PHP Laravel (.php): Complete Guide to Laravel Localization Files

What Are PHP Laravel Localization Files?

PHP Laravel localization files are the native translation format for Laravel applications. They use PHP arrays to store translation strings, organized by language in the lang (or resources/lang in older versions) directory. This format provides a simple, readable structure that integrates seamlessly with Laravel’s translation helpers.

Laravel’s localization system supports simple strings, nested arrays, pluralization, and parameter replacement, making it a powerful solution for multilingual PHP applications.

Why AZbox Supports PHP Laravel Format

At AZbox, we understand that Laravel is one of the most popular PHP frameworks worldwide. That’s why AZbox fully supports PHP Laravel file import and export, allowing you to:

• Import existing PHP translation files directly into your AZbox project
• Export translations back to PHP arrays for your Laravel app
• Handle nested arrays and complex structures
• Support pluralization with Laravel’s pipe syntax
• Manage translations with our powerful cloud-based platform
• Collaborate with translators who don’t need PHP knowledge

Laravel Directory Structure

Laravel 9+ Structure

lang/
├── en/
│   ├── auth.php
│   ├── pagination.php
│   ├── passwords.php
│   ├── validation.php
│   └── messages.php
├── es/
│   ├── auth.php
│   ├── pagination.php
│   ├── passwords.php
│   ├── validation.php
│   └── messages.php
└── fr/
    ├── auth.php
    ├── pagination.php
    ├── passwords.php
    ├── validation.php
    └── messages.php

Laravel 8 and Earlier

resources/
└── lang/
    ├── en/
    │   ├── auth.php
    │   ├── messages.php
    │   └── validation.php
    ├── es/
    │   ├── auth.php
    │   ├── messages.php
    │   └── validation.php
    └── vendor/
        └── package-name/
            └── en/
                └── messages.php

Basic PHP Translation File Structure

A typical Laravel translation file:

lang/en/messages.php:

<?php

return [
    'welcome' => 'Welcome to our application!',
    'goodbye' => 'Goodbye, see you soon!',
    
    'buttons' => [
        'save' => 'Save',
        'cancel' => 'Cancel',
        'delete' => 'Delete',
        'edit' => 'Edit',
    ],
    
    'errors' => [
        'not_found' => 'Resource not found.',
        'unauthorized' => 'You are not authorized.',
        'server_error' => 'An unexpected error occurred.',
    ],
];

lang/es/messages.php:

<?php

return [
    'welcome' => '¡Bienvenido a nuestra aplicación!',
    'goodbye' => '¡Adiós, hasta pronto!',
    
    'buttons' => [
        'save' => 'Guardar',
        'cancel' => 'Cancelar',
        'delete' => 'Eliminar',
        'edit' => 'Editar',
    ],
    
    'errors' => [
        'not_found' => 'Recurso no encontrado.',
        'unauthorized' => 'No tienes autorización.',
        'server_error' => 'Ocurrió un error inesperado.',
    ],
];

Parameter Replacement

Laravel supports dynamic values using :parameter syntax:

lang/en/messages.php:

<?php

return [
    'greeting' => 'Hello, :name!',
    'welcome_back' => 'Welcome back, :name! Last login: :date',
    'order_status' => 'Your order #:id is :status.',
    'items_added' => ':count items added to cart by :user.',
    
    // With multiple parameters
    'invoice' => 'Invoice #:number for :customer - Total: :currency:amount',
];

Usage in Laravel

// In Blade templates
{{ __('messages.greeting', ['name' => 'John']) }}
// Output: "Hello, John!"

// In PHP
echo __('messages.welcome_back', [
    'name' => $user->name,
    'date' => $lastLogin->format('M d, Y')
]);
// Output: "Welcome back, John! Last login: Jan 15, 2024"

// Using trans() helper
trans('messages.order_status', ['id' => '12345', 'status' => 'shipped']);
// Output: "Your order #12345 is shipped."

Parameter Case Modifiers

Laravel supports case modification for parameters:

<?php

return [
    // :Name - First letter uppercase
    'greeting_formal' => 'Dear :Name,',
    
    // :NAME - All uppercase
    'alert' => 'ATTENTION: :NAME',
    
    // :name - As provided
    'simple' => 'Hello, :name!',
];

Usage:

__('messages.greeting_formal', ['name' => 'john']);
// Output: "Dear John,"

__('messages.alert', ['name' => 'warning']);
// Output: "ATTENTION: WARNING"

Pluralization

Laravel uses pipe syntax (|) for pluralization:

lang/en/messages.php:

<?php

return [
    // Simple singular/plural
    'apples' => 'There is one apple|There are many apples',
    
    // With count placeholder
    'items' => '{0} No items|{1} One item|[2,*] :count items',
    
    // More specific ranges
    'comments' => '{0} No comments|{1} :count comment|[2,10] :count comments|[11,*] Many comments (:count)',
    
    // Using explicit numbers
    'notifications' => '{0} No notifications|{1} 1 notification|{2} 2 notifications|[3,*] :count notifications',
    
    // Minutes remaining
    'minutes' => '{1} :count minute remaining|[2,*] :count minutes remaining',
];

Usage

// trans_choice() or __() with 'count'
trans_choice('messages.apples', 1);
// Output: "There is one apple"

trans_choice('messages.apples', 5);
// Output: "There are many apples"

trans_choice('messages.items', 0);
// Output: "No items"

trans_choice('messages.items', 1);
// Output: "One item"

trans_choice('messages.items', 5);
// Output: "5 items"

// With additional parameters
trans_choice('messages.items', 10, ['count' => 10]);
// Output: "10 items"

Complex Pluralization for Different Languages

lang/ru/messages.php (Russian):

<?php

return [
    // Russian has complex plural rules
    'items' => '{0} Нет товаров|{1} :count товар|[2,4] :count товара|[5,20] :count товаров|[21,*] :count товар',
];

lang/ar/messages.php (Arabic):

<?php

return [
    // Arabic has zero, one, two, few, many, other
    'items' => '{0} لا عناصر|{1} عنصر واحد|{2} عنصران|[3,10] :count عناصر|[11,*] :count عنصر',
];

Nested Arrays

Organize translations hierarchically:

lang/en/dashboard.php:

<?php

return [
    'title' => 'Dashboard',
    
    'widgets' => [
        'statistics' => [
            'title' => 'Statistics',
            'users' => 'Total Users',
            'orders' => 'Total Orders',
            'revenue' => 'Total Revenue',
        ],
        'activity' => [
            'title' => 'Recent Activity',
            'empty' => 'No recent activity.',
            'view_all' => 'View All Activity',
        ],
        'notifications' => [
            'title' => 'Notifications',
            'mark_read' => 'Mark as Read',
            'clear_all' => 'Clear All',
        ],
    ],
    
    'sidebar' => [
        'home' => 'Home',
        'profile' => 'My Profile',
        'settings' => 'Settings',
        'logout' => 'Log Out',
    ],
];

Accessing Nested Keys

// Dot notation for nested keys
__('dashboard.widgets.statistics.title');
// Output: "Statistics"

__('dashboard.sidebar.home');
// Output: "Home"

// In Blade
{{ __('dashboard.widgets.activity.empty') }}

Default Laravel Translation Files

auth.php

<?php

return [
    'failed' => 'These credentials do not match our records.',
    'password' => 'The provided password is incorrect.',
    'throttle' => 'Too many login attempts. Please try again in :seconds seconds.',
];

pagination.php

<?php

return [
    'previous' => '&laquo; Previous',
    'next' => 'Next &raquo;',
];

passwords.php

<?php

return [
    'reset' => 'Your password has been reset.',
    'sent' => 'We have emailed your password reset link.',
    'throttled' => 'Please wait before retrying.',
    'token' => 'This password reset token is invalid.',
    'user' => "We can't find a user with that email address.",
];

validation.php

<?php

return [
    'accepted' => 'The :attribute must be accepted.',
    'active_url' => 'The :attribute must be a valid URL.',
    'after' => 'The :attribute must be a date after :date.',
    'alpha' => 'The :attribute must only contain letters.',
    'between' => [
        'array' => 'The :attribute must have between :min and :max items.',
        'file' => 'The :attribute must be between :min and :max kilobytes.',
        'numeric' => 'The :attribute must be between :min and :max.',
        'string' => 'The :attribute must be between :min and :max characters.',
    ],
    'email' => 'The :attribute must be a valid email address.',
    'required' => 'The :attribute field is required.',
    
    // Custom validation messages
    'custom' => [
        'email' => [
            'required' => 'We need your email address.',
            'email' => 'Your email address is invalid.',
        ],
    ],
    
    // Custom attribute names
    'attributes' => [
        'email' => 'email address',
        'password' => 'password',
        'password_confirmation' => 'password confirmation',
    ],
];

JSON Translation Files

Laravel also supports JSON files for simple key-value translations:

lang/en.json:

{
    "Welcome": "Welcome",
    "Hello, :name!": "Hello, :name!",
    "You have :count notifications": "You have :count notifications"
}

lang/es.json:

{
    "Welcome": "Bienvenido",
    "Hello, :name!": "¡Hola, :name!",
    "You have :count notifications": "Tienes :count notificaciones"
}

Usage

// JSON translations use the actual string as the key
__('Welcome');
__('Hello, :name!', ['name' => 'John']);

Importing PHP Laravel Files to AZbox

Step 1: Prepare Your Files

Ensure your PHP files are valid:

1. Valid PHP syntax with <?php and return []
2. UTF-8 encoding
3. Consistent structure across languages

Step 2: Import via AZbox Dashboard

1. Log in to your AZbox dashboard
2. Navigate to your project
3. Go to Import/Export section
4. Select Import and choose PHP Laravel (.php)
5. Upload your PHP translation files
6. Configure import options:
   • Select source language
   • Map file names to namespaces
   • Handle nested arrays (flatten or preserve)
7. Preview and confirm import

Step 3: Key Mapping

AZbox converts PHP arrays to keys:

// This PHP structure:
return [
    'welcome' => 'Welcome',
    'buttons' => [
        'save' => 'Save',
    ],
];

// Becomes these keys:
// messages.welcome
// messages.buttons.save

Exporting PHP Laravel Files from AZbox

Export Options

Option	Description
Format	PHP array or JSON
Nesting	Preserve nested structure
File per namespace	Separate files for each namespace
Short array syntax	Use [] instead of array()

Export Steps

1. Go to Import/Export in your project
2. Select Export and choose PHP Laravel (.php)
3. Configure export options
4. Download the generated PHP files
5. Place in your lang/ directory

Export Format

AZbox generates clean PHP files:

<?php

return [
    'welcome' => 'Bienvenido',
    'goodbye' => 'Adiós',
    
    'buttons' => [
        'save' => 'Guardar',
        'cancel' => 'Cancelar',
    ],
];

Using Translations in Laravel

Blade Templates

{{-- Simple translation --}}
<h1>{{ __('messages.welcome') }}</h1>

{{-- With parameters --}}
<p>{{ __('messages.greeting', ['name' => $user->name]) }}</p>

{{-- Pluralization --}}
<span>{{ trans_choice('messages.items', $count) }}</span>

{{-- Using @lang directive --}}
@lang('messages.welcome')

{{-- With choice --}}
{{ trans_choice('messages.notifications', $notifications->count()) }}

Controllers

<?php

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;

class DashboardController extends Controller
{
    public function index()
    {
        return view('dashboard', [
            'title' => __('dashboard.title'),
            'welcomeMessage' => __('messages.welcome_back', [
                'name' => auth()->user()->name
            ]),
        ]);
    }
    
    public function store(Request $request)
    {
        // Flash translated message
        return redirect()->back()->with(
            'success',
            __('messages.saved_successfully')
        );
    }
}

Validation Messages

<?php

namespace App\Http\Requests;

use Illuminate\Foundation\Http\FormRequest;

class StoreUserRequest extends FormRequest
{
    public function rules()
    {
        return [
            'email' => 'required|email',
            'password' => 'required|min:8',
        ];
    }
    
    public function messages()
    {
        return [
            'email.required' => __('validation.custom.email.required'),
            'email.email' => __('validation.custom.email.email'),
        ];
    }
}

API Responses

<?php

namespace App\Http\Controllers\Api;

class UserController extends Controller
{
    public function show($id)
    {
        $user = User::find($id);
        
        if (!$user) {
            return response()->json([
                'message' => __('errors.not_found'),
            ], 404);
        }
        
        return response()->json([
            'message' => __('messages.success'),
            'data' => $user,
        ]);
    }
}

Notifications

<?php

namespace App\Notifications;

use Illuminate\Notifications\Notification;
use Illuminate\Notifications\Messages\MailMessage;

class OrderShipped extends Notification
{
    public function toMail($notifiable)
    {
        return (new MailMessage)
            ->subject(__('notifications.order_shipped.subject'))
            ->greeting(__('notifications.greeting', ['name' => $notifiable->name]))
            ->line(__('notifications.order_shipped.line1', ['id' => $this->order->id]))
            ->action(__('notifications.order_shipped.action'), url('/orders/' . $this->order->id))
            ->line(__('notifications.order_shipped.line2'));
    }
}

Best Practices for Laravel Localization

1. Organize by Feature

lang/en/
├── auth.php           # Authentication
├── dashboard.php      # Dashboard specific
├── emails.php         # Email templates
├── errors.php         # Error messages
├── messages.php       # General messages
├── navigation.php     # Navigation labels
├── notifications.php  # Notification texts
└── validation.php     # Validation messages

2. Use Descriptive Keys

Bad:

return [
    'msg1' => 'Welcome',
    'btn' => 'Save',
    'e1' => 'Error',
];

Good:

return [
    'welcome_message' => 'Welcome',
    'button_save' => 'Save',
    'error_generic' => 'An error occurred',
];

3. Group Related Translations

<?php

return [
    'user' => [
        'profile' => [
            'title' => 'User Profile',
            'edit' => 'Edit Profile',
            'update_success' => 'Profile updated successfully.',
        ],
        'settings' => [
            'title' => 'User Settings',
            'notifications' => 'Notification Preferences',
            'privacy' => 'Privacy Settings',
        ],
    ],
];

4. Add Comments for Context

<?php

return [
    /*
    |--------------------------------------------------------------------------
    | Authentication Language Lines
    |--------------------------------------------------------------------------
    |
    | The following language lines are used during authentication for various
    | messages that we need to display to the user.
    |
    */
    
    'failed' => 'These credentials do not match our records.',
    'throttle' => 'Too many login attempts. Please try again in :seconds seconds.',
    
    // Login form labels
    'email_label' => 'Email Address',
    'password_label' => 'Password',
    'remember_me' => 'Remember Me',
    
    // Login buttons (max 20 characters)
    'login_button' => 'Sign In',
    'register_button' => 'Create Account',
];

5. Keep Translations Synchronized

Ensure all language files have the same keys:

lang/en/messages.php:

return [
    'welcome' => 'Welcome',
    'goodbye' => 'Goodbye',
];

lang/es/messages.php:

return [
    'welcome' => 'Bienvenido',
    'goodbye' => 'Adiós',
];

6. Use Fallback Locale

config/app.php:

'locale' => 'en',
'fallback_locale' => 'en',

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue: Translation Key Not Found

Problem: Returns the key instead of translation.

Solution:

• Check the file path and name
• Verify the key exists in the array
• Clear config cache: php artisan config:clear
• Check for typos in nested keys

Issue: Parameter Not Replaced

Problem: :name appears literally.

Solution:

// Wrong - missing parameters
__('messages.greeting');

// Correct
__('messages.greeting', ['name' => 'John']);

Issue: Pluralization Not Working

Problem: Wrong plural form displayed.

Solution:

// Use trans_choice() for pluralization
trans_choice('messages.items', $count, ['count' => $count]);

// Or __() with count in array
__('messages.items', ['count' => $count], $count);

Issue: Cache Not Updating

Problem: Old translations still showing.

Solution:

php artisan cache:clear
php artisan config:clear
php artisan view:clear

Issue: PHP Syntax Error

Problem: Laravel throws syntax error.

Solution:

• Check for missing semicolons
• Verify quotes are properly escaped
• Ensure array syntax is correct
• Validate PHP syntax before deploy

AZbox PHP Laravel Features

When you use PHP Laravel with AZbox, you benefit from:

• PHP array parsing - Correctly handles all array structures
• Nested key support - Preserves hierarchical organization
• Parameter highlighting - Visual markers for :parameters
• Pluralization support - Handles Laravel’s pipe syntax
• Comment preservation - Keeps your PHPDoc comments
• JSON support - Also handles lang/*.json files
• Validation rules - Manages validation.php specifically
• Namespace handling - Organizes by file (auth, messages, etc.)
• Translation memory - Leverage previous translations
• Over-the-air updates - Update without redeploying

Laravel Packages Integration

Laravel Breeze / Jetstream

AZbox supports translations from authentication scaffolding:

lang/en/
├── auth.php
├── passwords.php
└── validation.php

Filament Admin Panel

lang/en/
└── filament.php

Laravel Nova

lang/en/
└── nova.php

Conclusion

PHP Laravel localization files provide a native, powerful format for managing translations in Laravel applications. With AZbox’s comprehensive Laravel support, you can:

1. Import existing PHP files preserving all arrays and structure
2. Handle complex translations including nesting and pluralization
3. Export clean PHP files ready for your Laravel project
4. Support Laravel conventions including validation.php patterns
5. Collaborate with translators without PHP knowledge required

Ready to streamline your Laravel localization workflow?

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AZbox provides comprehensive support for PHP Laravel localization files, making it the ideal platform for Laravel developers. Import, manage, and export your translations with ease.