My Xcode is v10 and I'm developing a custom intent for SiriKit, targeting iOS 12.
In Xcode 10, custom intents are designed in .intentdefinition files, where you can define your own parameters for intent phrases as well as the title of the intent and Siri shortcut for that intent. Building a project with a .intentdefinition file makes Xcode automatically generate an INIntent derived class for that intent.
My issue is that in order to support other languages than English so that the intent's title is show in the system's language in General > Siri & Search when the user is able to manipulate shortcuts for custom intents, I need to provide localized intent title for my .intentdefinition file.
When I try to add another language for my .intentdefinition file in the File Inspector and then build the project I get:
duplicate output file '/Users/.../IntentDefinitionGenerated/Intents/MyCustomIntent.swift' on task: IntentDefinitionCodegen /Users/.../ru.lproj/Intents.intentdefinition
This is likely happening because Xcode sees multiple .intentdefinition files in .lproj folders and tries to generate a same named class for each of them.
How do I localize my .intentdefinition file for iOS 12?
Go to intentdefinition file -> File Inspector -> Select Localize -> Now select current language for your intentdefinition file.
This will convert your existing intentdefinition file for current language.
Now again select the same intentdefinitionfile, add other language -> it will create a new Intents.strings file where you can customize the text for other locales.
I had the same issue as #desmond-hume. In my case, I have an old xcode project that already contained some localizations before "Base" was available. The initial .intentdefinition file must be added as the Base localization. From there, further localization can be added and Xcode will add only a .strings file for each localization.
Without a base localization, Xcode adds a new .intentdefinition for each localization which causes the "multiple commands produce...." error.
You can add a Base localization under the main project settings via a checkbox.
Some old projects (like mine) may also run into this issue:
iOS - Using Base localization pane is always empty
It looks like you've already localized your Intent Definition file (since Xcode has put it into a ru.lproj folder) so the problem might be that you've two copies of the file in the "Compile Sources" build phase.
Go here:
Project -> App target -> Build Phases -> Compile Sources
and look for duplicate entries. If you find a duplicate, delete one of the copies
You can also try Editor > Validate Settings… to find duplicates
You can also try cleaning the build
I've recently Localised the intents for my App, however after the original localisation, I added another Intent.
In Xcode 10.2.1 at least that I've checked, there is an "Export for Localization" option when you select the top level of your project.
It will ask you to save the output.
When you investigate your output, you should see an .xcloc folder for EACH of the languages you support.
Dig down to the .xliff under "Localized Contents" and open it.
There you will find your treasure trove of the items and you're looking for and you're looking for items that don't have a 'target'
The engineers at Apple at dub dub showed me this, however I personally wasn't happy of this process, as you have to edit it, and then re-import it (assuming you send off your files to a translator and get an .xliff back.
The annoyance though with Intents is the fact that it uses arbitrary IDs and not something legible
I haven't found an easier way (yet) to locate the missing translations.
Hope this helps!
you must be Project->info checked "Use Base Internationalization"
Next use the top answer method to create
How can I use container apps localized strings from shared extension in Swift. I have already added containers strings files into extension -> build phase -> compile sources but its still not working. Should I set anything in configuration? From main container app strings are translated but from shared extension it shows only the string keys/ids for texts.
You need to change target membership of the Localizable.strings file. Select Localizable.strings in the Project Navigator on the left, then open File Inspector on the right and add checkmark next to your extension target in the "Target Membership" field.
There are a couple things to check:
One is the solution offered here by #ovejka - click on your string
localization file and ensure, in the rightside settings pane, that
the file applies to your widget as well as your main app (target
membership).
Another is to ensure that your storyboard strings file, which should
have been created automatically when you added a second language to
your app, has the proper translations.
If neither of those work, given that a widget is quite small and
likely only has few labels, you could add a switch statement to 'viewWillAppear' to translate each label based on the detected language
Finally, none of those seemed to be working for me in the simulator or even by switching the schema language and running it on my actual phone.
It turns out, it was working all along and the simulated language wasn't applying to the widget. I turned my actual phone's language to Spanish, run the new version of my app, and the widget was translated.
Is there any way to use just one file for localizing texts in Xcode 7 and above?
Maybe some kind of macro/script in Xcode.. whatever..?
I mean making the storyboard/IB resources to use the words directly from a Localizable.strings file instead of having the code using the texts from localizable and the storyboad having their own localization files.
Please share your opinions/solutions about that. Also please do not mention the solution of entering everything through code, that does not seem valid/recommended.
Here's how you can consolidate your localisable content into a single file to send out for translation:
With your Xcode project open, select the project file
Editor -> Export for Localization...
Follow the steps
You will then get an .xliff file for each language that you want to have as part of your app. Send this out to your translators, and they will send it back, with the localised content. Once that's done, simply do the same steps, but for importing instead:
With your Xcode project open, select the project file
Editor -> Import Localizations...
Follow the steps
I have an IOS project that has a es.lproj folder with a string file inside it. Now within the project I have a sub project (feedback system) that has its own es.lproj folder with a string file inside.
The problem is that the app when testing is choosing to translate the text based upon only one of the string files and is ignoring the other.
I want to keep the localisation for the feedback system separate so is it possible to have two of the same language files within the project?
All you need to do is use NSLocalizedStringFromTable instead of NSLocalizedString.
In your subproject, specify a table name for all of your strings.
I have a larger project with about 20 strings files using this approach.
You will probably need to use the genstrings command-line tool to generate the strings files from your code.
I localized a part of my application with creating a base.lproj storyboard and 3 string files for it. It was a month ago and after that I added new view controller to app, but this controller's buttons and labels not appear in string files
Is it possible to update this 3 storyboard attached string files or I must add new strings translations programmatically with using NSLocalizableString and Localizable.strings?
There are two options:
Option 1
Xcode can "reload" the file by converting the file to either an [Interface Builder Cocoa Touch Storyboard] file type or a [Localizable Strings] file type.
Select your base storyboard file from the Project Navigator
Find the Localization section in the File Inspector
If your file is currently a [Localizable Strings], change it to [Interface Builder Cocoa Touch Storyboard] or vice-versa.
Xcode should have converted your storyboard to the current version, while preserving your old localization efforts. Here you can change the file back to the original file type if you would like.
Option 2
Use ibtool to extract the strings in your storyboard.
Open the Terminal application
Locate your Base.lproj directory
Use this line to extract the strings:
ibtool MainStoryboard.storyboard --generate-strings-file file_name.strings
After ibtool extracts the strings to file_name.strings, you can copy and paste it to your original .strings file
Visit for more info: https://conyac.cc/business/columns/localization_guide_ios
Check out ReMafoX, it's a Mac app that perfectly solves your problem. It can be easily installed and integrated within your project, watch this video for a detailed walkthrough.
Alternatively, if you prefer an open source CLI tool without a GUI, you can also use BartyCrouch.
Install BartyCrouch via Homebrew:
brew install bartycrouch
Alternatively, install it via Mint:
mint install Flinesoft/BartyCrouch
Incrementally update your Storyboards/XIBs Strings files:
$ bartycrouch update
This will do exactly what you were looking for.
In order to keep your Storyboards/XIBs Strings files updated over time I highly recommend adding a build script (instructions on how to add a build script here):
if which bartycrouch > /dev/null; then
bartycrouch update -x
bartycrouch lint -x
else
echo "warning: BartyCrouch not installed, download it from https://github.com/Flinesoft/BartyCrouch"
fi
In addition to incrementally updating your Storyboards/XIBs Strings files this will also make sure your Localizable.strings files stay updated with newly added keys in code using NSLocalizedString and show warnings for duplicate keys or empty values.
Make sure to checkout BartyCrouch on GitHub or this detailed article for additional information.
You can manually add a key in your localization file. You can find the key object by selecting it on storyboard editor. Let's have a look at Object-ID in the identity inspector. It's look like "nwc-b2-19c"
On your localization update or add translation. For example :
"nwc-b2-19c.title" = "Translated title";
This one is not for everybody, but it requires no additional tools in the terminal and it's easy for small manual changes. (Do not consider this when you want to automate your process.)
Step 0: Storyboard language setup
Base (with english texts)
English (localizable strings file does not exist because the base file is english)
other languages (localizable strings files)
This step is done only once.
Now when I add something to the storyboard I do the following
Step 1: add the English localizable strings file
just mark the English line item.
This creates a completely new english localizable strings file with all the lines
Step 2: copy the new line items into the other language files
and translate them
Step 3: unmark English, remove the corresponding localizable strings file
the file was only needed to get the new line items
This is an easy and fast process, everything is done in the storyboard editor
Edit:
This process works very well with small storyboards. For example, I have a tabs based project and I have a storyboard for each tab.
Search for "storyboard reference" to find tutorials.
Good example: Storyboard reference in Xcode, where should we use it?
So each small storyboard only has a few strings to localize.
Finally, my solution was (rudimentary but effective) copy the previous translations and paste them in the a new file created by unchecking and checking the Localization language box.
This would be useful in some cases like mine when you have to change only one or two texts.
I think the best way is by using built-in export/import Localizations:
In Project Navigator choose you project folder
Choose Editor > Export For Localization,
All translations left on their places and XCode add missed strings automatically.
Additionally, before import, you can edit .xliff in XLIFF Editor (for example, online - http://xliff.brightec.co.uk) and then you don't need to do this in XCode.
then Editor > Import Localizations and choose saved .xliff file.
P.S. If you don't want to edit in XLIFF Editor and have skipped step 3, XCode can didn't save new strings. In this case open .xliff in XLIFF Editor, re-save without changes and import new file.
When you click in your storyboard, Main.storyboard for example... On right side you can see the localization menu (see atached image). If you uncheck and check again a lenguage, the file will be generated again. So I usually copy the content, I generate the file again and then I paste the content that I copied and already been translated.
This is the way that I use to update the dictionary.
I got a huge storyboard with a lot of strings there. Two languages base english and another arabic. The task was to add some fields and labels to storyboard and add localization for them without any scripts and NSLocalizableStrings.
For me helped next:
First: Ensure, you have git to prevent unexpectable changes.
Go to target screen in xcode and press Editor -> Export For Localization.... Save the ar.xliff file somewhere.
Download XLIFF Edtior.
Open ar.xliff file and make changes.
Import this file in xcode. Done! You have updated storyboard strings file.
There is an app a command line tool from Apple named AppleGlot that supports incremental localisation. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks exactly like the tool you searched for (some time ago).
Here is a script to extract strings from storyboards and xibs, and merge them with existing translations.
To run the script automatically when you build a project, put the script into your project root directory, and add a Run Script phase with the following line to a target build phases in your project settings.
./mergegenstrings.py PathToSourceDir
Or you can run the script on Terminal manually when you want to.
The script runs ibtool as Tha Leang answered. It also runs genstrings to extract and merge strings marked with NSLocalizedString in your source code. The script is based on a script in this post, which merges strings after running genstrings.
The easiest and very less risky approach is, just copy the Object ID from the storyboard and add a new key for the key in the localized file as below example:
1: Copy object id as below from storyboard for the component:
2: Add new key in localised file like below:
"DjF-dn-0ay.text" = "Borrar datos y restablecer";
Note: This is very less risky approach if you want to update only few component otherwise you can recreate localised file for the storyboard.
Xlifftool is available as a Mac app and works well. It shows all the translatable strings and objects from info.plist, localizable strings, and the storyboard.
Get it here for the mac: https://itunes.apple.com/lv/app/xlifftool/id1074282695?mt=12
Step 1: in Xcode, select your project folder in the project navigator. Then select Editor/Export for Localization...
Your translatable strings will be included in an xliff file under the language you selected for localization in Xcode.
Step 2: Open that file with xlifftool and translate or update your translations there were done previously.
Step 3: Then upload back into your project with Editor/Import Localizations...
Option 1
Xcode can “reload” the file by converting the file to either an [Interface Builder Cocoa Touch Storyboard] file type or a [Localizable Strings] file type.
Select your base storyboard file from the Project Navigator
Find the Localization section in the File Inspector.
If your file is currently a [Localizable Strings], change it to [Interface Builder Cocoa Touch Storyboard] or vice-versa.
Xcode should have converted your storyboard to the current version, while preserving your old localization efforts. Here you can change the file back to the original file type if you would like.
Option 2
Use ibtool to extract the strings in your storyboard.
Open the Terminal application
Locate your Base.lproj directory
Use this line to extract the strings:
ibtool MainStoryboard.storyboard --generate-strings-file file_name.strings
After ibtool extracts the strings to file_name.strings, you can copy and paste it to your original .strings file.
This is my easy way to update new text from storyboard or xib to localization string
1- use this script http://tredje.se/dev/trouble/?x=entry:entry150917-204052
2- select your localization string that you want to update and switch your language string from "Localization string" to "interface builder storyboard"
3- switch it back :)
Done.
Add a new language to localise. One that you do not need.
It will produce say Indonesian.strings for example which will contain all the storyboard buttons-names etc which you need, copy and paste all of them into all the other language.string files you have.