--- title: Globalization scenarios slug: cms-13/docs/globalization-scenarios docTags: createdAt: 2026-07-30T20:22:05.570Z --- Globalization scenarios structure language routing, domain mapping, and user preferences for multilingual CMS sites. ## Scenario 1 – Global domain with multiple languages Serve different content from a single domain based on each visitor's language selection. 1. Set a default language that most visitors understand (typically English for a global site). 2. Enable language detection based on browser preference by setting `GlobalizationSettingsOptions.UseBrowserLanguagePreferences` to `true`. ### Test the configuration 1. Go to the language settings in your web browser. 2. Select a language preference. The browser redirects to the matching content language if one exists. ## Scenario 2 – Local domains mapped to languages Use this approach when a domain such as `http://site.se` should default to Swedish without including the language in the URL path. ## Scenario 3 – Remember user preference Persist the user language preference on a single domain by setting a cookie with the current language selection. The cookie named `epslanguage` ensures visitors see the same language when they return. This approach also supports redirecting visitors to systems that do not retain the language in the URL. :::hint{type="info"} **Note** Use cookies with care. Include the language in the URL for every page to preserve language context during navigation. A visitor with a Swedish language cookie who follows an English link should stay on the English site. The cookie should not override an explicit language choice. ::: ## Language branches A language branch has a unique identifier in the database to handle constraints. APIs expose the branch as a language code such as `EN`. Language codes must be unique because the reverse lookup fails with duplicate codes. Developers create a content item on a language branch. The first language branch created becomes the master branch for that content item. Every content item has a master language branch, whether globalized or not. The master branch stores all properties for its language and the common properties. Additional language branches store only language-specific properties. Non-master language branches include common properties from the master branch. Those properties are read-only. Calling `IContentRepository.Save` on a non-master branch with changes to a common property raises an exception. ## Language-specific settings Language-specific settings control which properties store values per language and how language selection, fallback, and archival behavior work across content. ### Properties Language-specific properties control which fields store separate values per language. Administrators and developers define language-specific properties on content types. The system defines which metadata properties, such as `Name`, are language-specific. Content-related metadata properties are language-specific. Navigation-related metadata properties are common. The following metadata properties are defined per language: - `IContent.Name` - `IVersionable.IsPendingPublish` - `IVersionable.Status` - `IChangeTrackable.Saved` - `IChangeTrackable.Changed` - `IChangeTrackable.CreatedBy` - `IChangeTrackable.ChangedBy` - `IChangeTrackable.Created` - `ILocalizable.Language` - `IVersionable.StartPublish` - `IVersionable.StopPublish` - `PageData.ExternalURL` - `IRoutable.RouteSegment` - `PageData.LinkType` Check whether a property is language-specific by reading `IsLanguageSpecific` on the `PropertyData` class. ### Content language settings Content language settings define the languages available to editors when creating content on each part of a site. The settings also define fallback and replacement languages. The administrative API is `EPiServer.DataAbstraction.ContentLanguageSettingRepository`. The runtime API with inheritance support is `EPiServer.Core.IContentLanguageSettingsHandler`. Content language settings do not restrict the languages rendered on the site. CMS uses these settings to select fallback languages and filter editor options. :::hint{type="info"} **Note** Language settings are available for pages only, not for other content types such as blocks. ::: ### Language options in the API Languages are selected at runtime through a language selection process. Pass `LanguageLoaderOption` to `IContentRepository` to customize language selection. The language loader considers a language available when it is published (`CurrentPage.PendingPublish` is `false`). The language selector does not check publish dates. When a content item expires in one language, it is no longer displayed, and no fallback to another language is applied. ### Archive page Archival moves expired pages to a designated archive location. A page is archived when an archive page is set and the **Stop publish** date has passed. The archival process clears the **Stop publish** date. On globalized pages, only the master language **Stop publish** date is checked. When the page moves to the archive, **Stop publish** dates for all languages are cleared. ### Web browser preference Browser language preferences let CMS detect and match a visitor's language automatically. The browser sends an `Accept-Language` header with the visitor's preferred languages. A Swedish user's header contains `sv`. When `GlobalizationSettingsOptions.UseBrowserLanguagePreferences` is enabled, CMS matches this value to an enabled website language code. An exact match takes priority. If no exact match exists, such as `en-NZ`, CMS falls back to a matching neutral culture like `en`. :::hint{type="info"} **Note** Use ISO language codes. To enable preference fallback, use the language code `en` for the English version that serves as the default English branch. ::: ## Property search `FindPagesWithCriteria` through `IPageCriteriaQueryable` searches all languages by default. The results use the same language selection process as any other page load. Control the following parameters: - Search on a specific language only. - Pass a language selector used when returning the pages. These parameters narrow the search to a specific language branch.