PHP Minicli localization is about making command-line instructions, help, validation errors and terminal output understandable in multiple languages while keeping the application’s real commands and parameters intact. Developers searching for Minicli command namespaces, DefaultController, getParam, hasParam, hasFlag, required parameters, help controllers and multilingual PHP CLI QA should begin with a distinction: a translated explanation is not automatically a new executable command. Minicli is a minimalist PHP framework for CLI-centric applications, not a universal translation engine that changes every flag, key or error according to locale.
Imagine a harmless command named report preview that prints a message without editing files. A user supplies name=sample and may add –details. An Arabic or French guide should explain what the parameters do, but renaming name= to another language in prose will fail unless the application’s controller explicitly recognizes that key. Minicli distinguishes command namespaces and subcommands from key-value parameters and double-dash flags. Its structured controllers make it possible to design clear explanations, but application authors still own localization catalogs, validation behavior, fallback and side-effect claims.
This longform guide introduces Minicli’s application and command model, documented getArgs, hasParam, getParam and hasFlag helpers, required() validation, output presentation, structured help, Unicode and packaging. It walks through thirty-nine practical failure scenarios, distinguishes user-visible prose from executable grammar, and finishes with FAQs and a four-week release plan. The central goal is practical education: a person in another language can discover a working command, supply the right value and recover from a mistake with confidence.
Quick answer: stable command routes, clear translated instructions
- Keep executable namespaces, parameter keys and flags literal unless aliases exist.
- Explain key-value parameters and Boolean flags separately.
- Make required() validation and error recovery understandable.
- Test output themes, Unicode and deployment resources without relying on color.
- Run examples in a clean installed PHP CLI environment.
This article uses a fictional read-only report preview and simple greetings to make examples safe. Actual deletion, migration or file-writing commands require explicit warnings and separate tests. Follow the order from command grammar through diagnostics and packaging rather than treating translation as a word-for-word search-and-replace exercise.
1. What Minicli is designed to do
Minicli is a compact PHP framework for CLI applications. Its base package can register commands and run them using an application entry point; a more structured application organizes command namespaces and controllers. It offers helpers for command-line input, user prompts and terminal output. This architecture makes a useful translation study because command names, parameter keys, flags, validation text and display messages are related but not interchangeable. Do not infer a built-in locale negotiation system from the fact that the framework can print strings. Establish the application’s actual localization approach first.
2. The safe beginning: print, do not modify
A beginner should start with a read-only example that prints a greeting or report preview. The official getting-started pattern creates a Minicli\App, registers a command and runs it with the provided argv. A structured application might instead use an app/Command/Help namespace with DefaultController and sibling subcontrollers. Both approaches teach the same boundary: the executable route must exist before a localized manual can name it. Avoid real file writes or network operations in a first exercise; side effects deserve separate authorization and detailed recovery guidance.
3. Understand command, subcommand, parameter and flag
The official input documentation illustrates an invocation like ./minicli command subcommand param1=value1 –flag1. The leading words select a command namespace and subcommand. A key-value parameter is not the same as a double-dash flag, and the parser does not automatically treat the target-language equivalent of param1 as an alias. Explain the distinctions in the first working example. Put literal syntax in code styling and translate purpose sentences alongside it. A user should know exactly which characters to copy and which value to replace with their own data.
4. Controllers expose useful input helpers
The documented controller helpers include getArgs(), hasParam(), getParam() and hasFlag(). getArgs returns argument data; hasParam and getParam identify and read key-value parameters; hasFlag checks a switch. A translated guide must not imply all four return the same kind of data. The code should decide whether a parameter is present before treating its value as meaningful, and it should clearly distinguish a missing key from an empty value. Readers should see a minimal invocation and a corresponding expected outcome, not an abstract API inventory detached from behavior.
5. Required parameters are behavior, not tone
The Minicli documentation demonstrates a required() method returning parameter keys such as [‘name’] in a controller. Omitting a required key then produces a missing-parameter error. Translators often soften imperative language, but this is a case where direct wording helps users: name= is required, not merely recommended. If the application translates its own error message, it should still preserve the exact required key as an executable token. Run the missing-key example and compare the observed output with every localized sentence that describes it.
6. Help is both navigation and a contract
A structured Minicli application can contain a Help command namespace and multiple controllers. The description of a controller is a wayfinding aid, not an alternative executable name. A multilingual help screen should show supported routes and command names accurately, explain parameters with real examples and direct users to the right level. A help page that merely translates English labels but misplaces subcommands can make an application look broken. Verify root help, command-specific help, no-argument behavior and invalid commands using the exact packaged entry script.
7. Output themes do not replace language clarity
Minicli provides terminal output helpers and color themes. Those can improve readability but cannot carry essential meaning alone. In monochrome logs, remote terminals and redirected output, a red line may no longer look different from a green one. Write explicit words such as error, warning or completed where appropriate, then style them. Keep stdout for successful data and use stderr or an explicit error channel according to the application’s contract. Translating messages should not corrupt machine-readable output that another program consumes.
8. PHP runtime encoding and input identity
PHP strings contain bytes, and terminal encodings, filesystem conventions and display fonts differ across platforms. A Japanese description rendered correctly in a terminal does not prove a Unicode filename or arbitrary user input survived every conversion. Keep user-provided keys, identifiers, paths and values separate from translatable prose. Test UTF-8 output, composed accents, CJK text, RTL messages, quotes and spaces. For user prompts, consider how cancellation and empty input are reported. No number of localized strings compensates for altered data or misleading validation.
9. Catalogs, fallback and deployable packaging
A developer may choose a message array, a gettext-based approach or another application-defined catalog. The translation strategy is separate from Minicli’s parser and should have a clear locale selection path and a tested fallback. Store one source message meaning per key and keep placeholders typed and documented. Then confirm catalog files ship with the Composer package or executable installation, including Docker or action containers if used. A translated message visible in a checkout but absent from the packaged product is not a completed localization.
10. Maintain language changes alongside code changes
Commands evolve: controller classes move, parameter names are deprecated, validation becomes stricter and themes change. A translated instruction can become inaccurate without a single translator touching it. Pin the tested Minicli and PHP versions, preserve a command corpus with successful and failing inputs, and assign someone to review wording after API or application changes. Treat a new parameter alias as a software change with tests. Ask a target-language reader to run the published command from a clean environment and describe what happened. That is the standard for a trustworthy tutorial.
40 concrete PHP Minicli localization investigations
1. Translated parameter key is not accepted
A French example changes name= into nom= while the controller still calls getParam(‘name’).
Keep name= literal and translate its purpose, or add and test a real alias in application code.
Run both keys and compare the controller’s observed value.
Record the exact invocation, selected language, PHP version, Minicli version, resulting controller behavior, output streams and status. This evidence makes failures reproducible and distinguishes translation drift from shell parsing, dependency upgrades or application logic. The actual command should be copied from the rendered page when possible.
2. Command namespace translated only in docs
The guide refers to a local-language report command that is not registered in Minicli.
Display the actual command namespace and put the translation in adjacent prose.
Run the root command list and copied invocation.
Think about the reader’s next choice. They need to know which key is literal, which value is theirs to supply, whether the field is mandatory and what the command changes. Translate that decision clearly. Avoid adding attractive but unsupported aliases or extra promises about a controller’s behavior.
3. Subcommand shown at wrong level
A help section treats a child controller as a standalone root command.
Show the full executable-to-command route and explain the command hierarchy before abbreviating it.
Test root help, child help and copied commands.
A command name or parameter key becomes part of an informal interface once scripts and tutorials refer to it. Editing the help sentence is a localization change; registering a second name or changing validation is a software change. Both can be useful, but they require different owners and different tests.
4. Flag confused with key-value input
The guide says –details=true although the application checks hasFlag(‘details’) for presence.
Explain the actual flag syntax and separate it from name=value parameters.
Run –details, –details=true and no flag and compare behavior.
Include at least one longer translation and one non-Latin script in testing. Examine actual argument identity as well as text rendering, and do not treat line-wrap differences as functional failures. Missing guidance, corrupted filenames and inaccurate requiredness are serious even when the terminal looks visually tidy.
5. A required key sounds optional
A controller returns [‘name’] from required(), yet translation says the reader can omit name.
State the requirement directly and show the smallest valid name= example.
Run the command without name and capture the missing-parameter diagnostic.
Localize at the right layer. A shell transforms input tokens, Minicli routes to a command, a controller interprets parameters, application catalogs provide messages, and terminal settings affect display. Separating these responsibilities creates safer fixes and makes the tutorial useful to teams beyond one operating system.
6. Default value is mistranslated
A controller supplies a default name but the localized page promises a different fallback.
Translate the observed default without changing application behavior or input syntax.
Run with and without a parameter and inspect output.
Record the exact invocation, selected language, PHP version, Minicli version, resulting controller behavior, output streams and status. This evidence makes failures reproducible and distinguishes translation drift from shell parsing, dependency upgrades or application logic. The actual command should be copied from the rendered page when possible.
7. getArgs confused with getParam
A guide describes getArgs as returning only the supplied key-value pair while it includes broader argv information.
Use each API’s documented role and show one actual argument array beside a parameter lookup.
Test the same invocation through both interfaces.
Think about the reader’s next choice. They need to know which key is literal, which value is theirs to supply, whether the field is mandatory and what the command changes. Translate that decision clearly. Avoid adding attractive but unsupported aliases or extra promises about a controller’s behavior.
8. hasParam presence is ignored
Code assumes getParam(‘name’) is meaningful even when the key is absent.
Check presence or declare the key required, then provide a clear recovery message.
Test missing, empty and populated values separately.
A command name or parameter key becomes part of an informal interface once scripts and tutorials refer to it. Editing the help sentence is a localization change; registering a second name or changing validation is a software change. Both can be useful, but they require different owners and different tests.
9. Empty parameter treated as missing
The guide conflates name= with no name key, although the application may distinguish presence from content.
State validation expectations for empty values and keep presence and meaning separate.
Run both cases and compare hasParam and downstream checks.
Include at least one longer translation and one non-Latin script in testing. Examine actual argument identity as well as text rendering, and do not treat line-wrap differences as functional failures. Missing guidance, corrupted filenames and inaccurate requiredness are serious even when the terminal looks visually tidy.
10. Unrecognized flag silently discarded
A reader follows a translated –verbose example but the controller only handles –details.
Keep registered spellings in help and provide an explicit unknown-input policy in application code.
Run known and unknown flags and inspect whether behavior and messaging agree.
Localize at the right layer. A shell transforms input tokens, Minicli routes to a command, a controller interprets parameters, application catalogs provide messages, and terminal settings affect display. Separating these responsibilities creates safer fixes and makes the tutorial useful to teams beyond one operating system.
11. A translated help entry invents an alias
An editor adds a localized short spelling that the Minicli application does not recognize.
Reserve alternate names for explicit command registration and compatibility review.
Copy both forms and compare actual routing.
Record the exact invocation, selected language, PHP version, Minicli version, resulting controller behavior, output streams and status. This evidence makes failures reproducible and distinguishes translation drift from shell parsing, dependency upgrades or application logic. The actual command should be copied from the rendered page when possible.
12. A help controller cannot be found
The structured application uses a different namespace or controller naming convention than the translated tutorial describes.
Verify the project template, autoloading and registered command structure for that installed version.
Run ./minicli help in a clean installation.
Think about the reader’s next choice. They need to know which key is literal, which value is theirs to supply, whether the field is mandatory and what the command changes. Translate that decision clearly. Avoid adding attractive but unsupported aliases or extra promises about a controller’s behavior.
13. Single-file and structured examples are mixed
The article combines registerCommand closure code with controller methods as though they are one setup.
Show each supported pattern separately and explain where its input object or controller state comes from.
Build both minimal variants in isolated directories.
A command name or parameter key becomes part of an informal interface once scripts and tutorials refer to it. Editing the help sentence is a localization change; registering a second name or changing validation is a software change. Both can be useful, but they require different owners and different tests.
14. Required validation returns a raw key
The framework reports missing parameter name, but a translation replaces the executable key with an explanatory noun.
Keep the literal missing key visible and translate surrounding advice on how to provide it.
Run without the key and ask a reader to repair the command.
Include at least one longer translation and one non-Latin script in testing. Examine actual argument identity as well as text rendering, and do not treat line-wrap differences as functional failures. Missing guidance, corrupted filenames and inaccurate requiredness are serious even when the terminal looks visually tidy.
15. Parameter with equals inside value breaks example
A guide includes a value containing = without checking how the configured application parses it.
Document the actual key-value splitting rules and provide a tested quoting or encoding example.
Test simple and equals-containing values with the installed version.
Localize at the right layer. A shell transforms input tokens, Minicli routes to a command, a controller interprets parameters, application catalogs provide messages, and terminal settings affect display. Separating these responsibilities creates safer fixes and makes the tutorial useful to teams beyond one operating system.
16. Whitespace in parameter needs quoting
A translated invocation uses name=My Report without shell quoting, splitting one value into multiple argv tokens.
Show correct quoting for each supported shell and explain tokenization before Minicli receives the input.
Run quoted and unquoted examples and inspect values.
Record the exact invocation, selected language, PHP version, Minicli version, resulting controller behavior, output streams and status. This evidence makes failures reproducible and distinguishes translation drift from shell parsing, dependency upgrades or application logic. The actual command should be copied from the rendered page when possible.
17. Missing output locale fallback
A catalog returns a blank help sentence for an unsupported locale, leaving users unable to recover.
Implement a readable application-level fallback and record which messages remain library-owned.
Test unsupported locale and missing translation key.
Think about the reader’s next choice. They need to know which key is literal, which value is theirs to supply, whether the field is mandatory and what the command changes. Translate that decision clearly. Avoid adding attractive but unsupported aliases or extra promises about a controller’s behavior.
18. Error message claims success
A failed validation branch prints a translated success line before terminating.
Keep status and human message in agreement and avoid normal-output formatting on failures.
Trigger the error and inspect streams and process exit code.
A command name or parameter key becomes part of an informal interface once scripts and tutorials refer to it. Editing the help sentence is a localization change; registering a second name or changing validation is a software change. Both can be useful, but they require different owners and different tests.
19. Error printed to data stream
A translated diagnostic is sent to stdout where another program expects structured results.
Use the application’s intended error channel and document how callers detect failure.
Pipe stdout to a file on invalid input and inspect the output.
Include at least one longer translation and one non-Latin script in testing. Examine actual argument identity as well as text rendering, and do not treat line-wrap differences as functional failures. Missing guidance, corrupted filenames and inaccurate requiredness are serious even when the terminal looks visually tidy.
20. Color used as sole meaning
The terminal theme displays errors in red without an explicit error word or other accessible cue.
Add meaningful text labels and ensure output remains usable without color.
Redirect to a file and use a monochrome terminal.
Localize at the right layer. A shell transforms input tokens, Minicli routes to a command, a controller interprets parameters, application catalogs provide messages, and terminal settings affect display. Separating these responsibilities creates safer fixes and makes the tutorial useful to teams beyond one operating system.
21. Unicode is double-encoded
A Japanese string appears as mojibake after passing through an incorrect encoding conversion.
Identify source, catalog, output and terminal encodings; remove unnecessary repeated conversion.
Print a known literal and compare it with a catalog-derived string.
Record the exact invocation, selected language, PHP version, Minicli version, resulting controller behavior, output streams and status. This evidence makes failures reproducible and distinguishes translation drift from shell parsing, dependency upgrades or application logic. The actual command should be copied from the rendered page when possible.
22. Arabic punctuation changes copy behavior
An RTL sentence visually rearranges dashes or equals around a literal parameter key.
Isolate executable tokens in code runs and review bidirectional rendering with native readers.
Copy the final page’s command and compare exact argv.
Think about the reader’s next choice. They need to know which key is literal, which value is theirs to supply, whether the field is mandatory and what the command changes. Translate that decision clearly. Avoid adding attractive but unsupported aliases or extra promises about a controller’s behavior.
23. A CJK filename is translated as prose
A user-provided path is sent through a translation engine and no longer matches the actual file.
Preserve file and directory identifiers exactly while translating only explanatory language.
Create two distinct CJK fixtures and verify selection.
A command name or parameter key becomes part of an informal interface once scripts and tutorials refer to it. Editing the help sentence is a localization change; registering a second name or changing validation is a software change. Both can be useful, but they require different owners and different tests.
24. Windows path becomes a Unix assumption
A tutorial shows slash-based paths without noting platform differences or shell quoting.
Use platform-marked examples and preserve the path that the runtime actually receives.
Test equivalent disposable fixtures on supported operating systems.
Include at least one longer translation and one non-Latin script in testing. Examine actual argument identity as well as text rendering, and do not treat line-wrap differences as functional failures. Missing guidance, corrupted filenames and inaccurate requiredness are serious even when the terminal looks visually tidy.
25. Prompt cancellation appears as empty answer
An interactive prompt returns a cancellation state but translated logic treats it as a user-approved empty string.
Keep explicit cancel, empty and accepted branches in the application and explain them distinctly.
Test Enter, escape or cancellation, and redirected stdin.
Localize at the right layer. A shell transforms input tokens, Minicli routes to a command, a controller interprets parameters, application catalogs provide messages, and terminal settings affect display. Separating these responsibilities creates safer fixes and makes the tutorial useful to teams beyond one operating system.
26. A destructive command is called a preview
A translated description says a controller only reports changes although it writes or deletes data.
State actual side effects and use harmless read-only examples for introductory instruction.
Run with disposable files and verify what changed.
Record the exact invocation, selected language, PHP version, Minicli version, resulting controller behavior, output streams and status. This evidence makes failures reproducible and distinguishes translation drift from shell parsing, dependency upgrades or application logic. The actual command should be copied from the rendered page when possible.
27. Help uses outdated controller name
Application code was reorganized but localized help still names the former subcommand.
Generate a route inventory from the current application and review every visible command against it.
Run all documented invocations after the refactor.
Think about the reader’s next choice. They need to know which key is literal, which value is theirs to supply, whether the field is mandatory and what the command changes. Translate that decision clearly. Avoid adding attractive but unsupported aliases or extra promises about a controller’s behavior.
28. Duplicate command name routes unpredictably
Two independently developed command packages register a matching name, confusing the displayed help route.
Resolve naming and scope at application level before translating the interface.
Enable both packages and inspect routing and error handling.
A command name or parameter key becomes part of an informal interface once scripts and tutorials refer to it. Editing the help sentence is a localization change; registering a second name or changing validation is a software change. Both can be useful, but they require different owners and different tests.
29. Option order implied universal
A sample works in one invocation order but a translation suggests options can appear anywhere without testing.
Document only the accepted forms verified by Minicli and the shell.
Run alternate orders and compare controller results.
Include at least one longer translation and one non-Latin script in testing. Examine actual argument identity as well as text rendering, and do not treat line-wrap differences as functional failures. Missing guidance, corrupted filenames and inaccurate requiredness are serious even when the terminal looks visually tidy.
30. A theme changes visibility of links
A styled console message relies on color or underlining to distinguish a documentation URL from ordinary text.
Write the complete usable URL and a plain-text label; styling may add emphasis but not essential content.
Test with no ANSI formatting and in redirected logs.
Localize at the right layer. A shell transforms input tokens, Minicli routes to a command, a controller interprets parameters, application catalogs provide messages, and terminal settings affect display. Separating these responsibilities creates safer fixes and makes the tutorial useful to teams beyond one operating system.
31. Composer installation omits catalogs
Locale files are present in the repository but not shipped with the vendor or application package.
Include application language resources in distribution manifests and test clean installs.
Run the target locale outside the source checkout.
Record the exact invocation, selected language, PHP version, Minicli version, resulting controller behavior, output streams and status. This evidence makes failures reproducible and distinguishes translation drift from shell parsing, dependency upgrades or application logic. The actual command should be copied from the rendered page when possible.
32. PHP version claim is stale
The guide repeats an old minimum PHP version despite newer Minicli major-version requirements.
Pin the installed release and check upstream requirements before publishing compatibility statements.
Run composer platform checks in a clean supported environment.
Think about the reader’s next choice. They need to know which key is literal, which value is theirs to supply, whether the field is mandatory and what the command changes. Translate that decision clearly. Avoid adding attractive but unsupported aliases or extra promises about a controller’s behavior.
33. Readline requirement confused with parsing
A user is told that every Minicli command requires readline even though the extension is for interactive input features.
Explain optional interactive functionality separately from ordinary argument parsing.
Run a non-interactive command without prompt dependencies and compare an interactive fixture.
A command name or parameter key becomes part of an informal interface once scripts and tutorials refer to it. Editing the help sentence is a localization change; registering a second name or changing validation is a software change. Both can be useful, but they require different owners and different tests.
34. A flag value is silently translated
A parameter accepts a canonical value such as json, but the guide replaces it with a localized label unsupported by the controller.
Keep machine values literal and translate their descriptions next to them.
Execute all advertised values and verify validation.
Include at least one longer translation and one non-Latin script in testing. Examine actual argument identity as well as text rendering, and do not treat line-wrap differences as functional failures. Missing guidance, corrupted filenames and inaccurate requiredness are serious even when the terminal looks visually tidy.
35. Stale catalog keys are reused
A message key originally meaning preview is reused for delete, resulting in a misleading translation.
Separate messages by meaning and review placeholders and side effects before reusing phrases.
Render each action and have a reader predict its effect.
Localize at the right layer. A shell transforms input tokens, Minicli routes to a command, a controller interprets parameters, application catalogs provide messages, and terminal settings affect display. Separating these responsibilities creates safer fixes and makes the tutorial useful to teams beyond one operating system.
36. Plural and number formatting drift
A translated progress message assumes English plural forms and decimal separators for every locale.
Use application-selected plural and formatting logic where needed, separately from input grammar.
Test zero, one and many values in several locales.
Record the exact invocation, selected language, PHP version, Minicli version, resulting controller behavior, output streams and status. This evidence makes failures reproducible and distinguishes translation drift from shell parsing, dependency upgrades or application logic. The actual command should be copied from the rendered page when possible.
37. Date display and date input conflated
A controller accepts a fixed ISO-style date but localized help presents only a regional display date.
Show accepted input syntax alongside an example display format and avoid ambiguity.
Run valid ISO and localized date strings and inspect the validation path.
Think about the reader’s next choice. They need to know which key is literal, which value is theirs to supply, whether the field is mandatory and what the command changes. Translate that decision clearly. Avoid adding attractive but unsupported aliases or extra promises about a controller’s behavior.
38. Testing captures only English
The QA suite checks default output but has no translated help or missing-key fixture.
Add target-language acceptance tests and a semantic command corpus that checks behavior and recovery.
Run one valid and two invalid commands for each supported language.
A command name or parameter key becomes part of an informal interface once scripts and tutorials refer to it. Editing the help sentence is a localization change; registering a second name or changing validation is a software change. Both can be useful, but they require different owners and different tests.
39. Container image lacks locale data
A command works on a developer laptop but a Docker or action image omits translated message resources.
Build and run the final deployment image, checking files, locale selection and output encoding.
Use a clean container to execute help and failure cases.
Include at least one longer translation and one non-Latin script in testing. Examine actual argument identity as well as text rendering, and do not treat line-wrap differences as functional failures. Missing guidance, corrupted filenames and inaccurate requiredness are serious even when the terminal looks visually tidy.
40. Rendered examples use smart quotes
A publishing system replaces ASCII shell quotes and dashes in command blocks with typographic punctuation.
Keep commands as literal code, and test copy-paste from the public rendered article.
Execute every final command snippet in a test shell.
Localize at the right layer. A shell transforms input tokens, Minicli routes to a command, a controller interprets parameters, application catalogs provide messages, and terminal settings affect display. Separating these responsibilities creates safer fixes and makes the tutorial useful to teams beyond one operating system.
Frequently asked questions
Does Minicli automatically translate every command?
No. Minicli is a CLI application framework. Applications decide how language catalogs are selected, which text is translated, and whether aliases are registered in the executable command structure.
How are commands organized?
You can register a minimal command directly, or use a structured application with command namespaces and controllers. The correct public route depends on what your application actually registered.
What is the difference between param=value and –flag?
The Minicli documentation distinguishes key-value parameters from double-dash flags. A controller may read them with hasParam/getParam and hasFlag respectively.
How do required parameters work?
The documentation shows a controller required() method returning keys such as [‘name’]; missing required input produces a validation message. The guide should explain the literal key users must supply.
Is a translated key a valid alias?
Not unless the program registers or maps it. Translate descriptions first, and treat alternative executable spellings as software features with compatibility testing.
Does a color theme make a tool accessible?
Not by itself. Errors, warnings and success should be understandable through text even when color disappears in logs or remote terminals.
Why are non-ASCII paths a separate test?
Displaying Unicode text and preserving argument data involve different runtime and platform boundaries. Both need evidence from real fixtures.
How do I know the localized release works?
Install the final Composer-based application or deployment image in a clean environment. Ask a target-language reader to use help, run a safe command and recover from an invalid invocation.
Four-week implementation and release plan
Week 1 — map actual routes and input grammar
Install a supported PHP and Minicli version in a clean test project. Build a harmless command that prints a greeting or selected report name and optionally checks a Boolean flag. Capture the root help route, command namespace, available controller, key-value parameter syntax and one required() failure. List literal command names, parameter keys, placeholders, descriptions and error messages in separate columns. Create one ASCII and one Unicode fixture. Choose two target languages with different text length and script. This evidence shows what users can currently type and what the translation is responsible for explaining.
Week 2 — review message meaning and usable help
Translate the purpose, usage explanations and recovery instructions that the application owns. Keep command routes and keys literal unless a deliberate software change implements aliases. For each sentence, identify the user decision: which command to choose, whether a parameter is required, how a flag differs, and what action is safe. Test the rendered help and every copied code example with the same installed program. If a required key is omitted, ensure the localized error names the real key rather than a natural-language substitute. Ask a reader to complete one safe command without seeing the English original.
Week 3 — test invalid input, Unicode and packaging
Deliberately omit name=, supply name= with no value, add an unsupported flag, and try a value containing spaces or an equals sign. Observe actual parsing and application validation without making assumptions. Check stdout, stderr and exit codes. Render CJK and RTL messages on narrow and monochrome terminals, and verify Unicode paths separately from visible descriptions. Build the final Composer or deployment image and confirm translation resources are present without a source checkout. Repeat valid and failing commands in all selected locales and preserve their evidence.
Week 4 — reader acceptance and maintenance ownership
Provide a clean installation to a target-language reader. Ask them to discover a command from help, run a successful read-only example and recover from one missing parameter. Watch for misinterpretation of keys, flags, command hierarchy or file side effects; correct ambiguous sentences and repeat the tests. Assign ownership for locale catalogs, controller validation, help documents and changes to executable aliases. Record the package and PHP versions used, the exact invocation and outcome. This converts one translation pass into a maintainable educational interface that survives future changes to commands.
Release acceptance: a reader can complete the real task
Good Minicli localization preserves the application contract and explains it clearly. A person should understand which command to select, what literal name= key to provide, when a required field is missing and how a flag changes the result. They should be able to recover without deciphering developer internals. The release should deliver the same stable input grammar across languages unless real aliases were intentionally built, and its messages must remain understandable without color or a development checkout.