multi-language images and urls / language-alternate fields

[nurkka]

Hi everybody,

in another post some weeks ago @ryan mentioned that the language-alternate fields were deprecated and that he doesn't expect many will ever use them. 

As I am using language-alternate fields for image-fields and url-fields, I wonder if there is any other, non-deprecated solution?

Thanks and best regards

[BillH]

Yes, I noticed that too in the post https://processwire.com/talk/topic/26947-craft-cms-and-processwire-– a-comparison/?do=findComment&comment=222902 (I assume this is the one you mean), although the exact statement is "borderline deprecated".

I too was going to comment because language alternate fields are really useful and I make good use them.

It's not just image fields, but other non-text field types. For example, there might be a checkbox that can take values specific to each language, or a localized URL for each language, or different attached files (e.g. PDFs in each language). In general, language-alternative fields become really valuable when producing different versions of output for each language, rather than simply having translations of text.

Another purpose for which language-alternate fields can be better, even for text fields, is when building interfaces and outputs for translators - for example, if in the admin one needs to display versions of text in different languages side by side, or grouped in fieldsets by language.

So from me it's a big vote for keeping language-alternative fields undeprecated!