iOS Strings Import / Export for Mobile

Within the Localize dashboard we provide you with an ability to import and export phrases and translations in various file formats.

You can also import/export Glossary terms.

Learn how to use the iOS Strings file format to import/export content into/out of the Localize Translation Management System by watching this video.

Importing / Exporting

To see a general explanation of how importing and exporting works in Localize, click here. Be sure to adhere to the file requirements below so that Localize will be able to successfully read your files.

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Import First!

iOS Strings files for the source language must first be imported into the Localize dashboard so that the keys from your strings file are added as phraseKeys in the phrase in the Localize dashboard. Then upon subsequent exports, the phraseKeys will be maintained.

Exporting phrases for which there is no phraseKey will result in the source language string being used as the key which is probably not a desirable outcome!!!

File Requirements

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UTF-8 Character Encoding

Be sure that you are using the UTF-8 character encoding when working with the external files you are creating for importing purposes, so that special characters like accents are encoded properly.

iOS Strings is a format that's used to exchange data between participants in a translation project.
Use the following sample for guidance when creating your iOS Strings file for importing into Localize.

The following data is required:

• "key"="value": for each string in your app
  • key is a unique ID for the string (Localize calls this the phraseKey)
  • value is the actual text of the string

Sample Localizable.strings file in the source language of English:

"submit_button"="Submit"
"first_name_field"="First Name"
"last_name_field"="Last Name"

Sample Localizable.strings file in the target language of Spanish:

"submit_button"="Enviar"
"first_name_field"="Nombre"
"last_name_field"="Apellido"

Troubleshooting

If your import fails an error message will be displayed. Later, you can also view the error here under Import History.