Develop Reference

How to set Default language other than english in Android?

I have a project by my client that has built successfully in his system but as he sent to me I am unable to compile it because of unicode characters (Latin characters) in default strings.xml under res. I believe its the default localizations file but its forcing me to convert it into English but not parsing Latin Characters into it.
e.g.
<string name="old_questions">Questões e soluções dos anos anteriores</string>

Check that the XML is in UTF-8 and has
<?xml ... encoding="UTF-8"?>
or defaulted
<?xml ... ?>
I tried your text in my studio , well it is working fine. You could also update question with your error , that would help understand it better.
Another workaround for small texts would be to simply escape it.
<string name="Example">Example character \u0026</string>
go to this website : https://unicode-table.com/en/#control-character and this could help you .

Make sure your string file is in the default values folder.
You can check the android developers link for better understanding.
To help you better please post the exact error you get while compiling the code.

How to import/export Android string resource to Excel for localization?

I use Android Studio in app development. I want to translate strings by exporting/importing the Android language resources (strings.xml) to Excel file (xlsx). What is the best way to do it?

If anyone else needed the answer,
from res -> strings -> right click-> Open Translations Editor. Select data/variable you need then copy and paste data from Translations Editor to excel . done.

Since CTRL+A not working now in the android studio.
There is one way to convert the android strings file to CSV and then translate it with the help of google translator and then again convert back to XML.
https://www.skydevelopers.net/blog/2-best-ways-to-translate-the-android-strings-file/
here is a blog in detail

Export Strings resource file to csv
Get its content translated(probably from google translate)
convert back the Translated file to Strings.xml(android string resource file)
I used http://convertcsv.com/csv-to-xml.htm this website for converting csv file to strings resource file
need to mention Custom output template to convert it to strings resource file
<string name="{f1}">{f2}</string>
put this in template section provided
website also displays the desired converted output file

As many others pointed out, pressing Ctrl+A in the Translations Editor doesn't work since Android Studio 3.2
I work for a company that outsources translations constantly, so we need to convert android strings to and from xls files.
The only solution that worked for us reliably is this fork of the older android-lang-tool. Just build with maven and run the jar.
It exports strings, string-arrays, plurals and their key-values to an xls file. It even exports the comments.

I would suggest the best tool for android app string localization is the Translations Editor that is inbuilt into Android Studio.
The reason this is a great approach is you are able to make the process both easier for translators and less prone to errors. The XML string files in Android Studio support XLIFF notations that are a standardized method to aid string localization.
By utilizing XLIFF notation in your XML string files you can do the following to help the translators:
Provide additional context for declared strings
Mark message parts that should not be translated
To use XLIFF in your Android string XML files you need to include the XLIFF 1.2 namespace:
<resources xmlns:xliff="urn:oasis:names:tc:xliff:document:1.2">
Here are a few examples of strings from the android localization documentation:
<resources xmlns:xliff="urn:oasis:names:tc:xliff:document:1.2">
<!-- Example placeholder for a special unicode symbol -->
<string name="star_rating">Check out our 5
<xliff:g id="star">\u2605</xliff:g>
</string>
<!-- Example placeholder for a for a URL -->
<string name="app_homeurl">
Visit us at <xliff:g id="application_homepage">http://my/app/home.html</xliff:g>
</string>
<!-- Example placeholder for a name -->
<string name="prod_name">
Learn more at <xliff:g id="prod_gamegroup">Game Group</xliff:g>
</string>
<!-- Example placeholder for a literal -->
<string name="promo_message">
Please use the "<xliff:g id="promotion_code">ABCDEFG</xliff:g>” to get a discount.
</string>
</resources>
To access the Translations Editor in Android Studio, select Open Translations Editor from the context menu for your XML string file (ie. strings.xml) in your project tree (see below).

Convert your strings.xml to csv xml-to-csv
Import to Google Sheets
Translate using the formula =GOOGLETRANSLATE(B2, "auto", "de")
Generate output in another column using =CONCATENATE("<string name=",char(34),A2,char(34),">",C2,"</string>") where A2 is the resource_ID and C2 is the translated string
Copy the whole output column and paste inside the <resource>...</resource> tag

As Saad Mahmud answered, you can copy from the translation editor (ctrl+a ctrl+c) and then paste into a spreadsheet.
You can copy it back from a spreadsheet to the translation editor by only copying the "default value" and other languages columns, click on the topmost default value and paste (ctrl+v).
It also works with subsets (both subsets of rows and columns), as long as they are next to each other.
Be aware that empty cells in the spreadsheet will not blank out the translation in the editor, it will leave the current untouched.
Also be careful that you haven't added or removed any translation keys since the spreadsheet was created...

Export or copy to excel only supported in Windows PC.
Still not yet in MAC

As many others pointed out, you can't simply copy and paste translations from and into Translations Editor since Android Studio 3.2.
The simplest solution I found was saving the Excel file with translations as CSV file and then converting it to XML with regex and vice versa.
To "import" translations the steps:
Save xls/xlsx file with key in first column and translation in second column as CSV file (If you have file with non-ANSI caracters use Google sheets, because Excel doesn't support saving in CSV using utf-8)
Open csv file in text editor which supports "find and replace" with regex (eg. Notepad++)
Open "find and replace" and set regex search
Search ^([^,]*),(.*)$ and replace it with <string name="$1">$2</string>
Copy file to string resources file between tag
Fix possible mistakes
You can use similar method in reverse for "export". Use <string.+name="(.*)".*>(.*)</string> for finding and $1,$2 for replacing. But it only works if every string tag in in one line.

NOTE: If your res folder doesn't contians strings.xml then Android Studio won't show "Open Editor" in top right corner of the strings.xml file(Open the file). In my case all my string res files are named like strings_feature.xml
To copy/paste from Translations Editor use Android Studio 3.2 Version and below. It allows copy/paste of full column.

Android: resource String automatic generation

I'm new to Android. When I add a button/views in Graphical layout it adds the label text this way- android:text="Button" . Why doesnt it add "android:text="#string/my_label" and add a string resource in string.xml file. Can't it be done automatically in eclipse?

I have searched a lot but I have not get any automated way to add a string to the resource file But This will save your time a lot IMHO.
Select a String, click Refactor --> Android --> Extract Android String.

Thanks to Brent Hronik. CTRL-1 on Windows works fine.

Because you don't have to use the #string resource. The purpose of the #strings resource is to make it easier to change elements about your code. For example, if you are using your application title in mutliple places, let's say in every dialog box, then if you change the title you would have to change it in all the instances that the app title is being display. So in this instance the #string/App_Title could be set to "My Program" and all of the dialog boxes can reference that. If you change the title to "Hello World" then all of these are changed. The #strings resource, while eclipse tries, doesn't have to be used for every string. Not using it is the equivalent to hard coding the value. There are plenty of reasons for and against using #string for everything.
I am not sure if there is a setting in eclipse that will automatically add a string to the resource file when the control is added.
(EDIT: Based on other users CTRL+1 is the short cut to do this.)

You can add the string to the strings.xml by clicking command and 1(on a mac, assume it would be control 1 on a Windows or Linux box) simultaneously. This will add the resource to strings.xml and then open that up in the editor.

Thanks Siddiq Abu Bakkar! I didn't think it would be there.
On Eclipse (and Windows) the shortcut is:
Alt+Shift+A (release all and then press) S
When you use Eclipse for first time it's not easy understand how to use these kind of "complex" shortcuts.

I can't vote and i can't comment answers yet (missing reputation as i'm a new user)
But i confirm :
1) hard type the string in your code like
mydlg.setTitle("hello guys");
2) select your string (e.g : "hello guys")
3) press Alt + Shift + A then press S
a dialog will appear to let you add a new string into resources. Everything should be already filled into that dialog box.

Android: Edit strings.xml inside java code

I was wondering if it was possible to edit a string saved in the strings.xml file. If you can then how do you do this. So far I cannot see that you can but I am new to android.

NO. You can't edit your res folder. The data what you have in your apk file is read only. You can't edit it on the go.

Android Strings

I wrote a big app with thousands of string in the code.... very bad idea, because now I want to translate each string.... big problem.
Copying all strings to the strings.xml takes a long time.
Eclipse has an option to take all selected strings and put them into messages.properties.
Does this work similiar like strings.xml? When, why all people use strings.xml.
Or should is use eclipse to seperate each string and than I should copy them to string.xml?

All people are using strings.xml because this is the normal way to do it on Android. You don't have to manage the load of the strings, to call any locale function in your script.
You can see the documentation here : http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/resources/index.html
BTW, you can easily transform your eclipse generated file to an strings.xml file after the extraction.

In Eclipse you can use the shortcut keys Alt + Shift A, S to extract an inline string in to the strings.xml file via a popup dialog - might be a bit easier than doing it by hand. And as the others say, yes you should ALWAYS use the strings.xml file so that you only have to look in one place when you want to change a string, instead of having to search through all your code.