Map language

What it does

OpenStreetMap vector tiles can carry several names for a place: name as it is written locally, and name:en, name:de, name:ja and so on where they are available. A map usually starts with the local name.

This control switches which name field labels use. Set it to English and Москва becomes Moscow. Set it back and it is Москва again. Around sixty languages are offered.

No new data is fetched. The label expression is changed to prefer the chosen field, falling back to the local name where that language is missing.

Using it

Choose a language. Labels change as the map redraws.

It applies to OpenStreetMap-schema vector layers. A raster basemap has its labels baked into the image, and no setting can change those.

In your own map

maplanguage works either in a toolbar or on its own. Put it in a toolbar with the other tools, or place it directly on the map like a control.

The choice is remembered in the browser, and instances on one page stay in step.

Extending it

The tool hooks adapter.addLayer and rewrites the text-field expression before the layer reaches an engine. Already-added layers are updated through updateLayerStyle, and layers added later get the same language rule.