WordPress WPML language switcher flags not showing

Fix flags not displaying in WPML language switcher.

The WPML plugin is a popular choice for creating multilingual websites in WordPress. One common issue that users face is when the language switcher flags provided by WPML are not showing up on their website. This can be due to various reasons, such as incorrect configuration or conflicts with other plugins or themes.

To troubleshoot and resolve this issue, you can follow these steps:

Check WPML Configuration: Ensure that you have correctly configured the WPML plugin. Go to the WPML settings page (WP Admin > WPML) and make sure you have selected the appropriate language options and enabled the language switcher.
Check Theme Compatibility: Some themes may not automatically display the language switcher flags provided by WPML. In such cases, you can manually add the language switcher to your theme’s template files. Here’s an example of how you can do this:

<?php if (function_exists('wpml_lang_switcher')) {
    wpml_lang_switcher(array('dropdown' => 0, 'skip_missing' => 0));
} ?>

Check Plugin/Theme Conflicts: Deactivate other plugins and switch to a default WordPress theme (e.g., Twenty Twenty-One) to see if the language switcher flags appear. If they do, then the issue is likely caused by a conflict with one of your plugins or your theme. You can then reactivate each plugin/theme one by one to identify the conflicting one.
Clear Cache: If you are using a caching plugin or server-side caching, clear the cache to ensure that any changes you made are reflected on the front-end.

By following these steps, you should be able to troubleshoot and resolve the issue of WPML language switcher flags not showing up on your WordPress website.

Examples

Example 1: Adding custom CSS to fix WPML language switcher flags not showing

This example demonstrates how to add custom CSS to fix the issue of WPML language switcher flags not showing. The code snippet below adds a custom CSS class to the language switcher container and applies a background image to the flag element.

function wpsnippets_fix_wpml_flags_css() {
    echo '<style>
        .wpml-ls-item .wpml-ls-flag {
            background-image: url(https://example.com/flag.png);
        }
    </style>';
}
add_action( 'wp_head', 'wpsnippets_fix_wpml_flags_css' );

Explanation: The wpsnippets_fix_wpml_flags_css function adds a custom CSS style to the <head> section of the website. It targets the flag element within the language switcher container and sets the background image to a specific URL. By adding this custom CSS, you can override the default styling of the WPML language switcher flags and ensure they are displayed correctly.

Example 2: Enqueuing custom JavaScript to fix WPML language switcher flags not showing

This example demonstrates how to enqueue custom JavaScript to fix the issue of WPML language switcher flags not showing. The code snippet below registers and enqueues a custom JavaScript file that targets the language switcher container and adds a class to the flag element.

function wpsnippets_fix_wpml_flags_js() {
    wp_register_script( 'wpsnippets-custom-js', get_stylesheet_directory_uri() . '/custom.js', array( 'jquery' ), '1.0', true );
    wp_enqueue_script( 'wpsnippets-custom-js' );
}
add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', 'wpsnippets_fix_wpml_flags_js' );

Explanation: The wpsnippets_fix_wpml_flags_js function registers and enqueues a custom JavaScript file called custom.js. This file should be placed in the theme’s directory. The JavaScript code within custom.js targets the language switcher container and adds a class to the flag element. By enqueuing this custom JavaScript, you can manipulate the WPML language switcher flags and ensure they are displayed correctly.

Example 3: Modifying WPML language switcher template to fix flags not showing

This example demonstrates how to modify the WPML language switcher template to fix the issue of flags not showing. The code snippet below creates a custom template file for the language switcher and modifies the flag element to display the flag image.

function wpsnippets_custom_wpml_language_switcher() {
    include_once( ABSPATH . 'wp-content/plugins/sitepress-multilingual-cms/templates/language-switchers/menu-item-bar.php' );
}

Explanation: The wpsnippets_custom_wpml_language_switcher function includes the default WPML language switcher template file menu-item-bar.php. By creating a custom template file and modifying the flag element within it, you can ensure that the flag images are displayed correctly in the language switcher.