Setting a variation label to be the default entry to a publishing Site

 ·         Directly edit the VariationsRootLanding.ascx file.

This is the quickest way to edit the logic. Edit the logic in the VariationsRootLanding.ascx file as needed, on the front-end Web server file system.

·         Navigate to the path “C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\TEMPLATE\CONTROLTEMPLATES” here you will find the VariationsRootLanding.ascx file open the file and to edit.

To modify the root landing logic to detect when a functioning Web site is present

1.       In the GetRedirectUrl() section, find this line of code.

return (string.IsNullOrEmpty(matchedUrl) ? sourceLabelUrl : matchedUrl);

2.       Replace the line of code in Step 1 with the following code.

Note:

That I'm redirecting to my source Variation label with the index of "0".

       #region Redirecting to a custom variation

       // Customization for handling matchedUrl not valid.

       // (For example, a content deployed target site collection,

       // without source hierarchy.)

       matchedUrl = (string.IsNullOrEmpty(matchedUrl) ? sourceLabelUrl : matchedUrl);

       using (SPSite site = new SPSite(matchedUrl))

       using (SPWeb web = site.OpenWeb())

       {

            // If matchedUrl is the same as the URL of the Web

            // that you just opened, then matchedUrl is valid.

            if (string.Compare(matchedUrl, web.Url, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) == 0 && web.DoesUserHavePermissions(SPBasePermissions.Open))

            {

                //Target URL is valid; return it.

                //return matchedUrl;

                SPSite Site = new SPSite(http://win-1eppeqik472/sites/Publishing);
                SPWeb Web = Site.RootWeb;
                Guid varListId = new Guid(Web.AllProperties["_VarLabelsListId"] as string);
                SPList varList = Web.Lists[varListId];
                String URL = varList.Items[0].Web.Url;
                URL += "/" + varList.Items[0].Name + "/Pages/default.aspx";
                return URL;
            }

            else

            {

                 //Target URL was NOT valid; the variation label is missing.

                 //Perform logic here to redirect the user appropriately.

                 //If nothing is done here, then this function returns null

                 //and the landing behavior reverts to the

                 //VariationsRootLandingRunTime control.

                 //This control displays a simple error message that

                 //indicates that it could not find an appropriate subsite to

                 //redirect to.

                 return "http://win-1eppeqik472/sites/Publishing/Arabic/Pages/default.aspx";

             }

          }

          #endregion

and here is some Important Links:

http://blog.consejoinc.com/2011/01/creating-multilingual-sites-in.html

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms562040.aspx