# Variable default interface language for new users
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741
**Category:** Feature
**Created:** [September 25, 2015, 11:38am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741 "2015-09-25T11:38:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@simon](https://meta.discourse.org/u/simon)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/21 "2015-11-17T16:50:45Z")
Weird, are you setting your language with something like this?
I have found sometimes the ordering on the Chrome language selector doesn’t stick where it should.
---
### Author:  [@simon](https://meta.discourse.org/u/simon)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2015, 10:11pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/22 "2015-11-17T22:11:03Z")
If it’s still not working could you check what the `Accept-Language` parameters are? In chrome, right-click on the page, select `Inspect Element`. On the window that pops up select `Network` and then click on one of the `poll` requests from the left-hand menu. It should look something like this:
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### Author:  [@Conor\_O\_Rourke](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Conor_O_Rourke)
#### Post date: [November 24, 2015, 10:25am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/23 "2015-11-24T10:25:47Z")
OK, I see the problem, which is that the browser had preserved some of its language settings, but not all of them. Any way to have this detect system/OS language?
edit: thanks for all the troubleshooting help BTW, it’s really incredible
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### Author:  [@simon](https://meta.discourse.org/u/simon)
#### Post date: [November 25, 2015, 3:35am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/24 "2015-11-25T03:35:20Z")
> [@Conor\_O\_Rourke](#):
>
> Any way to have this detect system/OS language?
I don’t think so.
If you’re using this in production, make sure to update to the latest version. In the previous version it was throwing an error if the accept-language header wasn’t set.
[https://github.com/scossar/accept-language](https://github.com/scossar/accept-language)
---
### Author:  [@rriemann](https://meta.discourse.org/u/rriemann)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/25 "2016-01-31T15:55:50Z")
Nice to have such a plugin. Would you mind to post the link once again to the category section or move this topic to the plugin category? 🙂
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### Author:  [@simon](https://meta.discourse.org/u/simon)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2016, 9:46pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/26 "2016-01-31T21:46:24Z")
There’s some talk about adding something like this to the Discourse core. Most of the major sites I look at (facebook, twitter, google etc.) are doing something similar. One difference is that they seem to be overriding the http headers if a user’s locale has been set in a cookie.
If nothing is happening with this I will post it to the plugins category.
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### Author:  [@gerhard](https://meta.discourse.org/u/gerhard)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/27 "2016-01-31T22:01:02Z")
It would be great if this could be included in core. 👍
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [February 1, 2016, 3:21am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/28 "2016-02-01T03:21:08Z")
@erlend_sh can you confirm with @simon the plan here? Would love to fund this work with the Mozilla grant.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2016, 3:10am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/29 "2016-03-04T03:10:54Z")
Ok I pinged @zogstrip to look at the two outstanding PRs here if they are ready @simon.
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### Author:  [@zogstrip](https://meta.discourse.org/u/zogstrip)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2016, 8:13am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/30 "2016-03-04T08:13:39Z")
Just merged both PRs. Thanks @simon 👍
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2016, 12:19pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/31 "2016-03-04T12:19:33Z")
I just refined this a bit:
[https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/759803708077dc061ec4449395abb3505486e4fd](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/759803708077dc061ec4449395abb3505486e4fd)
This gem was injecting extra middleware and adding stuff on our application controller. I changed it so it has no impact for users not using the feature.
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### Author:  [@schungx](https://meta.discourse.org/u/schungx)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2017, 2:58am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/32 "2017-09-26T02:58:53Z")
Seems that not all of @simon’s code gets merged into core.
For example, the current:
>
where `effective_locale` is:
>
is missing certain features from @simon’s original plugin code:
>
In particular, this part:
```plaintext
elsif SiteSetting.accept_language_overrides_default_locale
I18n.locale = locale_from_http_header
```
So, in other words, a logged in user does not get this auto-language-detection benefit.
@simon’s plugin has not been updated for 2 years and I’m not sure how well it works with the current Discourse version… otherwise it would be perfect.
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### Author:  [@simon](https://meta.discourse.org/u/simon)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2017, 3:25am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/33 "2017-09-26T03:25:10Z")
> [@schungx](#):
>
> So, in other words, a logged in user does not get this auto-language-detection benefit.
That’s intentional. If ‘allow user locale’ is also enabled, the user’s locale will be set when they register, so it will be set from the accept language header.
---
### Author:  [@schungx](https://meta.discourse.org/u/schungx)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2017, 3:27am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/34 "2017-09-26T03:27:14Z")
Are you sure? Because I’ve seen _ALL_ my users’ interface language being `default`. Only a few of them knew to change it in profile.
And they all came from invites, not public registration. I’m pretty sure it only asked for:
1. username
2. nickname
3. password
when they first sign on.
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### Author:  [@simon](https://meta.discourse.org/u/simon)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2017, 3:36am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/35 "2017-09-26T03:36:46Z")
> [@schungx](#):
>
> Are you sure?
Yes, it should work that way when both ‘allow user locale’ and ‘set locale from accept language header’ are enabled. I just tested it with my browser’s preferred language set to french, and it created a user with their preferred locale set to french.
> [@schungx](#):
>
> And they all came from invites, not public registration.
That will be the problem.
---
### Author:  [@schungx](https://meta.discourse.org/u/schungx)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2017, 3:44am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/36 "2017-09-26T03:44:32Z")
> [@simon](#):
>
> That will be the problem.
Yes, the invite sign-on form seems to be different from the public sign-up…
This is the invite sign-on when creating a user:
>
Language is not specified.
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### Author:  [@simon](https://meta.discourse.org/u/simon)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2017, 3:50am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/37 "2017-09-26T03:50:22Z")
The locale isn’t on the signup form. I haven’t looked at the code for a while, but from what I remember, it’s set from the `locale`. This means that if the locale has been set from the header, that locale will be set for the user.
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### Author:  [@schungx](https://meta.discourse.org/u/schungx)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2017, 3:52am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/38 "2017-09-26T03:52:22Z")
> [@simon](#):
>
> from what I remember, it’s set from the effective\_locale.
Yes, but `effective_locale` has nothing to do with the `accept-language` header. Evident from this code:
>
---
### Author:  [@simon](https://meta.discourse.org/u/simon)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2017, 3:58am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/39 "2017-09-26T03:58:32Z")
> [@schungx](#):
>
> Yes, but effective\_locale has nothing to do with the accept-language header.
Sorry, I edited my post. It’s set from the locale, which is set from the header.
---
### Author:  [@schungx](https://meta.discourse.org/u/schungx)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2017, 4:00am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741/40 "2017-09-26T04:00:25Z")
Nope. I don’t think so. At least not for `invite.redeem`.
Check this:
>
Maybe for new user sign-up.
[Previous page](https://meta.discourse.org/t/variable-default-interface-language-for-new-users/33741.md?page=1)
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