nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Text alignment in ArcGIS Instant Apps

Faiez

Hi,

I’m using ArcGIS Instant Apps. Text alignment works fine for LTR languages like English and Swedish, but for RTL languages like Arabic and Persian, text stays left-aligned and does not display correctly.

Is there a way to enable proper RTL support for text widgets, pop-ups, and labels? Any CSS tweaks or configuration tips would be appreciated. I do not se any option in the language option to use:

/* Force RTL text */
.esri-widget {
direction: rtl;
text-align: right;
}

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;">
متن فارسی یا عربی
</div>

Text alignment LtR works well

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Faiez

Dear Sarah!

Thank you for your time and kind support. The screenshot I sent contains Persian text and clearly shows that RTL rendering is not working correctly. Based on my testing and review, ArcGIS Instant Apps does not fully support Persian (Farsi) in the same way it supports Arabic. The following points outline my observations for your kind consideration:

ArcGIS Instant Apps relies on the language localization framework of ArcGIS Online / ArcGIS Enterprise to translate its user interface and Esri-defined text, such as menus, buttons, labels, and tooltips. Only languages with built-in localization packs are eligible for full UI translation. Currently, Persian is not included among these built-in languages, whereas Arabic is supported as a core locale.

The Language Switcher component in ArcGIS Instant Apps differentiates between:

Fully supported languages, which include pre-translated Esri UI strings and correct layout behavior.
Partially supported or custom languages, where only user-defined text can be translated, while Esri-defined UI elements remain unchanged.

Since Persian is not listed as a fully supported language, Instant Apps treats it as a partial or custom (non-standard) language. As a result, Esri-defined UI text is not translated automatically, and right-to-left (RTL) alignment does not function correctly.

Even for fully supported languages, map content such as pop-ups, field names, and layer titles is not translated automatically and must be localized manually within the web map or by using Arcade expressions. This limitation applies to all languages.

At present, there is no official indication that Persian is included as a fully supported language within the ArcGIS Online/Enterprise localization framework. Without a built-in localization pack, the Instant Apps framework cannot automatically translate system UI elements or apply proper RTL layout behavior for Persian.

Arabic is fully supported in ArcGIS Instant Apps because it is included in the ArcGIS Online/Enterprise localization framework. Persian, however, is not part of this core localization list and is therefore treated as a non-standard language within Instant Apps.

It is important to note that Persian (Farsi) is an official language in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, and is widely spoken in Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Turkey, and other regions. Persian has over 130 million speakers worldwide.

Despite being used across multiple countries by a large global population, Persian currently does not receive the same level of RTL and UI localization support as Arabic, which continues to be prioritized as a fully supported RTL language across many platforms, including ArcGIS.

I fully respect and appreciate the importance of the Arabic language and its strong support within the ArcGIS platform. I sincerely hope that Persian (Farsi) will also be considered for inclusion in the list of fully supported languages in future Esri releases.

Many thanks again for your time and thoughtful feedback, it really means a lot to me.

Best,

Faiez

SarahMcDonald_Esri

Hi @Faiez

Thank you for sharing that screenshot. Is the text showing up correcting in the launched app? Here is a sample app that is set up to use english and arabic locales: https://webapps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=e6d511244c1741bc82ff25dbb56ce072&locale=ar

In the screenshot you shared, the configuration is being viewed using an english locale. So the formatting should match that. If you view the language switcher/app configuration using an arabic locale, the format should match that.

Please let me know if there are additional questions.

Thanks!

Sarah

Faiez

Hi Sarah!

Sure, here it is.

Best,

Faiez

SarahMcDonald_Esri

Hi @Faiez

Thanks for reaching out. I noticed in the app you shared the locales used within the language switcher are only English and Swedish. Are you noticing the text not being aligned correctly for RTL locales when using the language switcher? Could you share a screenshot of the elements in the app where the text is not being aligned correctly?

Thanks!

Sarah

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