Change the place label language

Learn how to localize place labels with thebasemap styles service.

The basemap styles service provides a number of different styles that you can use in your MapLibre GL JS applications. Each style accepts a language parameter, which allows you to localize place labels. There are currently over 30 different languages available.

In this tutorial, you use a <select> dropdown menu to toggle between a number of different place label languages.

Prerequisites

You need an ArcGIS Location Platform or ArcGIS Online account.

Steps

Create a new pen

To get started, either complete the Display a map tutorial or .

Get an access token

You need an access token with the correct privileges to access the resources used in this tutorial.

Go to the Create an API key tutorial and create an API key with the following privilege(s):
- Privileges
  - Location services > Basemaps
Copy the API key access token to your clipboard when prompted.

In CodePen, update the accessToken variable to use your access token.

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const accessToken = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN";
const basemapId = "arcgis/streets";
const basemapURL = `https://basemapstyles-api.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/styles/v2/styles/${basemapId}?token=${accessToken}`;
olms.apply(map, basemapURL);

To learn about the other types of authentication available, go to Types of authentication.

Remove basemap references

Remove the basemapId, basemapURL, and the olms function.

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    <script>

      const map = new ol.Map({ target: "map" });

      map.setView(
        new ol.View({
          center: ol.proj.fromLonLat([-118.805, 34.027]),
          zoom: 12
        })
      );

      const accessToken = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN";

      const basemapId = "arcgis/streets";

      const basemapURL = `https://basemapstyles-api.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/styles/v2/styles/${basemapId}?token=${accessToken}`;

      olms.apply(map, basemapURL);

    </script>
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Add a language selector

Add a menu that allows users to change the display language of your map. OpenLayers does not have a built-in selector widget, so you will create an HTML <select> element.

In the <head> tag, add CSS that will position the <select> menu wrapper element in the upper right corner and provide styling.

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

    </style>
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In the <body> element, add the wrapper tag with an id of languages-wrapper.

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

    <div id="languages-wrapper">

    </div>
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In the wrapper element, add a <select> element that contains an enumeration for each language available through the basemap styles service.

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    <div id="languages-wrapper">

      <select id="languages">
        <option value="global">Global</option>
        <option value="ar">Arabic</option>
        <option value="bs">Bosnian</option>
        <option value="bg">Bulgarian</option>
        <option value="ca">Catalan</option>
        <option value="zh-CN">Chinese (Simplified)</option>
        <option value="zh-HK">Chinese (Hong Kong)</option>
        <option value="zh-TW">Chinese (Taiwan)</option>
        <option value="hr">Croatian</option>
        <option value="cs">Czech</option>
        <option value="da">Danish</option>
        <option value="nl">Dutch</option>
        <option value="en">English</option>
        <option value="et">Estonian</option>
        <option value="fi">Finnish</option>
        <option value="fr">French</option>
        <option value="de">German</option>
        <option value="el">Greek</option>
        <option value="he">Hebrew</option>
        <option value="hu">Hungarian</option>
        <option value="id">Indonesian</option>
        <option value="it">Italian</option>
        <option value="ja">Japanese</option>
        <option value="ko">Korean</option>
        <option value="lv">Latvian</option>
        <option value="lt">Lithuanian</option>
        <option value="nb">Norwegian</option>
        <option value="pl">Polish</option>
        <option value="pt-BR">Portugese (Brazil)</option>
        <option value="pt-PT">Portugese (Portugal)</option>
        <option value="ro">Romanian</option>
        <option value="ru">Russian</option>
        <option value="sr">Serbian</option>
        <option value="sk">Slovak</option>
        <option value="sl">Slovenian</option>
        <option value="es">Spanish</option>
        <option value="sv">Swedish</option>
        <option value="th">Thai</option>
        <option value="tr">Turkish</option>
        <option value="uk" selected>Ukrainian</option>
        <option value="vi">Vietnamese</option>
      </select>

    </div>
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Set the initial language

When the page loads, initialize the app to initially display in Ukrainian.

Create a function called url that creates the URL for a basemap style.

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    <script>

      const accessToken = "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN";

      const map = new ol.Map({ target: "map" });
      map.setView(
        new ol.View({
          center: ol.proj.fromLonLat([48.8790, 35.7088]),
          zoom: 3
        })
      );

      const baseUrl = "https://basemapstyles-api.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/styles/v2/styles";
      const url = (language) => `${baseUrl}/arcgis/outdoor?token=${accessToken}&language=${language}`;
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Create a function called setLanguage that will clear existing basemap layers and use olms to instantiate a basemap layer in the new language.

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      const baseUrl = "https://basemapstyles-api.arcgis.com/arcgis/rest/services/styles/v2/styles";
      const url = (language) => `${baseUrl}/arcgis/outdoor?token=${accessToken}&language=${language}`;

      const setLanguage = (language) => {
        // Clear out existing layers.
        map.setLayerGroup(new ol.layer.Group());

        // Instantiate the given basemap layer.
        olms.apply(map, url(language));
      };
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Call setLanguage to initialize the basemap layer to the Ukrainian (uk) enumeration.

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      const setLanguage = (language) => {
        // Clear out existing layers.
        map.setLayerGroup(new ol.layer.Group());

        // Instantiate the given basemap layer.
        olms.apply(map, url(language));
      };

      setLanguage("uk");
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Add an event listener

Call setLanguage when the user selects an option in the <select> menu.

Access the <select> element using its id.

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      setLanguage("uk");

      const basemapsSelectElement = document.querySelector("#languages");
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Add an event listener that calls setLanguage when the <select> element is changed.

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

      basemapsSelectElement.addEventListener("change", (e) => {
        setLanguage(e.target.value);
      });
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Run the app

In CodePen, run your code to display the map.

Use the layer switcher menu at the top right to select and explore different basemap layer styles.

What's Next?

Learn how to use additional ArcGIS location services in these tutorials:

Change the basemap style

Switch a basemap style in a map using the basemap styles service.

Display a custom basemap style

Add a styled vector basemap layer to a map.

Add a feature layer

Add features from feature layers to a map.