Which Language is Shown to Visitors?

The language for visitors can be selected and managed in different ways in EPiServer CMS. There are primarily three basic factors that control which language is shown: the default language, the address or the browser’s language.

When you manage the languages, you can enter the prefix a language will have. This means that you add the prefix to the address to be able to see the relevant language. If you do not provide a prefix, the language’s language code (key) will work as a prefix. If, for example, you want to view the Swedish page of a website that is normally English, you can enter the address www.company.com/sv. The Swedish homepage then appears, provided there is a homepage available.

It is possible to show languages based upon the visitor’s browser settings. For this to work, the function must be activated.

Activate detection via the browser’s language

1. Select System Settings on the Config tab.
2. Select the General tab.
3. Select the Detect language via browser's language preference check box.
4. Click Save.

With this function, the languages that are chosen as the default languages in the visitor’s browser will be shown first. This is a setting that every visitor can manage themselves. There are also different programmable properties that can control which language is displayed, for example, a cookie. It is normal for templates to contain a functionality where the visitor can choose the language and for this choice to be stored as a cookie so that the visitor doesn’t need to choose the language on their next visit.