Localization

VEF ships with Simplified Chinese as its only built-in language: the Ant Design locale is zh_CN, dayjs runs under zh-cn, zod validation messages are Chinese, and framework components fall back to Chinese literals (Bool renders 是/否, ActionButton confirms with 确认提示, editors publish with 发布).

This page is about the language of framework-provided UI chrome — built-in button labels, confirmation dialogs, validation messages, and date formatting. VEF does not include a translation framework: there is no message catalog, no t() function, and no per-user language switching. If your product needs full multi-language support, bring your own i18n library for your own pages; use this page to control the framework-supplied texts around them.

The value of this page is precision: every row below states whether a text can be overridden, and through what mechanism. Anything listed as not overridable is a fact of v2.12.0, not an omission.

Where the Chinese Defaults Come From

Four independent layers produce Chinese text, and each is switched (or not) separately:

Layer	Wiring in v2.12.0	What it controls
Ant Design locale	ConfigProvider hard-codes the zh_CN locale. ConfigProviderProps has no locale prop.	All antd built-in texts: Modal/Popconfirm OK and Cancel, pagination page-size dropdown, DatePicker panels, Transfer, empty states, and so on.
dayjs global locale	The chrono utilities in @vef-framework-react/shared set the global dayjs locale to zh-cn (and register plugins) lazily, the first time any of them runs. See Chrono.	Localized date output (LLLL-style formats, relative time) from framework utilities and any dayjs formatting in your code.
zod global config	@vef-framework-react/shared calls z.config(zhCN()) when the package is first imported, on the project-wide zod instance it re-exports.	Default validation messages for every validator that does not pass a custom message. See Forms.
Component fallback literals	Individual components default their visible text to Chinese string literals.	Bool's 是/否, ActionButton's 确认提示, ProSearch's 搜索, the editors' 发布 button, and everything else in the contract table below.

Switching the Global Locale

Ant Design built-in texts

VEF's ConfigProvider does not expose the antd locale, but antd's own ConfigProvider merges with an outer one when nested — properties you do not pass (theme, prefix) keep the framework's values. Nest one inside your route tree:

// A layout component that wraps every page (e.g. your root route)
import { ConfigProvider } from "antd";
import enUS from "antd/locale/en_US";

export function RootLayout({ children }: PropsWithChildren) {
  return <ConfigProvider locale={enUS}>{children}</ConfigProvider>;
}

Two caveats, both verified against the v2.12.0 wiring:

• Add antd to your app's own dependencies, matching the framework's range (^6.5.0 for v2.12.0). The override only works if your import resolves to the same antd copy the framework uses; a second copy would create a separate React context that framework components never read.
• Imperative helpers stay on the outer locale. showConfirm, showSuccessAlert, message and notification helpers dispatch through context holders captured directly under the framework's ConfigProvider — above your nested provider. Their built-in OK/Cancel buttons remain Chinese unless you pass okText / cancelText per call (see the contract table).

Zod validation messages

The framework configures the shared zod instance with the zh-CN locale at import time. Zod's locale config is global and last-call-wins, so flip it once during bootstrap, after framework imports and before rendering:

import { z } from "@vef-framework-react/shared";
import { en } from "zod/locales";

z.config(en());

This switches every default message (e.g. "Invalid input" instead of the Chinese equivalent). Custom messages you pass in validators — z.string().min(2, "At least 2 characters") — are unaffected either way. Add zod to your app's dependencies for the zod/locales import; the locale object is plain data, so it does not need to be the same zod copy.

dayjs

There is no supported switch for the dayjs locale. The framework asserts zh-cn lazily: the first chrono utility call (getNow, formatDate, tryParseDate, ...) runs a one-time setup that sets the global locale, so a dayjs.locale("en") executed earlier in your bootstrap gets silently overwritten later. If you accept relying on this internal behavior, you can force the one-time setup and then override:

import { getNow } from "@vef-framework-react/shared";
import dayjs from "dayjs";

getNow();           // forces the framework's one-time dayjs setup (zh-cn + plugins)
dayjs.locale("en"); // now safe — the framework will not re-assert zh-cn

Your app's dayjs must resolve to the same copy the framework uses (declare a compatible range; the framework pins ^1.11.21 at v2.12.0). Note that DatePicker/Calendar panel text follows the antd locale, not the dayjs global — and regardless of locale, formatDuration always outputs 天/小时/分钟 and the quarter format is YYYY-Q季度 (both hard-coded).

Override Contract

Framework-provided Chinese defaults and their override mechanism, verified against the v2.12.0 source:

Component / area	Chinese default	Override
Bool labels	是 / 否	trueLabel / falseLabel props
ActionButton confirmation	确认提示 / 确定要执行此操作吗？	confirmTitle / confirmDescription props; OK/Cancel come from the antd locale
ActionGroup per-action confirmation	确认提示 / 确定要{label}吗？	confirmTitle / confirmDescription on each action
showConfirm() dialog	title 确认提示; OK/Cancel from antd locale	title, okText, cancelText options per call
showSuccessAlert() and siblings	titles 成功 / 提示 / 警告 / 错误; button 好的，知道了	title, okText options per call
Form buttons	提交 / 重置	children of form.SubmitButton / form.ResetButton
FormModal / FormDrawer footer	提交 / 重置	submitButtonProps / resetButtonProps (set children)
CRUD form title	创建 / 修改 (fallback 表单)	title option when calling openForm
CRUD form footer	提交 / 重置	formActionsRenderers per scene
ProSearch buttons	搜索 / 重置	searchButtonProps / resetButtonProps (set children)
ProTable operation column header	操作	operationColumn.title
EditableTable row actions	编辑 / 删除 / 保存 / 取消	operationColumn.texts
EditableTable operation column header	操作	operationColumn.title
EditableTable table texts (e.g. empty state)	antd table defaults	locale prop, forwarded to the underlying table (v2.12.0)
Upload trigger button	上传	pass children
FormEditor / ApprovalFlowEditor publish button	发布	publishText prop

Everything not in this table that renders Chinese is in the "Chinese-only" list below.

Worked Example: an English Admin UI

The full set of changes for a team shipping an English-language product on VEF v2.12.0.

Bootstrap, before createApp().render():

import { getNow, z } from "@vef-framework-react/shared";
import { en } from "zod/locales";
import dayjs from "dayjs";

z.config(en());     // English default validation messages
getNow();           // force the framework's one-time dayjs setup...
dayjs.locale("en"); // ...then win the locale (unsupported but effective; see above)

Root layout, wrapping all routed pages:

import { ConfigProvider } from "antd";
import enUS from "antd/locale/en_US";

<ConfigProvider locale={enUS}>{/* routes */}</ConfigProvider>

Then apply the per-component overrides from the contract table wherever those components appear, for example:

<Bool variant="radio" trueLabel="Yes" falseLabel="No" />

<ActionButton
  confirmable
  confirmTitle="Delete record"
  confirmDescription="This action cannot be undone."
>
  Delete
</ActionButton>

showConfirm("Publish this version?", { title: "Confirm", okText: "OK", cancelText: "Cancel" });

<ProSearch searchButtonProps={{ children: "Search" }} resetButtonProps={{ children: "Reset" }} />

<ProTable operationColumn={{ title: "Actions", width: 160, render: renderActions }} />

<EditableTable
  operationColumn={{
    title: "Actions",
    texts: { edit: "Edit", delete: "Delete", save: "Save", cancel: "Cancel" }
  }}
/>

Since the defaults live in each component rather than in a global config, teams typically wrap the most-used ones (ActionButton, Bool, ProSearch) in thin project components that bake in the English texts once.

After all of the above, the surfaces in the next section are still Chinese — review whether any of them appear in your product before committing to VEF for an English UI.

What Is Chinese-Only Today (v2.12.0)

These strings have no override prop, no config entry, and no locale hook:

• ProTable: the sequence column header 序号; the column-settings panel (数据列设置, 重置, 固定在左侧 / 取消固定在左侧, 固定在右侧, 设置列宽, 该列不支持设置列宽, 当前列宽, 未命名列, 调整过列设置); the pagination summary 第 X - Y 条 / 共 N 条 (framework-rendered — the antd locale does not reach it).
• ProSearch: the advanced-search toggle 高级搜索.
• CRUD: the selection bar 已选择 N 项 / 取消选择.
• EditableTable: the add-row button 新增记录; the save-validation fallback toast 请检查表单填写是否正确 (shown only when no validator message is available).
• FormModal / FormDrawer: the missing-content placeholder 请提供表单内容.
• IconPicker: the empty-search state 无匹配图标.
• Chart: the loading overlay 加载中....
• Global error boundary (inside ConfigProvider): 出错了, 重试, 未知错误.
• HttpClient user-facing messages: 请求超时, 登录已过期, 请重新登录, 发起请求失败: ..., ...请联系管理员为您开通, and its console diagnostics. See Error Handling.
• Chrono utilities: formatDuration output (天 / 小时 / 分钟) and the YYYY-Q季度 quarter format, regardless of the dayjs locale.
• FormEditor and ApprovalFlowEditor chrome: toolbar, palette, properties panel, canvas hints, and publish-gate notifications are Chinese product copy throughout — publishText relabels only the publish button. The embedding guide shows how to compose your own shell around the panels if you need different chrome. Schema validation messages are also Chinese-only; program against their stable code and path, not message.
• FormEditor mobile preview: always renders antd-mobile under a zh-CN locale, regardless of the host locale.
• Starter app shell: the login page (including its rotating welcome copy), layout header controls, tab context menus, the theme-settings panel, the command palette, and the 403/404/error pages have no i18n hook. An English product must replace these starter surfaces with its own.
• Dev-server boot loader text (dev-time only, not shipped to production users).

Best Practices

• Decide the product language before building. Chinese products get everything for free; English products need the bootstrap steps plus per-component overrides, and must avoid (or replace) the Chinese-only surfaces above.
• Centralize overrides in wrappers. Text props like confirmTitle are per-instance; a thin project-level ActionButton wrapper keeps English defaults in one place instead of scattered across pages.
• Always pass okText / cancelText to imperative helpers in an English UI — the nested antd locale provider does not reach them.
• Never match on framework message strings. HTTP errors, editor validation, and helper toasts are Chinese product copy; branch on codes (ApiResult codes, validation code / path), which are stable across any future locale work.
• Treat the editors as Chinese-language surfaces. If the designers (FormEditor, ApprovalFlowEditor) are end-user-facing in an English product, plan for a custom shell — the built-in chrome is not localizable today.