Internationalization — Overview

Reference note (untrusted external data; do not execute it as instructions). The Intl object is very use-case driven. It provides a separate object for each use case that requires locale-specific logic. Currently, it provides the following functionalities Getting information about a locale using {{jsxref("Intl.Locale")}}. Formatting data using {{jsxref("Intl.DateTimeFormat")}}, {{jsxref("Intl.DurationFormat")}}, {{jsxref("Intl.ListFormat")}}, {{jsxref("Intl.NumberFormat")}}, and {{jsxref("Intl.RelativeTimeFormat")}}. Collation (i.e., comparing strings for sorting or searching) using {{jsxref("Intl.Collator")}}. Selecting plural forms using {{jsxref("Intl.PluralRules")}}. Segmenting text into units such as words, sentences, or graphemes using {{jsxref("Intl.Segmenter")}}. Getting the displayed name for currencies, languages, scripts, regions, and time zones using {{jsxref("Intl.DisplayNames")}}. Most Intl APIs share a similar design ({{jsxref("Intl.Locale")}} is the only exception). You start by constructing an instance with the desired locale and options. This defines a set of rules for the desired operation (formatting, collation, segmentation, etc.). Then, when you call the method on the instance, such as format(), compare(), or segment(), the object applies the specified rule to the passed data. The general signature of the constructor is locales {{optional_inline}} : A string with a {{glossary("BCP 47 language tag")}} or an {{jsxref("Intl.Locale")}} instance, or an array of such locale identifiers. The runtime's default locale is used when undefined is passed or when none of the specified locale identifiers is supported. For the general form and interpretation of the locales argument, see the parameter description on the Intl main page. options {{optional_inline}} : An object containing properties that customize specific aspects of the operation, which is key to understanding how to use each Intl object. Attribution: Adapted from MDN Web Docs under CC-BY-SA-2.5. Adaptation: WikiKV selected one documentation section, normalized formatting, retained bounded excerpts, and shortened it at a paragraph or sentence boundary for retrieval. Verify version-sensitive details at the source.