Hi,
I used to have Tsooj MMedia RWML 2.0.0 and use it without problems with FormLoom3
Now that I have switched to FormLoom4, it doesn’t work anymore.
Did someone succeed in using it?
I tried the new RWML 2.2.0 from Stacks4Stacks instead, but it looks like it’s not working the same way at all and the Stacks RWML Contact Form stack has been removed, it’s gone. Besides, I have to redo absolutely all of my pages as it looks like now RWML is not compatible at all with 2.0.0
So I have no clue on how to use it with FormLoom4.
Or any RWML 2.2.0 user could recommend a Form stack that works along RWML and tell me how to link the contact form to RWML so I can have multiple languages?
RWML 2.x (S4S implementation) works on a different principle than RWML 1.x (from Tsooj Media). Generally, it is now much improved over the old implementation (I have used both).
As Yabdab explains, there is no integration between RWML and FormLoom.
You can probably still achieve multi-lingual capabilities by using an equivalent form stack from S4S.
As mentioned already correctly by @Rovertek, there are huge changes between RWML v1 and v2.
RWML v1 was largely Javascript based. It relied on blocks of content having lang="xx" attributes applied, and then a somewhat clunky method of switching the content client side. I’m not dissing previous versions of RWML. At the time v1 was released, that was about the only way of accomplishing this within the limitations of web servers and web browsers at the time. It was still ground-breaking stuff, even back then.
Fast-forward 10 years, and RWML has been updated. RWML v2 now uses PHP to control the content shown server-side. Much more efficient, secure and reliable. But a downside is that it may break some complicated stacks.
The form stacks Mike makes are brilliant. RW users are really privileged to have these wonderful form stacks by @yabdab and @barchard (speaking after I was up to 3am this morning trying to resolve horrendous form bugs in a Wordpress website). But in a modular setup like RW, sometimes things just don’t work together for whatever reasons.
@sjordi One possible workaround to try is to have your FormLoom v4 stacks on multiple webpages - one for each language. Then use the RWML Redirect stack to send your website users to the desired form, based on their selected language.
This method ensures you can fully translate the entire form interface and control where it gets sent. Plus it will avoid conflicts if multiple forms don’t like being on the same page or don’t like to be conditionally hidden / shown by RWML. Please give it a try - it might work very well for you.
As a side note, I see lots of websites that people make with RWML. Nearly everyone seems to prefer using RWML to build separate websites or webpages for each language - instead of switching languages within the pages themselves. I think for reasons of compatibility and improved SEO (being able to fully translate all meta data, page titles and URLs). For new-build multilingual websites, I think I would recommend the same build method.
Hi all,
Thanks for your comments.
I totally understand the past and new lives of RWML. I’m myself a software developer and know the whole product lifetime cycle stuff as well as what is going on hidden under the hood.
I checked everything now and lost a whole week trying to convert just one of my former websites to the new RWML and I gave up. For just one website, it took a week. For nothing, as I’m back to what it was before. At least I tried.
I might use RWML for new sites, it’s powerful, but all my existing sites are lost since nothing can be moved from 2.0.0 to 2.2.0, so I lose everything and have to start over each and every stack.
Also “RWML Switch” I used to display flags (icons) to select languages is also gone now and I don’t want to use a menu-like to switch languages.
As said I can use icons and redirects, but that’s exactly where I don’t want to go: as many pages as languages, breaking the point of having a tool like RWML just to avoid doing so. But that’s right, SEO would probably be more efficient with one page per language and without RWML.
For now I found a way, on one Macbook I’m going to create new sites, with or without RWML, multiple pages, and on the other Macbook I keep RWML 2.0.0 and FormLoom3 (not 4) so they keep working together for maintaining existing websites. That link was made through PlusKit that was able to submit the FormLoom stack to RWML. Kind of artificial and dangerous juggling between stacks anyway.
Yes, I have seen that the Switch is available but deprecated, I will not use it in further websites.
Regarding side by side, no it’s not possible. I have to uncheck either one and check the other to switch to which RWML I want to use. But my solutions with my two MacBooks is fine for now.
Thanks all for your help anyway.
And have a wonderful, covid-free, end of year time and a new 2021 year that suits your expecations.
Or even easier, use any image stack of your choice and set the image as a link to ?lang="xx" where xx is the language code. This is already documented on the website:
But as we’ve droned-on and said time and time again on repeat, using flags to represent languages is considered bad practice nowadays. It can confuse and discriminate website users:
That’s why an executive decision was made to remove support for flag-based language switchers in RWML v2. But if you want to go against what the experts say, then it’s certainly still achievable to use flag images as language switchers.
From what I have determined in email communications privately with @sjordi, he made the mistake of continuing to use a Beta / pre release of RWML v2 that was previously developed and code-signed by Tsooj Media (the previous developer of RWML). Therefore there is no automatic upgrade path available for him and I don’t think he can mix different versions on the same computer. Ordinarily, yes, you can have both RWML v1 and v2 installed simultaneously.
My own reasoning in this matter is this: if I would use British-English language, I would show British flag, but if I’d use American-English language, I’d show the U.S. flag.
I use the compromise and I think it is reasonable: below each flag in my website there’s a word in that language, so that people don’t get confused.
My method does not preclude British viewers from using the website. It simply indicates that the American version of English language is used in the website. I can’t imagine how that can be misconstrued as discrimination. Political correctness is fine, as long as one doesn’t overdo it. Sometimes, though, it looks like a nonsense to me (just as a lot of things based in politics do)…
