[keycloak-dev] Locale cookie vs ui_locales priority

[Johannes Knutsen]

It currently works the way you describe it. The ui_locales parameter
is taking effect as long as the locale cookie isn't set. However, the
logic implies that you always expect the same user to authenticate and
our preference is that the user should get a login page matching the
locale of the client which sends the user to the login page, if the
client specified preferred locales as an ui_locales parameter.
Using the locale cookie to override the ui_locales parameter makes the
user experience inconsistent when moving from a client with a locale
different from the last logged in user's preferred locale.

A proposed change is to change locale priority as follows:
1. kc_locale query parameter. This updates the user's locale and locale cookie.
2. user profile locale if a user is authenticated. This updates the
locale cookie.
3. ui_locales query parameter. If ui_locales contains the locale
cookie value, return it. Otherwise, return the first locale available
from ui_locales
4. locale cookie
5. accept language http header

Is this change something you would consider merging if I create a pull
request? Any other adjustments or thoughts regarding such a change?

- Johannes

On Tue, Aug 14, 2018 at 9:16 AM, Stian Thorgersen <sthorger at redhat.com> wrote:
> The way at least it was supposed to work was that the Locale cookie would
> only be set if a user has explicitly changed the locale. That way we can
> remember a users preference even when the user is logged out.
>
> Are you seeing ui_locales not taking affect without a user having used the
> locale drop-down?
>
> On Mon, 13 Aug 2018 at 23:42, Johannes Knutsen <johannes at kodet.no> wrote:
>>
>> Currently the LocaleHelper#getUserLocale chooses locale priority based
>> on the following order:
>>
>> 1. kc_locale query parameter
>> 2. Locale cookie
>> 3. User profile
>> 4. ui_locales query parameter
>> 5. Accept-Language http header
>>
>> We are building clients which uses the ui_locales parameter to select
>> localization of the login to match the locale of the client.
>> Since the locale cookie has a higher priority than the ui_locales
>> query parameter, the ui_locales query parameter is ignored for any
>> auth requests with a kc_locale cookie present.
>>
>> 1. Do you see any implications of prioritizing the ui_locales
>> parameter above the locale cookie when resolving locale?
>> 2. Are there reasons why the ui_locales does not update the locale
>> cookie value the same way kc_locale parameter does it?
>>
>> Best regards,
>> Johannes Knutsen
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