image formatter needs to handle alt/title from file entities on images for multi language support

With this fix for D7 (needs port to D8), now all image file entities in views display the alt and title text in the correct language, this is compatible with views that use image styles and most likely fixes other displays. No longer do we need to always use the 'Rendered file' option without losing alt and title by language.

***EDIT*** significant debugging did not prove hypothesis actually, the true source of this problem might not actually be in core for D7, however I have not yet proven this hypothesis.

Here is the unproven hypothesis; that this problem may be originating in the file_entity module in this function:
file_entity_file_load

/**
 * Implements hook_file_load().
 */
function file_entity_file_load($files) {
  // Add alt and title text to images.
  $alt = variable_get('file_entity_alt', '[file:field_file_image_alt_text]');
  $title = variable_get('file_entity_title', '[file:field_file_image_title_text]');

Or, perhaps even more likely, have a look at file_entity_field_attach_load in file_entity.module , it appears that the alt and title field get set but only if they're empty and if they do get set its not specific to the current language.

Meanwhile, until a better fix is found, the above patch #1 does the job.

D8 is affected by this too, for more details, please see the related issues

I looked into comment #8 and did not yet find any better solution.

For now patch #1 is the best known working solution for D7. It needs porting to D8

Hmm, for some reason some records display correctly without the patch, however other records do not display correct language.

Here is what we expect to see for all records, english title hover text with english content and french title hover text with french content:

french this time

However, without this patch, my environment displays incorrectly for most records (but not all) english hover text on the french record despite the content having the translated values looking ok.

I did some dpm() of the entity and the data , didn't see any obvious reason for the inconsistent results prior to the patch, however after patching all records display as we expect.

here's the issue that added alt and title support for images through file_entity. Could provide some insight.

Postponing pending a review of the later comments in
#2062721: Add a white list of file fields that can be overwritten when the file is added in the wysiwyg

wondering if this is really a core issue, or if its more likely a contrib issue?

Meanwhile, I'm actually using the above patch without issues but I don't necessarily like it.

file_entity.module (original patches were from:
#1553094: Alt and Title support for Images
)

***EDIT***
Either this solution by @David_Rothstein:
#2473621: Alt and title text don't appear in the correct language when viewing a file in a language other than the current page language

OR this solution by @das-peter:
#2806081: translated Title and Alt text fix, use optionally with entitycache and entity_translation

is the way to go

***DID NOT RESOLVE THE ABOVE USE CASE AS DESCRIBED***
still need patch 1 from this issue.

Ok, I am re-openning this because currently this patch is still needed for the above use case.

I will open a corresponding issue in file_entity to try to co-ordinate a possible alternative fix that doesn't involve a core patch. However for now I need this to work so I'm going to put my core patch back in place until a better solution is found.

it is easy to get mixed up , with the above use case a cache clear will make things 'appear' to be fixed until you load the page in another language other than the language of the cache clear , at which point you will see the other language file alt /title content.

Fixed in file_entity thanks @David_Rothstein for your patch. A new release of file_entity is available with the fix/improvements see release 7.x-2.11 of file_entity.

Appreciate this. I have backed off the core patch, it is no longer necessary with the latest file_entity release.