Creation:2026-01-30Last update:2026-01-30

    Documentation: t Function in adonis-intlayer

    The t function in the adonis-intlayer package is the core utility for providing localized responses in your AdonisJS application. It simplifies internationalization (i18n) by dynamically selecting content based on the user's preferred language.


    Overview

    The t function is used to define and retrieve translations for a given set of languages. It automatically determines the appropriate language to return based on the client's request settings, such as the Accept-Language header. If the preferred language is unavailable, it gracefully falls back to the default locale specified in your configuration.


    Key Features

    • Dynamic Localization: Automatically selects the most appropriate translation for the client.
    • Fallback to Default Locale: Falls back to a default locale if the client's preferred language isn't available, ensuring continuity in user experience.
    • Asynchronous Context: Works seamlessly within the AdonisJS request lifecycle using Async Local Storage.
    • TypeScript Support: Enforce type safety for your translations.

    Function Signature

    typescript
    t(translations: Record<string, any>): any;

    Parameters

    • translations: An object where the keys are locale codes (e.g., en, fr, es) and the values are the corresponding translated content.

    Returns

    • The content representing the client's preferred language.

    Loading the Middleware

    To ensure that the t function works correctly, you must register the intlayer middleware in your AdonisJS application.

    start/kernel.ts
    router.use([() => import("adonis-intlayer/middleware")]);

    Usage Examples

    Basic Example

    start/routes.ts
    import router from "@adonisjs/core/services/router";import { t } from "adonis-intlayer";router.get("/", async () => {  return t({    en: "Welcome!",    fr: "Bienvenue!",    es: "¡Bienvenido!",  });});

    Usage in Controllers

    app/controllers/example_controller.ts
    import type { HttpContext } from "@adonisjs/core/http";import { t } from "adonis-intlayer";export default class ExampleController {  async index({ response }: HttpContext) {    return response.send(      t({        en: "Hello from controller",        fr: "Bonjour depuis le contrôleur",      })    );  }}

    Advanced Topics

    Fallback Mechanism

    If a preferred locale is unavailable, the t function will fallback to the default locale defined in your intlayer.config.ts.

    typescript
    import { Locales, type IntlayerConfig } from "intlayer";const config: IntlayerConfig = {  internationalization: {    locales: [      Locales.ENGLISH,      Locales.RUSSIAN,      Locales.JAPANESE,      Locales.FRENCH,      Locales.KOREAN,      Locales.CHINESE,      Locales.SPANISH,      Locales.GERMAN,      Locales.ARABIC,      Locales.ITALIAN,      Locales.ENGLISH_UNITED_KINGDOM,      Locales.PORTUGUESE,      Locales.HINDI,      Locales.TURKISH,      Locales.POLISH,      Locales.INDONESIAN,      Locales.VIETNAMESE,      Locales.UKRAINIAN,    ],    defaultLocale: Locales.ENGLISH,  },};export default config;

    TypeScript Integration

    The t function is type-safe when used with defined dictionaries. For more details, refer to the TypeScript documentation.