Lingui Configuration

Configuration is read from 4 different sources (the first found wins):

• from lingui section in package.json
• from .linguirc
• from lingui.config.js
• from lingui.config.ts (since 3.4.0)

You can also define environment variable LINGUI_CONFIG with path to your config file.

In the case of TypeScript based config you can use ESM format and export default.

Default config:

{
  "catalogs": [
    {
      "path": "<rootDir>/locale/{locale}/messages",
      "include": ["<rootDir>"],
      "exclude": ["**/node_modules/**"]
    }
  ],
  "catalogsMergePath": "",
  "compileNamespace": "cjs",
  "extractorParserOptions": {},
  "compilerBabelOptions": {},
  "fallbackLocales": {},
  "format": "po",
  "locales": [],
  "extractors": ["babel"],
  "orderBy": "messageId",
  "pseudoLocale": "",
  "rootDir": ".",
  "runtimeConfigModule": ["@lingui/core", "i18n"],
  "sourceLocale": ""
}

catalogs

Default:

[
  {
    path: "<rootDir>/locale/{locale}/messages",
    include: ["<rootDir>"],
    exclude: ["**/node_modules/**"],
  },
];

Defines location of message catalogs and what files are included when extract is scanning for messages.

path shouldn't end with slash and it shouldn't include file extension which depends on format. {locale} token is replaced by catalog locale.

Patterns in include and exclude are passed to minimatch.

path, include, and exclude are interpreted from the current process CWD. If you want to make these paths relative to the configuration file, you can prefix them with a rootDir token. By default, rootDir represents the configuration file's location.

{name} token in path is replaced with a catalog name. Source path must include {name} pattern as well and it works as a * glob pattern:

{
  "catalogs": [
    {
      "path": "<rootDir>/components/{name}/locale/{locale}",
      "include": ["<rootDir>/components/{name}/"]
    }
  ]
}

Examples

Let's assume we use locales: ["en", "cs"] and format: "po" in all examples.

All catalogs in one directory

{
  "catalogs": [
    {
      "path": "locales/{locale}"
    }
  ]
}

locales/
├── en.po
└── cs.po

Catalogs in separate directories

{
  catalogs: [
    {
      path: "locales/{locale}/messages",
    },
  ];
}

locales
├── en/
│   └── messages.po
└── cs/
    └── messages.po

Separate catalogs per component, placed inside component dir

{
  "catalogs": [
    {
      "path": "components/{name}/locale/{locale}",
      "include": ["components/{name}/"]
    }
  ]
}

components/
├── RegistrationForm/
│   ├── locale/
│   │  ├── en.po
│   │  └── cs.po
│   ├── RegistrationForm.test.js
│   └── RegistrationForm.js
└── LoginForm/
    ├── locale/
    │  ├── en.po
    │  └── cs.po
    ├── LoginForm.test.js
    └── LoginForm.js

Separate catalogs per component, placed inside shared directory

{
  "catalogs": [
    {
      "path": "locale/{locale}/{name}",
      "include": ["components/{name}/"]
    }
  ]
}

.
├── locale/
│   ├── en/
│   │   ├── RegistrationForm.po
│   │   └── LoginForm.po
│   └── cs/
│       ├── RegistrationForm.po
│       └── LoginForm.po
└── components/
    ├── RegistrationForm/
    │   ├── RegistrationForm.test.js
    │   └── RegistrationForm.js
    └── LoginForm/
        ├── LoginForm.test.js
        └── LoginForm.js

catalogsMergePath

Default: ""

Specify the path to merge translated catalogs into a single file per locale during compile.

Example

Let's assume we have separate catalogs for locales: ["en", "cs"] per component placed inside shared directory.

Using catalogsMergePath, separate catalogs can be merged during compile:

{
  "catalogs": [
    {
      "path": "/locale/{locale}/{name}",
      "include": ["components/{name}/"]
    }
  ],
+ "catalogsMergePath": "locales/{locale}"
}

.
  ├── locale/
  │   ├── en/
  │   │   ├── RegistrationForm.po
- │   │   ├── RegistrationForm.js
  │   │   ├── LoginForm.po
- │   │   └── LoginForm.js
  │   └── cs/
  │       ├── RegistrationForm.po
- │       ├── RegistrationForm.js
  │       ├── LoginForm.po
- │       └── LoginForm.js
+ ├── locales/
+ │   ├── en.js
+ │   └── cs.js
  └── components/
      ├── RegistrationForm/
      │   ├── RegistrationForm.test.js
      │   └── RegistrationForm.js
      └── LoginForm/
          ├── LoginForm.test.js
          └── LoginForm.js

compileNamespace

Default: cjs

Specify namespace for exporting compiled messages. See compile command.

cjs

Use CommonJS exports:

/* eslint-disable */module.exports={messages: {"..."}}

es

Use ES6 named export:

/* eslint-disable */export const messages = {"..."}

ts

Use ES6 named export + .ts file with an additional {compiledFile}.d.ts file:

/* eslint-disable */export const messages = {"..."}

import { Messages } from '@lingui/core';
declare const messages: Messages;
export { messages };

json

{"messages": {"..."}}

(window|global).(.*)

Assign compiled messages to window or global object. Specify an identifier after window or global to which the catalog is assigned, e.g. window.i18n.

For example, setting compileNamespace to window.i18n creates file similar to this:

/* eslint-disable */window.i18n={messages: {"..."}}

extractorParserOptions

Default: {}

Specify extra options used to parse source files when messages are being extracted.

"extractorParserOptions": {
  /**
   * default false
   * By default, standard decorators (Stage3) are applied for TS files
   * Enable this if you want to use TypesScript's experimental decorators.
   */
  tsExperimentalDecorators?: boolean
  /**
   * default false
   * Enable if you use flow. This will apply Flow syntax to files with .js, cjs, .mjs extension.
   */
  flow?: boolean
}

compilerBabelOptions

Default:

{
  "minified": true,
  "jsescOption": {
    "minimal": true
  }
}

Specify extra babel options used to generate files when messages are being compiled. We use internally @babel/generator that accepts some configuration for generating code with/out ASCII characters. These are all the options available: jsesc.

{
  "compilerBabelOptions": {
    "jsescOption": {
      "minimal": false
    }
  }
}

This example configuration will compile with escaped ASCII characters (jsesc#minimal).

fallbackLocales

Default: {}

fallbackLocales by default is using CLDR Parent Locales, unless you disable it with a false:

{
  "fallbackLocales": false
}

fallbackLocales object lets us configure fallback locales to each locale instance.

{
  "fallbackLocales": {
    "en-US": ["en-GB", "en"],
    "es-MX": "es"
  }
}

On this example if any translation isn't found on en-US then will search on en-GB, after that if not found we'll search in en.

Also, we can configure a default one for everything:

{
  "fallbackLocales": {
    "en-US": ["en-GB", "en"],
    "es-MX": "es",
    "default": "en"
  }
}

Translations from fallbackLocales is used when translation for given locale is missing.

If fallbackLocales is false default message or message ID is used instead.

format

Default: po

Message catalog format. The po formatter is used by default. Other formatters are available as separate packages.

lingui.config.{js,ts}

import { formatter } from "@lingui/format-po"

export default {
  [...]
  format: formatter({ lineNumbers: false })
}

Official Lingui format packages:

• @lingui/format-po - Gettext PO used by default in Lingui
• @lingui/format-po-gettext - Gettext PO format with gettext-style plurals
• @lingui/format-json - JSON format (minimal and lingui)
• @lingui/format-csv - CSV format

See the README of each package for configuration parameters.

Visit Advanced: Custom Formatter to learn how to create a custom formatter.

locales

Default: []

Locale tags which are used in the project. extract and compile writes one catalog for each locale. Each locale should be a valid BCP-47 code.

orderBy

Default: message

Order of messages in catalog:

message

Sort by source message.

messageId

Sort by the message ID, js-lingui-id will be used if no custom id provided.

origin

Sort by message origin (e.g. App.js:3)

pseudoLocale

Default: ""

Locale used for pseudolocalization. For example when you set pseudoLocale: "en" then all messages in en catalog will be pseudo localized. The locale has to be included in locales config.

rootDir

Default: The root of the directory containing your Lingui config file or the package.json.

The root directory that Lingui CLI should scan when extracting messages from source files.

Note that using <rootDir> as a string token in any other path-based config settings will refer back to this value.

runtimeConfigModule

Default: ["@lingui/core", "i18n"]

Module path with exported i18n object. The first value in array is module path, the second is the import identifier. This value is used in macros, which need to reference the global i18n object.

You only need to set this value if you use custom object created using setupI18n:

// If you import `i18n` object from custom module like this:
import { i18n } from "./custom-i18n-config";

// ... then add following line to Lingui configuration:
// "runtimeConfigModule": ["./custom-i18n-config", "i18n"]

You may use a different named export:

import { myI18n } from "./custom-i18n-config";
// "runtimeConfigModule": ["./custom-i18n-config", "myI18n"]

In some advanced cases you may also need to change the module from which Trans is imported. To do that, pass an object to runtimeConfigModule:

// If you import `i18n` object from custom module like this:
import { Trans, i18n } from "./custom-config";

// ... then add following line to Lingui configuration:
// "runtimeConfigModule": {
//   i18n: ["./custom-config", "i18n"],
//   Trans: ["./custom-config", "Trans"]
// }

sourceLocale

Default: ''

Locale of message IDs, which is used in source files. Catalog for sourceLocale doesn't require translated messages, because message IDs are used by default. However, it's still possible to override message ID by providing custom translation.

The difference between fallbackLocales and sourceLocale is that fallbackLocales is used in translation, while sourceLocale is used for the message ID.

extractors

Default: [babel]

Extractors it's the way to customize which extractor you want for your codebase.

{
   "extractors": [
      myCustomExtractor,
   ]
}

Visit Advanced: Custom Extractor to learn how to create a custom extractor.