>>> [!note] Migrated issue <!-- Drupal.org comment --> <!-- Migrated from issue #3579137. --> Reported by: [hexabinaer](https://www.drupal.org/user/258364) Related to !19 >>> <h3>Several issues with the current formatter options</h3> <h4>Translatability</h4> <p>With the generic translatable strings <code>{{ 'by'|trans }}</code>, <code>{{ 'at'|trans }}</code>, <code>{{ 'as'|trans }}</code> it's close to impossible to nail a suitable translation for attributions without side-effects. </p> <p>Even more when people do not 100% understand what's expected or use the fields freehand to solve their current need.</p> <h4 id="theming">Theming requirements</h4> <p>Although there are already 6 formatters, none serves the typical theme's requirements: </p> <ul> <li>Move attribution onto the lower left part of an image</li> <li>Provide a toggle and show the attribution text in a popover element (cf. OpenCulturas)</li> </ul> <h4 id="style">Separate style from content</h4> <p>Apart from the icons style there is currently no formatter to display the <em>Identifier</em> ("short name") instead of the long <em>Name</em>.</p> <p>There is currently no option to use the official CC icon images (2 versions available).</p> <p>There is currently no option to simply set a separator instead of words (see translatability).</p> <h3 id="inventory">Inventory</h3> <p>The examples already take the <a href="https://www.drupal.org">AI addition</a> into account:</p> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Formatter name</th> <th>Sample image</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <th>Plain</th> <td><img src="https://www.drupal.org/files/issues/2026-07-27/formatter_plain.png" alt="Text line without links"></td> </tr> <tr> <th>Plain, oneline</th> <td><img src="https://www.drupal.org/files/issues/2026-07-27/formatter_plain_oneline.png" alt="Unstructured text without links, with obvious line breaks"></td> </tr> <tr> <th>HTML</th> <td><img src="https://www.drupal.org/files/issues/2026-07-27/formatter_html.png" alt="Text with links, obviously structured as definition list, below a closed details summary titled: AI prompt"></td> </tr> <tr> <th>Creative commons icons</th> <td><img src="https://www.drupal.org/files/issues/2026-07-27/formatter_cc_icons.png" alt="Black background line: license short form with some resemblance to Creative Commons icon image style, author, AI-generated"></td> </tr> <tr> <th>Creative Commons</th> <td><img src="https://www.drupal.org/files/issues/2026-07-27/formatter_creative_commons.png" alt="Text line with links"></td> </tr> <tr> <th>Creative Commons Refined</th> <td><img src="https://www.drupal.org/files/issues/2026-07-27/formatter_creative_commons_refined.png" alt="Text line with links, different wording"></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <h4 id="challenges">The challenges</h4> <ul> <li>All fields could be optional. Sentences should have a consistent logic in any case</li> <li>No assumed link markup (only build links when there is a link, e.g. license "All rights reserved")</li> <li>Keep "one line" formats least verbose</li> <li>Assume verbose formats to only appear in stand-alone displays (if at all)</li> <li>Styles should be confineable to particles (e.g. Icons formatter should be styleable to only format the CC licenses short names)</li> <li>Translations should be context-sensitive (see issue body)</li> </ul> <h3 id="resolution">Proposed resolution</h3> <p>Build one final formatter <em>with settings</em>: <strong>Attribution options</strong>:</p> <ul> <li>Provide translatable strings like <code>by &lt;a href=":author_url"&gt;@author&lt;/a&gt;</code>.</li> <li>Provide detection of license machine name starting with <code>cc</code> (not cc-dash) and provide version-agnostic icon names</li> <li>Formatter settings toggle: "Use field label as popover toggle" (default off)</li> <li>Formatter settings toggle: "Use dividers instead of sentences" (default off)</li> <li>Formatter settings toggle: "Use license identifier instead of name" (default off)</li> <li>Formatter settings toggle: Replace Creative Commons name/identifier with icon (default off)</li> <li>Formatter settings toggle: Replace AI type with icon (default off)</li> <li><del>Formatter settings toggle: Show source (default on)</del></li> </ul>