Date format override for international multi-site setup

Question

I understand the date format is defined in the language files, via the constant DATE_FORMAT_LC2. Also, that this can be changed via the backend language override. But that is still a file based override.

We're planning a multi-site setup using parked domains and some shared database tables. The parked domains are to be marketed to different countries and each will have it's preferred date format. One hack here would be to use a unique language file for each parked domain name but that's a lot of effort just to change the date format.

Does anyone have any ideas for changing the date format via the database instead of via the language files? A hack that does not involve changing Joomla core files would obviously be preferred.

Answer 1

Joomla has a built-in feature for this which saves having to edit language files. In the backend You need to go to:

Extensions (top) >> Language Manager >> Overrides

On this page, you can add different translations for language strings which will be saved via the database.

Answer 2

When you install new languages in Joomla (Language manager), the language files already contains the specific date and time formats for each country. While this is still a file-based override, I don't see how this can be more complicated than looking for a hack to change the date format from the database, a solution that might break if you upgrade Joomla later on.