systemLanguage Attribute | Internet Development Index |
Indicates whether a given language is selected in a user's system preferences.
Syntax
HTML <ELEMENT systemLanguage=sLang ... > Scripting N/A
Possible Values
sLang A comma-delimited list of language names to check.
Remarks
Evaluates to true if a language indicated by user preferences equals a language given in the value of the systemLanguage attribute. Also evaluates to true if a language indicated by user preferences equals a prefix of a language given in the value of this parameter such that the first tag character following the prefix is "-". Evaluates to false otherwise.
For a list of available language codes, see the Language Codes reference. Note that the prefixes described in the preceding paragraph provide more specific language designations. For example, en for English is a valid setting; so are en-us for English (United States), en-nz for English (New Zealand), and en-ie for English (Ireland).
This use of a prefix matching rule should not be misconstrued to mean that language tags are assigned to languages so that users who understand a language with a certain tag will also understand all languages with tags for which this tag is a prefix. The prefix rule simply allows the use of prefix tags if this is the case.
Multiple languages may be listed for content that is intended for multiple audiences. For example, a rendition of the "Treaty of Waitangi," presented simultaneously in the original Maori and English versions, would call for:
<t:AUDIO src="fun.wav" systemLanguage="mi, en"/>However, just because multiple languages are present within the object on which the systemLanguage test attribute is placed, this does not mean that it is intended for multilingual audiences. An example would be a beginner's language primer, such as "A First Lesson in Latin," which is clearly intended to be used by an English-literate audience. In this case, the systemLanguage test attribute should only include "en".
Note If several alternative language objects are enclosed in a switch, and none of them matches, this may lead to situations such as a video being shown without any audio track. It is therefore recommended to include a catch-all choice at the end of such a switch which is acceptable in all cases.If the systemLanguage attribute is used on an HTML element within a systemLanguage statement, it is not necessary to apply the time2 behavior to the HTML element.
Example
This example demonstrates that, based on your current locale (language setting) in the General Tab in the Regional Options in Control Panel, the following sentence, 'This is an example for the systemLanguage property', appears in that particular language. The sentence is translated into the three following languages: Spanish?es), Portuguese?pt) and English?en).
To test this sample, switch your current locale (language setting) to either Spanish, Portuguese, or English and refresh this Web page. If any other language is chosen, a 'Language not supported' message appears. Be sure to set your current locale back to its original setting.
<HTML XMLNS:t ="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:time"> <HEAD> <STYLE> .time{ behavior: url(#default#time2);} </STYLE> <?IMPORT namespace="t" implementation="#default#time2"> </HEAD> <BODY> <t:SWITCH> <SPAN systemLanguage="es" ><b>Your current locale setting is Espanol</b>. <BR><BR>Este es un ejemplo para el <b>systemLanguage</b> la propiedad. </SPAN> <SPAN systemLanguage="pt" ><b>Your current locale setting is Portuguese</b>.<BR><BR>Este e um exemplo para a <b>systemLanguage</b> propriedade. </SPAN> <SPAN systemLanguage="en" ><b>Your current locale setting is English</b>. <BR><BR>This is an example for the <b>systemLanguage</b> property. </SPAN> <SPAN>This language is not supported.</SPAN> </t:SWITCH> </BODY> </HTML>This feature requires Microsoft?Internet Explorer 5.5 or later. Click the following icon to install the latest version. Then reload this page to view the sample.
Applies To
A, ACRONYM, ADDRESS, t:ANIMATE, t:ANIMATECOLOR, t:ANIMATEMOTION, t:ANIMATION, AREA, t:AUDIO, B, BIG, BLOCKQUOTE, BUTTON, CAPTION, CENTER, CITE, CODE, DD, DEL, DIR, DIV, DL, DT, EM, FIELDSET, FONT, FORM, hn, HR, I, IFRAME, IMG, t:IMG, INPUT type=button, INPUT type=checkbox, INPUT type=file, INPUT type=hidden, INPUT type=image, INPUT type=password, INPUT type=radio, INPUT type=reset, INPUT type=submit, INPUT type=text, INS, KBD, LEGEND, LI, LISTING, MARQUEE, t:MEDIA, MENU, OL, OPTION, P, PLAINTEXT, playItem, PRE, Q, t:REF, S, SAMP, t:SEQ, t:SET, SMALL, SPAN, STRIKE, STRONG, SUB, SUP, t:SWITCH, TABLE, TBODY, TD, TEXTAREA, TFOOT, TH, THEAD, time2, TR, TT, U, UL, VAR, t:VIDEO, XMP
See Also
Introduction to HTML+TIME, Language Codes, systemBitrate, systemCaptions, systemOverdubOrSubtitle, time2