Pull Request for Issue # .

Replaces PR #35838 and #35847 .

Summary of Changes

This pull request (PR) fixes wrong display of strings which should be shown with direction LTR, like alphanumeric version numbers or table names, when the current language has direction RTL.

It fixes wrong display of versions which contain characters (e.g. development, alpha, beta or RC versions, or versions like "1.2.3.v4" like they are used by some Joomla 4 language pack) when the current language is an RTL language in diverse list views in the backend as well as in the pre-update checker's extension details and the database checkers information and error messages.

The implementation follows the recommendations by w3c which can be found here: https://www.w3.org/International/articles/inline-bidi-markup/#whattodo :

• Add dir="ltr" attribute to HTML elements (spans only up to now) where we know the direction in advance and where it applies to the complete element.
• Wrap inline text or markup which shall be LTR in the middle of RTL text into span elements with a dir="ltr" and optionally a lang attribute.
• Avoid using the Unicode RTL marks '‎'.

A new file with a new class and a method "inlineBidirectional" is added to the HTMLHelper (JHtml) which wraps inline text or markup only if its direction is different to the document's direction. The class can later be extended by other methods useful for internationalization.

In the "Live Update" tab of the Joomla Update component, this PR replaces the usage of the RTL mark '‎' for the installed Joomla version and the latest Joomla version by using the above approach. There might be more places where this could and should be done, but that might also be done with a future PR.

Hint for maintainers: Due to changes in J4 it will not just an easy upmerge of this PR into 4.0-dev, so I'm preparing a separate PR for 4.0-dev. The 2 language strings which are added by this PR here will not be needed in J4 because the database checker has been changed in J4.

Request for Comment (RFC)

@bembelimen @wilsonge @zero-24 Questions:

Can this considered to be a progressive enhancement so it can go into 3.10? Or is that a new feature which has to go into 4.1? Or something in the middle, 4.0.x?

I'll rebase or make a replacement PR if necessary.

Testing Instructions

1. On a current 3.10-dev branch or the latest 3.10 nightly build, download and install the following modified language packs and weblinks package.

• https://test5.richard-fath.de/de-DE_joomla_lang_full_3.10.1v1.zip
  This is an unmodified but older German language pack so you will get an update to a newer version with a "normal" version number. If you have already installed a newer German language pack, uninstall it and then install the one from the link here.
• https://test5.richard-fath.de/de-XX_joomla_lang_full_3.10.1v1_test.zip
  This is a modified German language pack which uses a different language tag so it can be installed in parallel to the German language pack mentioned before. It is modified so that both the installed and the available update versions are shown with release candidate "-rcX" version numbers.
• https://test5.richard-fath.de/fa-XX_joomla_lang_full_3.10.2v1_test.zip
  This is a modified Persian language which uses a different language tag so it can be installed in parallel to any present Persian language pack. It is modified so that both the installed and the available update versions are shown with version numbers like e.g. "3.10.2v1". The Persian language pack for Joomla 4 currently uses such versions, for the test here with Joomla 3 it needs that modified pack.
• https://test5.richard-fath.de/pkg-weblinks-3.9.0-rc1_test.zip
  This is a modified weblinks package to get installed and update versions shown with release candidate "-rcX" version numbers for having test for different extension types than languages.

2. Create a new, empty file "3.10.3-2021-10-26.sql" in the folder for update SQL scripts for your database type, i.e. folder "administrator/components/com_admin/sql/updates/mysql" or "administrator/components/com_admin/sql/updates/postgresql".
   This makes sure that in the database checker we get a database error shown about not matching schema versions.

3. Modify the CMS version in the database so it doesn't match the version given by the "libraries/src/Version.php" file.
   This makes sure that in the database checker we get a database error shown about not matching update versions.
   Example SQL statement for a current 3.10-dev branch and MySQL or MariaDB:

UPDATE `#__extensions` SET `manifest_cache` = REPLACE(`manifest_cache`, '"version":"3.10.4-dev"', '"version":"3.10.3-dev"')
 WHERE `name` = 'files_joomla' AND `type` = 'file' AND `element` = 'joomla' AND `client_id` = 0;

4. Go to the Joomla Update Component and there to the "Live Update" tab and check the message telling that no update was found. Check with both LTR and RTL language.

Result: See section "Actual result BEFORE applying this Pull Request" below.

5. In the options, set the update channel to "Custom URL", the minimum stability to "Development" and the custom URL to https://test5.richard-fath.de/next_patch_list_pr-35902.xml . This makes sure that an update for the core will be found for later tests and that this update's version contains some characters. I made this custom update site to point to a 4.0.5-dev version (different to the screenshots used later), but in fact it points to the current nightly build for J4.

6. Check in the following views all version numbers which contain strings for both kinds of backend languages LTR and RTL. For RTL you can use the previously installed "Persian (Test)".

• "Pre-Update Check" tab of the Joomla Update component with "More Detail" expanded for the extensions
• "Live Update" tab of the Joomla Update component
• Languages: Installed
• Extensions: Update (Use the "Clear Cache" and then the "Find Updates" button if necessary to find all updates.)
• Extensions: Manage

Result: See section "Actual result BEFORE applying this Pull Request" below.

7. Go to "Extensions -> Manage -> Database" and there to the tab which shows the problems created by the previous 2 steps.
   Check the version numbers shown in the problems about not matching versions.

Result: See section "Actual result BEFORE applying this Pull Request" below.

8. Go to the "Other Information" tab and check the versions and the table names "#__extensions" and "'__schemas".

Result: See section "Actual result BEFORE applying this Pull Request" below.

9. In database in the extensions table, delete the records for the 'de-DE' and the 'fa-XX' site languages and the weblinks editor button.

• In phpMyAdmin using the GUI:
  
• With SQL, replace #__ with your database prefix.:

DELETE FROM `#__extensions` WHERE `type` = 'language' AND `element` = 'de-DE' AND `client_id` = 0;
DELETE FROM `#__extensions` WHERE `type` = 'language' AND `element` = 'fa-XX' AND `client_id` = 0;
DELETE FROM `#__extensions` WHERE `type` = 'plugin' AND `element` = 'weblink' AND `folder` = 'editors-xtd';

10. Go to the "Extensions: Discover" view and check the version numbers which contain strings. Use the "Discover" button if necessary to discover all extensions. Check with LTR and RTL backend languages.

Result: See section "Actual result BEFORE applying this Pull Request" below.

11. Select the discovered extensions and install them using the "Install" button.

12. In the options of the Joomla Update Component, switch back the update channel so that no update is found.

13. Apply the patch of this PR.

14. Repeat steps 4 to 7. In addition, inspect the markup of versions with developer tools of your browser. Check with both LTR and RTL language.

Result: See section "Expected result AFTER applying this Pull Request" below.

9. Repeat step 8.

Result: Because the modified Persian language pack doesn't contain the new language string added by this PR you see the English texts, see the orange mark in the following image:

10. Update the modified Persian language pack to the available update. This will update it to a newer modified version which contains the new language string.

11. Repeat again step 8 and then steps 7 to 10. In addition, inspect the markup of versions and in case of the "Other Information" tab of the database checker also the 2 table names in the version information.

Result: See section "Expected result AFTER applying this Pull Request" below.

12. Go to "Extensions -> Manage - Install Languages" and inspect the markup of versions with developer tools of your browser. Check with both LTR and RTL language.

Result: See section "Expected result AFTER applying this Pull Request" below.

Actual result BEFORE applying this Pull Request

"Live Update" tab of the Joomla Update component if no update has been found

LTR

RTL

"Pre-Update Check" tab of the Joomla Update component

LTR

RTL - The messed position of the "More Detail" toggle is another issue to be solved in another PR

"Live Update" tab of the Joomla Update component if an update has been found

LTR

RTL - here the version numbers are already correct

Languages: Installed

LTR

RTL

Extensions: Update

LTR

RTL

Extensions: Manage

LTR

RTL

Extensions: Database - Tab "X Database Problems Found"

LTR

RTL

Extensions: Database - Tab "Other information"

LTR

RTL

Extensions: Discover

LTR

RTL

Expected result AFTER applying this Pull Request

For LTR there should be no changes compared to before applying this PR.

For RTL the versions should look the same as for LTR. See the images below.

When the language has RTL direction, versions are wrapped into a span element with dir="ltr" attribute.

"Live Update" tab of the Joomla Update component if no update has been found

"Pre-Update Check" tab of the Joomla Update component

The messed position of the "More Detail" toggle is another issue to be solved in another PR.

"Live Update" tab of the Joomla Update component

There should be no change, both LTR and RTL should work as well as without this PR for this view.

Languages: Installed

Extensions: Update

Extensions: Manage

Extensions: Database - Tab "X Database Problems Found"

Extensions: Database - Tab "Other information"

Extensions: Discover

Documentation Changes Required

None.