..  include:: /Includes.rst.txt
..  _columns-languge-introduction:

============
Introduction
============

The main purpose of the TCA language configuration is to simplify the TCA
language configuration. It therefore supersedes
the `special=languages` option of TCA columns with `type=select`.

Formerly `foreign_table` relations to the table `sys_language` had also
been used. This became deprecated with the introduction of site
configurations with TYPO3 v9.

This field type decouples the actually available site
languages from the `sys_language` table.

This TCA type automatically displays all available languages for the
current context (the corresponding site configuration) and also automatically
adds the special `-1` language (meaning `all languages`) for all record
types, except `pages`.

In records on root level (`pid=0`) or on a page, outside of a site context,
all languages from all site configurations are displayed in the new field.