Globalization
This plugin obtains information and performs operations specific to the user's locale, language, and timezone. Note the difference between locale and language: locale controls how numbers, dates, and times are displayed for a region, while language determines what language text appears as, independently of locale settings. Often developers use locale to set both settings, but there is no reason a user couldn't set her language to "English" but locale to "French", so that text is displayed in English but dates, times, etc., are displayed as they are in France. Unfortunately, most mobile platforms currently do not make a distinction between these settings.
This plugin defines global navigator.globalization
object.
Although in the global scope, it is not available until after the deviceready
event.
document.addEventListener("deviceready", onDeviceReady, false);
function onDeviceReady() {
console.log(navigator.globalization);
}
Report issues with this plugin on the Apache Cordova issue tracker
Installation
cordova plugin add cordova-plugin-globalization
Objects
- GlobalizationError
Methods
- navigator.globalization.getPreferredLanguage
- navigator.globalization.getLocaleName
- navigator.globalization.dateToString
- navigator.globalization.stringToDate
- navigator.globalization.getDatePattern
- navigator.globalization.getDateNames
- navigator.globalization.isDayLightSavingsTime
- navigator.globalization.getFirstDayOfWeek
- navigator.globalization.numberToString
- navigator.globalization.stringToNumber
- navigator.globalization.getNumberPattern
- navigator.globalization.getCurrencyPattern
navigator.globalization.getPreferredLanguage
Get the BCP 47 language tag for the client's current language.
navigator.globalization.getPreferredLanguage(successCallback, errorCallback);
Description
Returns the BCP-47 compliant language identifier tag to the successCallback
with a properties
object as a parameter. That object should have a value
property with a String
value.
If there is an error getting the language, then the errorCallback
executes with a GlobalizationError
object as a parameter. The error's expected code is GlobalizationError.UNKNOWN_ERROR
.
Supported Platforms
- Amazon Fire OS
- Android
- BlackBerry 10
- Firefox OS
- iOS
- Windows Phone 8
- Windows
- Browser
Example
When the browser is set to the en-US
language, this should display a popup dialog with the text language: en-US
:
navigator.globalization.getPreferredLanguage(
function (language) {alert('language: ' + language.value + '\n');},
function () {alert('Error getting language\n');}
);
Android Quirks
- Returns the ISO 639-1 two-letter language code, upper case ISO 3166-1 country code and variant separated by hyphens. Examples: "en", "en-US", "US"
Windows Phone 8 Quirks
- Returns the ISO 639-1 two-letter language code and ISO 3166-1 country code of the regional variant corresponding to the "Language" setting, separated by a hyphen.
- Note that the regional variant is a property of the "Language" setting and not determined by the unrelated "Country/Region" setting on Windows Phone.
Windows Quirks
- Returns the ISO 639-1 two-letter language code and ISO 3166-1 country code of the regional variant corresponding to the "Language" setting, separated by a hyphen.
Browser Quirks
- Falls back on getLocaleName
navigator.globalization.getLocaleName
Returns the BCP 47 compliant tag for the client's current locale setting.
navigator.globalization.getLocaleName(successCallback, errorCallback);
Description
Returns the BCP 47 compliant locale identifier string to the successCallback
with a properties
object as a parameter. That object should have a value
property with a String
value. The locale tag will consist of a two-letter lower case language code, two-letter upper case country code, and (unspecified) variant code, separated by a hyphen.
If there is an error getting the locale, then the errorCallback
executes with a GlobalizationError
object as a parameter. The error's expected code is GlobalizationError.UNKNOWN_ERROR
.
Supported Platforms
- Amazon Fire OS
- Android
- BlackBerry 10
- Firefox OS
- iOS
- Windows Phone 8
- Windows
- Browser
Example
When the browser is set to the en-US
locale, this displays a popup dialog with the text locale: en-US
.
navigator.globalization.getLocaleName(
function (locale) {alert('locale: ' + locale.value + '\n');},
function () {alert('Error getting locale\n');}
);
Android Quirks
- Java does not distinguish between a set "langauge" and set "locale," so this method is essentially the same as
navigator.globalization.getPreferredLanguage()
.
Windows Phone 8 Quirks
- Returns the ISO 639-1 two-letter language code and ISO 3166-1 country code of the regional variant corresponding to the "Regional Format" setting, separated by a hyphen.
Windows Quirks
- Locale setting can be changed in Control Panel -> Clock, Language and Region -> Region -> Formats -> Format, and in Settings -> Region -> Regional Format on Windows Phone 8.1.
Browser Quirks
- IE returns the locale of operating system. Chrome and Firefox return browser language tag.
navigator.globalization.dateToString
Returns a date formatted as a string according to the client's locale and timezone.
navigator.globalization.dateToString(date, successCallback, errorCallback, options);
Description
Returns the formatted date String
via a value
property accessible from the object passed as a parameter to the successCallback
.
The inbound date
parameter should be of type Date
.
If there is an error formatting the date, then the errorCallback
executes with a GlobalizationError
object as a parameter. The error's expected code is GlobalizationError.FORMATTING_ERROR
.
The options
parameter is optional, and its default values are:
{formatLength:'short', selector:'date and time'}
The options.formatLength
can be short
, medium
, long
, or full
.
The options.selector
can be date
, time
or date and time
.
Supported Platforms
- Amazon Fire OS
- Android
- BlackBerry 10
- Firefox OS
- iOS
- Windows Phone 8
- Windows
- Browser
Example
If the browser is set to the en_US
locale, this displays a popup dialog with text similar to date: 9/25/2012 4:21PM
using the default options:
navigator.globalization.dateToString(
new Date(),
function (date) { alert('date: ' + date.value + '\n'); },
function () { alert('Error getting dateString\n'); },
{ formatLength: 'short', selector: 'date and time' }
);
Android Quirks
formatLength
options are a subset of Unicode UTS #35. The default optionshort
depends on a user selected date format withinSettings -> System -> Date & time -> Choose date format
, which provide ayear
pattern only with 4 digits, not 2 digits. This means that it is not completely aligned with ICU.
Windows Phone 8 Quirks
The
formatLength
option supports onlyshort
andfull
values.The pattern for 'date and time' selector is always a full datetime format.
The returned value may be not completely aligned with ICU depending on a user locale.
Windows Quirks
The
formatLength
option supports onlyshort
andfull
values.The pattern for 'date and time' selector is always a full datetime format.
The returned value may be not completely aligned with ICU depending on a user locale.
Browser Quirks
Only 79 locales are supported because moment.js is used in this method.
The returned value may be not completely aligned with ICU depending on a user locale.
time
selector supportsfull
andshort
formatLength only.
Firefox OS Quirks
formatLength
is not distinguishinglong
andfull
- only one method of displaying date (no
long
orfull
version)
navigator.globalization.getCurrencyPattern
Returns a pattern string to format and parse currency values according to the client's user preferences and ISO 4217 currency code.
navigator.globalization.getCurrencyPattern(currencyCode, successCallback, errorCallback);
Description
Returns the pattern to the successCallback
with a properties
object as a parameter. That object should contain the following properties:
pattern: The currency pattern to format and parse currency values. The patterns follow Unicode Technical Standard #35. (String)
code: The ISO 4217 currency code for the pattern. (String)
fraction: The number of fractional digits to use when parsing and formatting currency. (Number)
rounding: The rounding increment to use when parsing and formatting. (Number)
decimal: The decimal symbol to use for parsing and formatting. (String)
grouping: The grouping symbol to use for parsing and formatting. (String)
The inbound currencyCode
parameter should be a String
of one of the ISO 4217 currency codes, for example 'USD'.
If there is an error obtaining the pattern, then the errorCallback
executes with a GlobalizationError
object as a parameter. The error's expected code is GlobalizationError.FORMATTING_ERROR
.
Supported Platforms
- Amazon Fire OS
- Android
- BlackBerry 10
- iOS
- Windows
Example
When the browser is set to the en_US
locale and the selected currency is United States Dollars, this example displays a popup dialog with text similar to the results that follow:
navigator.globalization.getCurrencyPattern(
'USD',
function (pattern) {
alert('pattern: ' + pattern.pattern + '\n' +
'code: ' + pattern.code + '\n' +
'fraction: ' + pattern.fraction + '\n' +
'rounding: ' + pattern.rounding + '\n' +
'decimal: ' + pattern.decimal + '\n' +
'grouping: ' + pattern.grouping);
},
function () { alert('Error getting pattern\n'); }
);
Expected result:
pattern: $#,##0.##;($#,##0.##)
code: USD
fraction: 2
rounding: 0
decimal: .
grouping: ,
Windows Quirks
- Only 'code' and 'fraction' properties are supported
navigator.globalization.getDateNames
Returns an array of the names of the months or days of the week, depending on the client's user preferences and calendar.
navigator.globalization.getDateNames(successCallback, errorCallback, options);
Description
Returns the array of names to the successCallback
with a properties
object as a parameter. That object contains a value
property with an Array
of String
values. The array features names starting from either the first month in the year or the first day of the week, depending on the option selected.
If there is an error obtaining the names, then the errorCallback
executes with a GlobalizationError
object as a parameter. The error's expected code is GlobalizationError.UNKNOWN_ERROR
.
The options
parameter is optional, and its default values are:
{type:'wide', item:'months'}
The value of options.type
can be narrow
or wide
.
The value of options.item
can be months
or days
.
Supported Platforms
- Amazon Fire OS
- Android
- BlackBerry 10
- Firefox OS
- iOS
- Windows Phone 8
- Windows
- Browser
Example
When the browser is set to the en_US
locale, this example displays a series of twelve popup dialogs, one per month, with text similar to month: January
:
navigator.globalization.getDateNames(
function (names) {
for (var i = 0; i < names.value.length; i++) {
alert('month: ' + names.value[i] + '\n');
}
},
function () { alert('Error getting names\n'); },
{ type: 'wide', item: 'months' }
);
Firefox OS Quirks
options.type
supports agenitive
value, important for some languages.
Windows Phone 8 Quirks
- The array of months contains 13 elements.
- The returned array may be not completely aligned with ICU depending on a user locale.
Windows Quirks
- The array of months contains 12 elements.
- The returned array may be not completely aligned with ICU depending on a user locale.
Browser Quirks
- Date names are not completely aligned with ICU.
- The array of months contains 12 elements.
navigator.globalization.getDatePattern
Returns a pattern string to format and parse dates according to the client's user preferences.
navigator.globalization.getDatePattern(successCallback, errorCallback, options);
Description
Returns the pattern to the successCallback
. The object passed in as a parameter contains the following properties:
pattern: The date and time pattern to format and parse dates. The patterns follow Unicode Technical Standard #35. (String)
timezone: The abbreviated name of the time zone on the client. (String)
utc_offset: The current difference in seconds between the client's time zone and coordinated universal time. (Number)
dst_offset: The current daylight saving time offset in seconds between the client's non-daylight saving's time zone and the client's daylight saving's time zone. (Number)
If there is an error obtaining the pattern, the errorCallback
executes with a GlobalizationError
object as a parameter. The error's expected code is GlobalizationError.PATTERN_ERROR
.
The options
parameter is optional, and defaults to the following values:
{formatLength:'short', selector:'date and time'}
The options.formatLength
can be short
, medium
, long
, or full
. The options.selector
can be date
, time
or date and time
.
Supported Platforms
- Amazon Fire OS
- Android
- BlackBerry 10
- iOS
- Windows Phone 8
- Windows
- Browser
Example
When the browser is set to the en_US
locale, this example displays a popup dialog with text such as pattern: M/d/yyyy h:mm a
:
function checkDatePattern() {
navigator.globalization.getDatePattern(
function (date) { alert('pattern: ' + date.pattern + '\n'); },
function () { alert('Error getting pattern\n'); },
{ formatLength: 'short', selector: 'date and time' }
);
}
Windows Phone 8 Quirks
The
formatLength
supports onlyshort
andfull
values.The
pattern
fordate and time
pattern returns only full datetime format.The
timezone
returns the full time zone name.The
dst_offset
property is not supported, and always returns zero.The pattern may be not completely aligned with ICU depending on a user locale.
Windows Quirks
The
formatLength
supports onlyshort
andfull
values.The
pattern
fordate and time
pattern returns only full datetime format.The
timezone
returns the full time zone name.The
dst_offset
property is not supported, and always returns zero.The pattern may be not completely aligned with ICU depending on a user locale.
Browser Quirks
The 'pattern' property is not supported and returns empty string.
Only Chrome returns 'timezone' property. Its format is "Part of the world/{City}". Other browsers return empty string.
navigator.globalization.getFirstDayOfWeek
Returns the first day of the week according to the client's user preferences and calendar.
navigator.globalization.getFirstDayOfWeek(successCallback, errorCallback);
Description
The days of the week are numbered starting from 1, where 1 is assumed to be Sunday. Returns the day to the successCallback
with a properties
object as a parameter. That object should have a value
property with a Number
value.
If there is an error obtaining the pattern, then the errorCallback
executes with a GlobalizationError
object as a parameter. The error's expected code is GlobalizationError.UNKNOWN_ERROR
.
Supported Platforms
- Amazon Fire OS
- Android
- BlackBerry 10
- Firefox OS
- iOS
- Windows Phone 8
- Windows
- Browser
Example
When the browser is set to the en_US
locale, this displays a popup dialog with text similar to day: 1
.
navigator.globalization.getFirstDayOfWeek(
function (day) {alert('day: ' + day.value + '\n');},
function () {alert('Error getting day\n');}
);
Windows Quirks
- On Windows 8.0/8.1 the value depends on user' calendar preferences. On Windows Phone 8.1 the value depends on current locale.
Browser Quirks
- Only 79 locales are supported because moment.js is used in this method.
navigator.globalization.getNumberPattern
Returns a pattern string to format and parse numbers according to the client's user preferences.
navigator.globalization.getNumberPattern(successCallback, errorCallback, options);
Description
Returns the pattern to the successCallback
with a properties
object as a parameter. That object contains the following properties:
pattern: The number pattern to format and parse numbers. The patterns follow Unicode Technical Standard #35. (String)
symbol: The symbol to use when formatting and parsing, such as a percent or currency symbol. (String)
fraction: The number of fractional digits to use when parsing and formatting numbers. (Number)
rounding: The rounding increment to use when parsing and formatting. (Number)
positive: The symbol to use for positive numbers when parsing and formatting. (String)
negative: The symbol to use for negative numbers when parsing and formatting. (String)
decimal: The decimal symbol to use for parsing and formatting. (String)
grouping: The grouping symbol to use for parsing and formatting. (String)
If there is an error obtaining the pattern, then the errorCallback
executes with a GlobalizationError
object as a parameter. The error's expected code is GlobalizationError.PATTERN_ERROR
.
The options
parameter is optional, and default values are:
{type:'decimal'}
The options.type
can be decimal
, percent
, or currency
.
Supported Platforms
- Amazon Fire OS
- Android
- BlackBerry 10
- iOS
- Windows Phone 8
- Windows
- Browser
Example
When the browser is set to the en_US
locale, this should display a popup dialog with text similar to the results that follow:
navigator.globalization.getNumberPattern(
function (pattern) {alert('pattern: ' + pattern.pattern + '\n' +
'symbol: ' + pattern.symbol + '\n' +
'fraction: ' + pattern.fraction + '\n' +
'rounding: ' + pattern.rounding + '\n' +
'positive: ' + pattern.positive + '\n' +
'negative: ' + pattern.negative + '\n' +
'decimal: ' + pattern.decimal + '\n' +
'grouping: ' + pattern.grouping);},
function () {alert('Error getting pattern\n');},
{type:'decimal'}
);
Results:
pattern: #,##0.###
symbol: .
fraction: 0
rounding: 0
positive:
negative: -
decimal: .
grouping: ,
Windows Phone 8 Quirks
The
pattern
property is not supported, and returns an empty string.The
fraction
property is not supported, and returns zero.
Windows Quirks
- The
pattern
property is not supported, and returns an empty string.
Browser Quirks
- getNumberPattern is supported in Chrome only; the only defined property is
pattern
.
navigator.globalization.isDayLightSavingsTime
Indicates whether daylight savings time is in effect for a given date using the client's time zone and calendar.
navigator.globalization.isDayLightSavingsTime(date, successCallback, errorCallback);
Description
Indicates whether or not daylight savings time is in effect to the successCallback
with a properties
object as a parameter. That object should have a dst
property with a Boolean
value. A true
value indicates that daylight savings time is in effect for the given date, and false
indicates that it is not.
The inbound parameter date
should be of type Date
.
If there is an error reading the date, then the errorCallback
executes. The error's expected code is GlobalizationError.UNKNOWN_ERROR
.
Supported Platforms
- Amazon Fire OS
- Android
- BlackBerry 10
- Firefox OS
- iOS
- Windows Phone 8
- Windows
- Browser
Example
During the summer, and if the browser is set to a DST-enabled timezone, this should display a popup dialog with text similar to dst: true
:
navigator.globalization.isDayLightSavingsTime(
new Date(),
function (date) {alert('dst: ' + date.dst + '\n');},
function () {alert('Error getting names\n');}
);
navigator.globalization.numberToString
Returns a number formatted as a string according to the client's user preferences.
navigator.globalization.numberToString(number, successCallback, errorCallback, options);
Description
Returns the formatted number string to the successCallback
with a properties
object as a parameter. That object should have a value
property with a String
value.
If there is an error formatting the number, then the errorCallback
executes with a GlobalizationError
object as a parameter. The error's expected code is GlobalizationError.FORMATTING_ERROR
.
The options
parameter is optional, and its default values are:
{type:'decimal'}
The options.type
can be decimal
, percent
, or currency
.
Supported Platforms
- Amazon Fire OS
- Android
- BlackBerry 10
- iOS
- Windows Phone 8
- Windows
- Browser
Example
When the browser is set to the en_US
locale, this displays a popup dialog with text similar to number: 3.142
:
navigator.globalization.numberToString(
3.1415926,
function (number) {alert('number: ' + number.value + '\n');},
function () {alert('Error getting number\n');},
{type:'decimal'}
);
Windows Quirks
Windows 8.0 does not support number rounding, therefore values will not be rounded automatically.
On Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 fractional part is being truncated instead of rounded in case of
percent
number type therefore fractional digits count is set to 0.percent
numbers are not grouped as they can't be parsed in stringToNumber if grouped.
Browser Quirks
currency
type is not supported.
navigator.globalization.stringToDate
Parses a date formatted as a string, according to the client's user preferences and calendar using the time zone of the client, and returns the corresponding date object.
navigator.globalization.stringToDate(dateString, successCallback, errorCallback, options);
Description
Returns the date to the success callback with a properties
object as a parameter. That object should have the following properties:
year: The four digit year. (Number)
month: The month from (0-11). (Number)
day: The day from (1-31). (Number)
hour: The hour from (0-23). (Number)
minute: The minute from (0-59). (Number)
second: The second from (0-59). (Number)
millisecond: The milliseconds (from 0-999), not available on all platforms. (Number)
The inbound dateString
parameter should be of type String
.
The options
parameter is optional, and defaults to the following values:
{formatLength:'short', selector:'date and time'}
The options.formatLength
can be short
, medium
, long
, or full
. The options.selector
can be date
, time
or date and time
.
If there is an error parsing the date string, then the errorCallback
executes with a GlobalizationError
object as a parameter. The error's expected code is GlobalizationError.PARSING_ERROR
.
Supported Platforms
- Amazon Fire OS
- Android
- BlackBerry 10
- Firefox OS
- iOS
- Windows Phone 8
- Windows
- Browser
Example
When the browser is set to the en_US
locale, this displays a popup dialog with text similar to month:8 day:25 year:2012
. Note that the month integer is one less than the string, as the month integer represents an array index.
navigator.globalization.stringToDate(
'9/25/2012',
function (date) {alert('month:' + date.month +
' day:' + date.day +
' year:' + date.year + '\n');},
function () {alert('Error getting date\n');},
{selector: 'date'}
);
Windows Phone 8 Quirks
The
formatLength
option supports onlyshort
andfull
values.The pattern for 'date and time' selector is always a full datetime format.
The inbound
dateString
parameter should be formed in compliance with a pattern returned by getDatePattern. This pattern may be not completely aligned with ICU depending on a user locale.
Windows Quirks
The
formatLength
option supports onlyshort
andfull
values.The pattern for 'date and time' selector is always a full datetime format.
The inbound
dateString
parameter should be formed in compliance with a pattern returned by getDatePattern. This pattern may be not completely aligned with ICU depending on a user locale.
Browser Quirks
Only 79 locales are supported because moment.js is used in this method.
Inbound string should be aligned with
dateToString
output format and may not completely aligned with ICU depending on a user locale.time
selector supportsfull
andshort
formatLength only.
navigator.globalization.stringToNumber
Parses a number formatted as a string according to the client's user preferences and returns the corresponding number.
navigator.globalization.stringToNumber(string, successCallback, errorCallback, options);
Description
Returns the number to the successCallback
with a properties
object as a parameter. That object should have a value
property with a Number
value.
If there is an error parsing the number string, then the errorCallback
executes with a GlobalizationError
object as a parameter. The error's expected code is GlobalizationError.PARSING_ERROR
.
The options
parameter is optional, and defaults to the following values:
{type:'decimal'}
The options.type
can be decimal
, percent
, or currency
.
Supported Platforms
- Amazon Fire OS
- Android
- BlackBerry 10
- iOS
- Windows Phone 8
- Windows
Example
When the browser is set to the en_US
locale, this should display a popup dialog with text similar to number: 1234.56
:
navigator.globalization.stringToNumber(
'1234.56',
function (number) {alert('number: ' + number.value + '\n');},
function () {alert('Error getting number\n');},
{type:'decimal'}
);
Windows Phone 8 Quirks
- In case of
percent
type the returned value is not divided by 100.
Windows Quirks
The string must strictly conform to the locale format. For example, percent symbol should be separated by space for 'en-US' locale if the type parameter is 'percent'.
percent
numbers must not be grouped to be parsed correctly.
GlobalizationError
An object representing a error from the Globalization API.
Properties
- code: One of the following codes representing the error type (Number)
GlobalizationError.UNKNOWN_ERROR
: 0GlobalizationError.FORMATTING_ERROR
: 1GlobalizationError.PARSING_ERROR
: 2GlobalizationError.PATTERN_ERROR
: 3
- message: A text message that includes the error's explanation and/or details. (String)
Description
This object is created and populated by Cordova, and returned to a callback in the case of an error.
Supported Platforms
- Amazon Fire OS
- Android
- BlackBerry 10
- Firefox OS
- iOS
- Windows Phone 8
- Windows
Example
When the following error callback executes, it displays a popup dialog with the text similar to code: 3
and message:
function errorCallback(error) {
alert('code: ' + error.code + '\n' +
'message: ' + error.message + '\n');
};