Contrib.social

Multilanguage problems since D10.1

Open on Drupal.org →
Created on 27 March 2025, about 2 months ago

Problem/Motivation

I have problems again with a site with multilanguage defined, I think that we have incomplete work there, as we end up setting the endpoints as LANGCODE_NOT_SPECIFIED : that covered a site with a changed default language(in /admin/config/regional/language ) Now, it's not working as it should (tldr; langcode_not_specified will not ensure unlocalized urls since D10.1.x ). But also and more important, this way of defining language is not recommended; in config form can be read:

> The site default language can also be set. It is not recommended to change the default language on a working site. Configure the Selected language setting on the detection and selection page to change the fallback language for language selection.

So in a recommended multilanguage site, it is recommended to leave the English as default (in /admin/config/regional/language ), and use the detection and selection (/admin/config/regional/language/detection) fallback option ( Last Selected language settings in /admin/config/regional/language/detection/selected ). In such configured site ActivityPub endpoints are not working as it should because we'll get endpoints with mixed langcodes, as by default, the url prefix will add the langcode for every language, and as we saw in first multilanguage issue → , it's something that is not expected by other activitypub services (language alias in actors are not used) as changing the interface or content language will change the actor endpoint, and if self link changes and is not equal to id, the actor could not be ensured; so it's impossible to be discovered by other parties (it can be seen in how mastodon checks webfinger ids in https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/blob/0479efdbb65a87ea80f0409d0131b1... ).

So I think that we need a way to provide non localized url by now, not only for actor ids, also for its properties (inbox, outbox, following, followers, etc.) How can we make it work again and why using LANGCODE_NOT_SPECIFIED, the way how we workaround by now is not working?

This is easy to see in https://git.drupalcode.org/project/drupal/-/blob/11.x/core/modules/langu... , if using NOT_SPECIFIED, it will use to current language (with its prefix).

First because of https://www.drupal.org/project/drupal/issues/2883450 🐛 Missing url prefix on language neutral content Fixed ( that makes non specified lang not imply prefix removal).

Steps to reproduce

Install site.
Enable multilingual and add another language, set detect and select language as it needs to be.
Enable activitypub.
Check if actors are discoverable by other services.

Proposed resolution

Lucky for us, it was also a problem by openid module and since https://www.drupal.org/project/drupal/issues/3385550 🐛 Language negotiation breaks updating Drupal 9 to 10 Needs work drupal core let us use LANGCODE_NOT_APPLICABLE as a language without prefix. (like in https://git.drupalcode.org/project/openid_connect/-/blob/3.x/src/Form/Op...)

So this could be a way to go by now! But it may be changed in the future as said in https://www.drupal.org/project/drupal/issues/3385550#comment-15311785 🐛 Language negotiation breaks updating Drupal 9 to 10 Needs work (to address sticky ui translation).

Just guessing but if this happen maybe we could reimplement the toUrl for activitypub entities to remove the language option while they are not translatable, or we could add a new OutboundPathProcessorInterface::processOutbound just for activitypub endpoints...

Anyway, by now changing language to not applicable will make everything work as it should. I'll provide a MR that will change LANGCODE_NOT_SPECIFIED to LANGCODE_NOT_APPLICABLE will cover the by now not unlocalized outbox and inbox, and also will try to enhance the functional tests to cover the use case.

Remaining tasks

One other question here may be if actors need to be translatable, as it's not yet implemented in the way specified by spec ( being by context https://www.w3.org/TR/activitystreams-core/#defaultlangcontext or being by https://www.w3.org/TR/activitystreams-core/#naturalLanguageValues ).

Do we need a translatable actors? maybe when someone needs it we can see how we can offer... but by now I choose the not applicable to generate unlocalized urls for actors endpoints.

🐛 Bug report
Status

Active

Version

1.0

Component

Code

Created by

🇪🇸Spain aleix

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Merge Requests

Comments & Activities

  • Issue created by @aleix
  • Merge request !33Add tests to cover multilanguage, default and fallback url issues → (Open) created by aleix
  • Comment about 2 months ago →
    🇪🇸Spain aleix

    Adding tests and defining urls of endpoints with language not applicable option.

    Need to say that I was wrong when I was stating :

    ... by default, the url prefix will add the langcode for every language...

    By default, and is also recommended in language detect and select settings, that fallback language being set with empty prefix. This solves some things, but not totally, like when someone accesses the activity pub actor endpoint with language prefix, then all endpoints will use the language prefix. Also the fallback empty prefix is not forced, and if language fallback is changed must be set manually, so also could be harder to catch, so again better define url language as not applicable, as this MR does.

  • Comment about 2 months ago →
    🇪🇸Spain aleix

    Tests are not passing because of fetched aliases urls from webfinger module in event subscriber are localized, and comes with prefix. It's already reported and waiting for MR in https://www.drupal.org/project/webfinger/issues/3516129 ✨ Make endpoints unlocalized Active , as soon as this is merged tests will pass (at least in local it does). So waiting @swentel (and/or rtbc) to review it !

  • Comment about 1 month ago →
    🇺🇸United States mradcliffe USA

    I applied the patch manually to my non-activitypub module, non-multilingual site that uses webfinger, and I did not find any regressions. +1.

  • Comment 22 days ago →
    🇧🇪Belgium swentel

    Merged ✨ Make endpoints unlocalized Active - would the tests pass (in case you use dev require of webfinger?)

  • Comment 22 days ago →
    🇪🇸Spain aleix

    Yes, they do locally: 

    vendor/bin/phpunit --debug web/modules/contrib/activitypub/tests/src/Functional/WebfingerMultilanguageSiteTest.php                                                                                
PHPUnit 9.6.22 by Sebastian Bergmann and contributors.                                                                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
Testing Drupal\Tests\activitypub\Functional\WebfingerMultilanguageSiteTest                                                                                                                                                      
Test 'Drupal\Tests\activitypub\Functional\WebfingerMultilanguageSiteTest::testWebfingerResponse with data set #0 (array('en', '', 'es'), 'eo')' started                                                                         
Test 'Drupal\Tests\activitypub\Functional\WebfingerMultilanguageSiteTest::testWebfingerResponse with data set #0 (array('en', '', 'es'), 'eo')' ended                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
Time: 01:20.327, Memory: 18.45 MB                                                                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
OK (1 test, 22 assertions)

    So it should pass when there is a new webfinger version release.

  • Comment 14 days ago →
    🇧🇪Belgium swentel

    Alright, new release out, triggered ci for the tests.

  • Comment 14 days ago →
    🇧🇪Belgium swentel

    Hmm, tests are failing with 2.0.3 webfinger too, but maybe it's a bot thing?
    Will run then locally to double check.

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