# Arabic Localization Readiness (ar-SA First)

This ExecPlan is a living document. The sections `Progress`, `Surprises & Discoveries`, `Decision Log`, and `Outcomes & Retrospective` must be kept up to date as work proceeds.

The requirements for ExecPlans live in `PLANS.md` at the repository root. This document must be maintained in accordance with that file.

## Purpose / Big Picture

After this change, users can use the salon platform in Arabic as a first-class language, with a right-to-left layout, localized UI strings, and localized API error messages. They can also save a language preference in their profile so the app consistently returns Arabic responses and renders Arabic UI on subsequent visits. You can see it working by starting the backend and frontend, switching the language to Arabic, and observing Arabic UI text, `dir="rtl"` on the page, and Arabic API responses when sending `Accept-Language: ar-sa`.

## Progress

- [x] (2026-02-27 00:00Z) Created initial ExecPlan for Arabic localization readiness.
- [ ] Add backend locale settings, middleware, and user language preference.
- [ ] Wrap backend user-facing strings and generate Arabic translations.
- [ ] Add frontend i18n, RTL support, and language persistence.
- [ ] Validate localized API responses and UI rendering with tests.
- [ ] Update documentation and risks for localization readiness.

## Surprises & Discoveries

- Observation: None yet.
  Evidence: No implementation work has started.

## Decision Log

- Decision: Use `ar-SA` as the default locale with English as a fallback.
  Rationale: The product is KSA-focused and Arabic should be primary while keeping English for mixed audiences.
  Date/Author: 2026-02-27, Codex
- Decision: Persist user language preference on the `User` model and fall back to `Accept-Language` for anonymous requests.
  Rationale: This provides consistent localized behavior for logged-in users while respecting browser preferences for guests.
  Date/Author: 2026-02-27, Codex
- Decision: Localize both backend API messages and frontend UI strings.
  Rationale: A partial localization would create mismatched language experiences and confuse users.
  Date/Author: 2026-02-27, Codex
- Decision: Use `i18next` + `react-i18next` with a small custom locale selection helper rather than a detection plugin.
  Rationale: The project is small and can avoid extra dependencies while still meeting locale selection requirements.
  Date/Author: 2026-02-27, Codex

## Outcomes & Retrospective

Not started yet.

## Context and Orientation

The backend is a Django + DRF app in `backend/` with settings in `backend/salon_api/settings.py`. The frontend is a Vite + React app in `frontend/` with the entrypoint at `frontend/src/main.jsx` and global styles in `frontend/src/styles.css`. There is no current localization infrastructure in the frontend, and the backend only has `USE_I18N=True` without locale middleware or language settings. The HTML root language is hard-coded to English in `frontend/index.html`. User-facing strings are hard-coded in English across API views and serializers, such as `backend/apps/accounts/views.py` and `backend/apps/payments/views.py`.

## Plan of Work

First, add Django locale support. Update `backend/salon_api/settings.py` to define `LANGUAGE_CODE="ar-sa"`, `LANGUAGES` with Arabic and English, `LOCALE_PATHS` pointing to `backend/locale`, and add `django.middleware.locale.LocaleMiddleware` to `MIDDLEWARE` after `SessionMiddleware`. Create `backend/apps/accounts/middleware.py` with `UserLocaleMiddleware` that activates `request.user.preferred_language` after `AuthenticationMiddleware` and sets the response `Content-Language` header. Add a `preferred_language` field to `backend/apps/accounts/models.py` and expose it via `backend/apps/accounts/serializers.py` so `/api/auth/me/` can read and update it.

Next, wrap all user-facing backend strings in translation wrappers. Use `from django.utils.translation import gettext_lazy as _` in serializers and models, and `gettext` in runtime view responses. Cover custom messages in `apps/accounts`, `apps/bookings`, `apps/payments`, and `apps/salons`. Generate the initial Arabic message catalog under `backend/locale/ar/LC_MESSAGES/django.po`, translate the new strings, and compile messages. Update or add tests that confirm language selection by user preference and `Accept-Language` headers.

Then, add frontend localization. Introduce an `frontend/src/i18n/` module that sets up `i18next` with `en` and `ar-SA` resource files. Update `frontend/src/main.jsx` to initialize i18n before rendering `App`, set `document.documentElement.lang` and `dir` whenever language changes, and persist the selected locale to local storage. Update `frontend/src/api/client.js` to include the `Accept-Language` header using the active locale. Replace hard-coded UI strings in `frontend/src/App.jsx` with `t(...)` keys and add Arabic translations.

Finally, make the UI RTL-safe. Update `frontend/src/styles.css` to use logical properties (`margin-inline`, `padding-inline`, `text-align: start`) where relevant, add `:dir(rtl)` overrides for layout if needed, and add an Arabic-capable font such as `Noto Sans Arabic` to the font stack. Validate end-to-end behavior by running the backend and frontend, switching language, and confirming the UI renders in Arabic with RTL and API responses match the selected locale.

## Concrete Steps

Run these commands from the repository root (`/home/kopernikus/kshkool/Salon`).

1. Add backend locale middleware, settings, and `preferred_language` field, then create a migration.
    - Update `backend/salon_api/settings.py`, `backend/apps/accounts/models.py`, and add `backend/apps/accounts/middleware.py`.
    - Run:
        python3 backend/manage.py makemigrations accounts

2. Generate and compile Arabic translations.
    - Run:
        python3 backend/manage.py makemessages -l ar --ignore frontend --ignore node_modules
        python3 backend/manage.py compilemessages
    - Edit `backend/locale/ar/LC_MESSAGES/django.po` to translate the newly wrapped strings.

3. Add frontend i18n resources and wire them into the app.
    - Update `frontend/package.json`, `frontend/src/main.jsx`, `frontend/src/api/client.js`, `frontend/src/App.jsx`, and create `frontend/src/i18n/index.js` plus translation JSON files.

4. Run tests and verify behavior.
    - Backend:
        python3 -m pytest
    - Frontend:
        cd frontend
        npm run test

## Validation and Acceptance

Backend acceptance is achieved when `Accept-Language` and user preference change the response language. For example, an OTP error should be Arabic when requested:

    $ curl -s -H "Accept-Language: ar-sa" -X POST http://localhost:8000/api/auth/otp/request/ -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"phone_number":"123","channel":"sms"}'
    {"phone_number":["رقم الهاتف مطلوب أو غير صالح."]}

Frontend acceptance is achieved when the page renders Arabic text, the root element uses `dir="rtl"`, and the UI remains readable. You should be able to toggle language, reload, and still see Arabic due to stored preference. Running `npm run dev` and visiting the page should show Arabic UI strings when the selected locale is `ar-SA`.

## Idempotence and Recovery

The locale settings and middleware changes are safe to apply multiple times. Translation commands can be rerun; `makemessages` updates catalogs and `compilemessages` rebuilds `.mo` files. If a translation file is corrupted, re-run `makemessages` and re-apply translations. The migration adding `preferred_language` is additive and reversible via standard Django migration rollback.

## Artifacts and Notes

Expected header behavior after implementing locale selection:

    Content-Language: ar-sa

Example local storage entry for the frontend:

    localStorage["locale"] = "ar-SA"

## Interfaces and Dependencies

Add backend localization dependencies by using Django’s built-in translation system and middleware (`django.middleware.locale.LocaleMiddleware`) and a new `apps.accounts.middleware.UserLocaleMiddleware` to enforce user preference. The `User` model gains a language preference field:

    preferred_language = models.CharField(max_length=10, choices=settings.LANGUAGES, default=settings.LANGUAGE_CODE)

Frontend dependencies must include `i18next` and `react-i18next`. The i18n setup should live in `frontend/src/i18n/index.js`, exporting an initialized i18n instance. The API client in `frontend/src/api/client.js` must attach `Accept-Language` to every request based on the active locale.

Plan Maintenance Note: Initial plan created on 2026-02-27 to scope Arabic localization readiness across backend and frontend.