[Development Guides Home](/guides) >> [Guide to Locales](/guides/guide-to-locales)

# Guide to Locales - Basic Usage

## Introduction

You can display locale system strings in custom code. This document includes examples for the use of the locale system in custom scripts or applications, or in custom interfaces.

* For additional examples of localization in Template Toolkit files, read our [Guide to Template Toolkit in cPanel & WHM](/guides/guide-to-template-toolkit) documentation.
* For in-depth documentation about the `Locale::Maketext` module's methods and additional options, read [CPAN's `Locale::Maketest::Utils`](https://go.cpanel.net/CPANLocaleUtils) documentation.


## Basic usage

The following example code uses the locale system to localize the string `This is a phrase.` in the application's output:

### Perl


```perl
#!/usr/bin/perl

# Load the Cpanel::Locale module.
use Cpanel::Locale ();

# Declare the $locale variable.
my $locale = Cpanel::Locale->get_handle();

# Print a localized message.
print $locale->maketext('This is a phrase.');
```

#### Load the Cpanel::Locale module


```perl
# Load the Cpanel::Locale module.
use Cpanel::Locale ();
```

Loading the `Cpanel::Locale` module ensures that the script or application can access the locale system. For more information read the [pearldoc.perl.org perlobj documentation](http://perldoc.perl.org/perlobj.html).

#### Get the user's locale setting


```perl
# Declare the $locale variable.
my $locale = Cpanel::Locale->get_handle();
```

This section of the code uses the `maketext()` method to print the string `This is a phrase.` in the authenticated user's locale.

* For example, when an authenticated user with the `en` locale runs this subroutine, the system prints `This is a phrase.`
* If the authenticated user used the `es` locale and this phrase was present in the locale's lexicon, the sytem would print the same phrase in Spanish (`Esta es una frase.`).
* If the authenticated user's locale does not contain this phrase, the phrase will display in the default locale (English).


### Template Toolkit files


```perl
<p>[% locale.maketext('This is a phrase.') %]</p>
```

Template Toolkit templates automatically access the authenticated user's locale.

For more information, read our [Guide to Template Toolkit in cPanel & WHM](/guides/guide-to-template-toolkit) documentation.

### JavaScript


```javascript
LOCALE.maketext("This is a phrase.");
```

As long as the `CJT locale.js` file loads properly, JavaScript applications will automatically access the authenticated user's locale settings and the locale system.