Every Vanilla knowledge base (KB) has a default language; this is called its Source Locale. All categories and articles in a KB will display in the language that is set by the Source Locale.
This article describes how to change a ("target") KB's Source Locale.
⚠️ IMPORTANT: Read this article BEFORE you change a KB's Source Locale.
🛑 WARNING: Generally, Vanilla recommends not changing a KB's Source Locale because doing so could result in articles "disappearing."
Prep the KB
Prior to changing the Source Locale of a KB, make the following changes in that target KB.
KB properties
- In the Dashboard, navigate to Settings > Knowledge > Knowledge Bases.
- Click the pencil icon of the target KB to edit it.
- Change (i.e., translate) the Title and Description of the KB into the language of the intended Source Locale.
- Click Save.
KB categories
- In the target KB, open any article.
- In the left sidebar, click Organize Categories.
- On the Organize Categories page, click the name of a Category and click Rename.
- Specify the new (i.e., translated) name for the Category and click Apply.
- Repeat these steps for all Categories that have to be translated into the language of the intended Source Locale.
KB articles
All articles in the target KB have to be translated into the language of the intended Source Locale before you change the Source Locale.
🛑 WARNING: Articles that are not translated might be orphaned.
To learn how to translate KB articles, see:
Change a KB's Source Locale
🛑 WARNING: Before proceeding with the process detailed in this section, make sure you have read the sections above. Failure to do so could result in the loss of content.
Changing a KB's Source Locale could have unforeseen consequences, especially if done incorrectly or incompletely.
- Make sure this process is necessary before starting.
- Reach out to your CSM or contact Vanilla Support if you have questions.
To change a Source Locale:
1. In the Dashboard, navigate to Settings > Knowledge > Knowledge Bases.
2. Click the pencil icon of the target KB to edit it.
3. On the edit dialog, click the Locale dropdown and choose a language.
✔️ TIP: If the language you want isn't listed, refer to Add languages for Source Locale, below, for information on how to add languages.
4. Click Save.
Add languages for Source Locale
If the language that you want is not available in the Locale list, check the Language Settings page to see whether it's available and enabled.
1. Navigate to Settings > Technical > Language Settings.
2. Scroll through the list to the language you want and make sure that it is enabled.
✔️ TIP: In the following image, Bahasa Melayu is not enabled; Catalan is enabled (the toggle is to the right).
📝 NOTE: When you enable a language it is immediately available in the Locale dropdown list.
Appendix A: supported languages
Vanilla supports a number of languages.
