Translated Single Select [select]

The “Translated Single Select” attribute is an extension of the Single Select attribute. It is used when the referenced source table has its own language column — for example an external table with a language field, or a non-MetaModels table whose entries are language-specific. The ID of the selected record is stored as an integer in the MetaModel table, just like the monolingual attribute.

Typical use cases:

Selection from an external table (e.g. tl_news) with a language column
Linking with Contao’s own multilingual tables
Scenarios where the source table itself provides language-dependent entries and MetaModels should filter based on the active language

Note

For relations between two multilingual MetaModels tables, the monolingual single select attribute is usually sufficient — MetaModels automatically detects the language and switches accordingly.

Installation

The attribute is installed via the Contao Manager or Composer:

composer require metamodels/attribute_translatedselect

Settings when Creating the Attribute

In addition to the general attribute settings and the options of the monolingual single select attribute, the translated attribute offers the following additional options:

Option	Description
Source table	The table from which the selection values are obtained.
Value column	The column of the source table whose content is displayed as the label.
ID column	The column that serves as the unique identifier (default: `id`).
Alias column	The column used as a readable identifier in filter widgets.
Select sorting	Column by which the selection list is sorted.
Sort direction	Ascending (A → Z) or descending (Z → A).
SQL (WHERE condition)	Optional SQL WHERE condition to restrict the selection list.
Filter	Selection of a MetaModels filter set for dynamic restriction of options.
Filter parameters	Default values for the parameters of the selected filter set.
Language column	Column in the source table that contains the language code of the entry (e.g. `language`). MetaModels automatically filters the selection list to the active language.
Source table (translation)	Alternative source table for language-independent master data, from which fallback values are obtained when a translation is missing.
Sorting (source table)	Sort column in the source table for the translated view.

Settings in Render Settings

The attribute has no specific render settings. In the attribute list of a render setting, the usual options are available:

Option	Description
Template	Selection of a custom template for the output of the linked value.
CSS class	Optional CSS class added to the output element.

Settings in the Input Form

When the attribute is added to an input form, the following options are available:

Display

Option	Description
Backend class	CSS classes for the display of the field in the backend form.
Template for backend	Selection of a custom widget template for the backend form.
Template for frontend	Selection of a custom widget template for frontend editing (only available if the “Frontend Editing” extension is installed).
Display type	Display type of the selection: Select menu — Classic dropdown menu Radio button list — All options as radio buttons Popup picker — Selection via a tree picker (for hierarchical source tables such as `tl_page` or `tl_files`)
Lowest level (tree)	For tree picker: records below this level are not selectable.
Highest level (tree)	For tree picker: records above this level are not selectable.

Functions

Option	Description
Required field	Makes the field a required field.
Show empty option	Displays an empty selection option.

Overview (backend filter and search)

Option	Description
Filterable	The attribute is available in the backend as a filter criterion.
Searchable	The attribute is available in the backend as a search field.

Filter Rules

Filter rule	Note
Single select	Filters by a selected value from the source table; the filter list is automatically restricted to the active language.
Filter on attribute of model with a relation	Filters MetaModel items based on an attribute value of the linked MetaModel.

Special Functions

Database storage

The ID of the selected record is stored as int(11) NULL in the MetaModel table — identical to the monolingual single select attribute. The translation only affects the display values of the selection list, not the stored value.

Language-dependent selection list

MetaModels automatically filters the selection list in the backend based on the configured language column to the active backend language. This means only language-appropriate records appear for selection.

SQL WHERE condition

In the WHERE condition, the alias sourceTable represents the source table. Example for filtering on published entries:

sourceTable.published = '1'