Change language labels

Learn how to change language labels on a basemap.

Change language labels of a basemap using API key authentication

The ArcGIS Basemap Styles service provides a number of different styles that you can use in your MapLibre GL JS applications. All of these styles support a language parameter, which allows you to localize place labels into more than 30 different languages.

In this tutorial, set the basemap style preferences to change between different place label languages using the MapLibre ArcGIS plugin.

Prerequisites

You need an ArcGIS Location Platform or ArcGIS Online account.

Steps

Get the starter app

Select a type of authentication and follow the steps to create a new app.

Choose API key authentication if you:

Want the easiest way to get started.
Want to build public applications that access ArcGIS Location Services and secure items.
Have an ArcGIS Location Platform or ArcGIS Online account.

Choose user authentication if you:

Want to build private applications.
Require application users to sign in with their own ArcGIS account and access resources their behalf.
Have an ArcGIS Online account.

To learn more about both types of authentication, go to Authentication.

You can choose one of the following to create a new CodePen:

Option 1: Complete the Display a map tutorial; or,
Option 2: Start from the Display a map tutorial .

Set up authentication

Create a new API key credential with the correct privileges to get an access token.

Go to the Create an API key tutorial to follow the steps to get an access token with these privilege(s):
- Privileges
  - Location services > Basemaps

Set developer credentials

Use the API key or OAuth developer credentials so your application can access ArcGIS services.

Update the accessToken variable to use your API key.

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    /* Use for API key authentication */
    const accessToken = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN";
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In both the index.html and callback.html files, replace YOUR_CLIENT_ID and YOUR_REDIRECT_URL with the client ID and redirect URL of your OAuth credentials.

index.html
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    /* Use for user authentication */
    const clientId = "YOUR_CLIENT_ID"; // Your client ID from OAuth credentials
    const redirectUri = ""YOUR_REDIRECT_URI""; // The redirect URL registered in your OAuth credentials
    const session = await arcgisRest.ArcGISIdentityManager.beginOAuth2({
      clientId,
      redirectUri,
      portal: "https://www.arcgis.com/sharing/rest" // Your portal URL
    });

    const accessToken = session.token;

callback.html
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    arcgisRest.ArcGISIdentityManager.completeOAuth2({
      clientId: "YOUR_CLIENT_ID", // Your client ID from OAuth credentials
      redirectUri: "YOUR_REDIRECT_URI", // The redirect URL registered in your OAuth credentials
      portal: "https://www.arcgis.com/sharing/rest" // Your portal URL
    });

Run the app and ensure you can sign in successfully.

If you are unable to sign in, make sure you have the correct redirect URL and port. This URL varies based on your application and typically takes the format of https://<server>[:port]/callback.html or http://my-arcgis-app:/auth. For example, if you are running an application on http://127.0.0.1:5500/, set http://127.0.0.1:5500/callback.html as your redirect URL in the index.html and callback.html file and your developer credential. They all have to match!

Add a language selector

Add a menu that allows users to change display language of your map. To accomplish this, use a standard html <select> element.

Create a <div> tag to contain the <select> dropdown menu, which you will populate in a later step.

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    </style>
    <!-- Load MapLibre GL JS from CDN -->
    <script src="https://unpkg.com/maplibre-gl@5.9.0/dist/maplibre-gl.js"></script>
    <link href="https://unpkg.com/maplibre-gl@5.9.0/dist/maplibre-gl.css" rel="stylesheet">
    <!-- Load MapLibre ArcGIS from CDN -->
    <script src="https://unpkg.com/@esri/maplibre-arcgis@1.0.0/dist/umd/maplibre-arcgis.min.js"></script>

  </head>


  <body>
    <div id="map"></div>

    <div id="languages-wrapper">

      <select id="languages"></select>

    </div>
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In the <style> element, add CSS styling to the languages-wrapper and languages.

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    <style>
    html,
    body,
    #map {
      padding: 0;
      margin: 0;
      height: 100%;
      width: 100%;
      font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
      font-size: 14px;
      color: #323232;
    }


    #languages-wrapper {
      position: absolute;
      top: 20px;
      right: 20px;
      background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);
    }

    #languages {
      font-size: 16px;
      padding: 4px 8px;
    }


    </style>
    <!-- Load MapLibre GL JS from CDN -->
    <script src="https://unpkg.com/maplibre-gl@5.9.0/dist/maplibre-gl.js"></script>
    <link href="https://unpkg.com/maplibre-gl@5.9.0/dist/maplibre-gl.css" rel="stylesheet">
    <!-- Load MapLibre ArcGIS from CDN -->
    <script src="https://unpkg.com/@esri/maplibre-arcgis@1.0.0/dist/umd/maplibre-arcgis.min.js"></script>
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Set the basemap

Using the MapLibre ArcGIS plugin, reference the Basemap Styles service and a language enumeration to update the map. This will be used when a selection is made.

Define a function to update the style language to the selected language.

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    const setLanguage = (selection) => {
      // Instantiate the given basemap layer.
      basemapStyle.updateStyle({ preferences: { language: selection } });
    };
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Select the DOM element used for the language selector.

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    const languageSelectElement = document.querySelector("#languages");

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Use the MapLibre ArcGIS plugin to make a request to the Basemap Styles service. This dynamically fetches the available languages and populates the select element.

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    const languageSelectElement = document.querySelector("#languages");

    maplibreArcGIS.BasemapStyle.getSelf().then((response) => {
      response.languages.forEach((language) => {
        const option = document.createElement("option");
        option.value = language.code;
        option.textContent = language.name;
        languageSelectElement.appendChild(option);
      });

    });
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Call setLanguage to initialize the language labels to the first language in the select element.

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    maplibreArcGIS.BasemapStyle.getSelf().then((response) => {
      response.languages.forEach((language) => {
        const option = document.createElement("option");
        option.value = language.code;
        option.textContent = language.name;
        languageSelectElement.appendChild(option);
      });

      setLanguage(response.languages[0].code);

    });
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Add an event listener

Use an event listener to register a basemap change in the <select> element and to update the map.

Add an event listener to update the map when a new language is selected.

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    const languageSelectElement = document.querySelector("#languages");

    maplibreArcGIS.BasemapStyle.getSelf().then((response) => {
      response.languages.forEach((language) => {
        const option = document.createElement("option");
        option.value = language.code;
        option.textContent = language.name;
        languageSelectElement.appendChild(option);
      });

      setLanguage(response.languages[0].code);

    });

    languageSelectElement.addEventListener("change", (e) => {
      setLanguage(e.target.value);
    });
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Add RTL language support

MapLibre GL JS does not automatically display right-to-left languages such as Arabic and Hebrew correctly. Use the Mapbox GL RTL Text plugin to configure settings for RTL languages.

Call the maplibregl.setRTLTextPlugin with the URL of the Mapbox GL RTL Text plugin to configure support for RTL languages.

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    languageSelectElement.addEventListener("change", (e) => {
      setLanguage(e.target.value);
    });

    maplibregl.setRTLTextPlugin("https://unpkg.com/@mapbox/mapbox-gl-rtl-text@0.2.3/mapbox-gl-rtl-text.js");
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