> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://dokumentation.websale.de/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Language, character set, and date format

Depending on the country, it may be necessary to adjust the shop's language and character set.

* The language setting determines the language in which all texts in the shop are displayed.
* The character set setting determines the encoding of the HTML pages and HTML emails generated by the shop.
* The date format determines the order in which day, month, and year are listed within a date specification.

All three settings are located in the `<Basic>` section of the shop configuration `shop.config`.

## Set the language

You set the language in the shop configuration `shop.config` in the `<Basic>` section under the parameter `ShopLanguage`. A three-letter ISO code 3166-1 alpha 3 is expected.

Example: The shop language is to be German.

```ini theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"},"languages":{"custom":["/languages/websale.json"]}}
<Basic>
...
   ShopLanguage = DEU
...
</Basic>
```

## Set the character set

You set the character set in the shop configuration `shop.config` in the `<Basic>` section under the parameter `Charset`. An ISO character set is expected, for example `Charset = ISO 8859-15`.

Example: The shop language is German. For this reason, the character set ISO 8859-1 must be entered.

```ini theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"},"languages":{"custom":["/languages/websale.json"]}}
<Basic>
...
   Charset = ISO 8859-1
...
</Basic>
```

> [!WARNING]
>
> Specifying `UTF-8` as the character set instead of an ISO character set is not permitted due to technical dependencies. Some third-party providers you may be connected to, and their systems in Germany and many other countries around the world, do not yet fully support UTF-8. This can affect, for example, payment, credit checks, search service providers, ERP systems, and logistics providers.
>
> Selecting the correct ISO character set is very simple. If the texts of the shop interface and the product data have to be localized for a particular country or language, all you need to do is provide the ISO character set appropriate for that language for this shop.

## Set the date format

You determine the format for order and delivery dates displayed in the shop in the shop configuration `shop.config` in the `<Basic>` section with the parameter `DateFormat`. The byte order is expected as a value. The default is `LittleEndian`. This produces date values in the format Day.Month.Year.

Example: The date is to be displayed as DD.MM.YYYY.

```ini theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"},"languages":{"custom":["/languages/websale.json"]}}
<Basic>
...
   DateFormat = LittleEndian
...
</Basic>
```

Reference: Basic section&#x20;


## Related topics

- [Basics and technology](https://dokumentation.websale.de/en/v8s/referenz/konfigurationen/shopkonfiguration-shop-config/grundlagen-und-technik.md)
- [head section](https://dokumentation.websale.de/en/v8s/templates/head-Bereich.md)
- [Configuration: fundamentals](https://dokumentation.websale.de/en/v8s/grundlagen-konfiguration/konfiguration-grundlagen.md)
- [Configuration wsupload.config](https://dokumentation.websale.de/en/v8s/referenz/konfigurationen/konfiguration-wsupload-config.md)
- [general - General shop settings](https://dokumentation.websale.de/en/konfiguration/general-allgemeine-shopeinstellungen.md)


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