code. Protocol routes, JSON field names, MQTT topics and device identity are not translated. Runtime JSON syntax diagnostics remain stable English error codes.

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