Skip to main content
European Commission logo
enen
Website Translation Tool

Create WEB-T plugin for your CMS

WEB-T is a multilingual solution that gives website a chance to connect with any language speaker across the European Union.

PDF instructions

To incorporate support for the WEB-T ecosystem into your content management system (CMS)-based website, you have two integration options:

 

  1. Standalone full Integration of WEB-T: This comprehensive option involves building a plugin or CMS feature that encompasses all aspects of WEB-T functionality. This includes translation management, language switching, configuration of machine translation (MT) providers, and more. While it offers full control, it can be more involved to develop and maintain.
  2. Hybrid Integration of WEB-T: With this approach, your CMS relies on the Translation Hub service to manage translations and MT configuration. The integration is simplified, primarily requiring the inclusion of a JavaScript (JS) module in all frontend pages. Minimal configuration is needed on the CMS side. However, it's essential to have a hosted Translation Hub instance online for this solution to work effectively.
     

Choose the integration option that aligns with your CMS needs and resources, allowing you to unlock the benefits of the WEB-T ecosystem seamlessly.

1. Creating a standalone full Integration WEB-T plugin

Developing a full integration WEB-T plugin for your CMS is a comprehensive process. Here are the steps with enhanced clarity:

  1. Localization Features Leverage built-in localization features or implement custom solutions to:
  • Manage translations, covering creation, display, and editing.
  • Add and switch between languages seamlessly.
  1. Implement MT Application Programming Interface (API) Integrator Integrate the MT API Integrator, enabling machine translation of source texts and the delivery of translations. Ensure that your CMS integration adheres to the MT API Integrator specification, supporting both asynchronous methods for eTranslation and synchronous API for other MT providers.
  • For most CMSs (primarily Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP)-based), the MT API Integrator implementation is readily available as a PHP library. You can include this library directly in your plugin. This library implements both MT API Integrator methods (translate and retrieve-supported-languages) for both eTranslation and Generic/custom MT providers. After integrating this library into your new plugin, you can adjust any code as needed.
  1. Create Settings Page Establish a settings page for your WEB-T integration to:
  • Configure MT provider information (credentials, URL).
  • Utilize or configure additional features that have been implemented (e.g., pre-translation).
  1. Develop Setup Guide and User Instructions
  2. Contact the WEB-T Developer Team Reach out to the WEB-T developer team to validate and include your plugin in the WEB-T ecosystem.

 

Advantages of a full Integration plugin

  • Simplified setup and usage: All interactions occur within the CMS, making the plugin setup and usage straightforward.
  • Tailored workflow and features: Customize the workflow and features to align with the specific needs of your CMS. For instance, you can integrate it to collaborate with other localization plugins or utilize CMS-specific localization features.

2. Create a hybrid Integration WEB-T plugin

To develop a hybrid integration WEB-T plugin for your CMS, follow these steps:

  1. In your CMS developer documentation, locate instructions for including JavaScript code into every frontend page through an extension. Create an extension that incorporates the Universal plugin JS module available at Universal Plugin Module.
  2. Refer to the module's README file to generate a module initialization script. Embed this script in every frontend page after the module has loaded.
  3. Establish a settings page for the new WEB-T extension:
  • Create a settings form to store user-specified values for the Translation Hub URL and Client ID field configuration.
  • Update the JS module initialization script to retrieve these values from the configuration.
  1. Produce a setup guide and user instructions for your plugin.
  2. Reach out to the WEB-T developer team to validate and include your plugin in the WEB-T ecosystem.

 

Advantages of a hybrid Integration plugin:

  • Simplified development and maintenance: Hybrid plugins are typically lightweight and streamlined since core features reside within the Translation Hub.
  • Familiar workflow: The workflow and usage of core features remain consistent across all WEB-T hybrid plugins and the universal plugin.

If you require assistance in developing a WEB-T plugin for your CMS, please get in touch with the WEB-T Helpdesk.

WEB-T Helpdesk