I am using Assets files as help files in my app and have well over a dozen. I am porting the app to multiple languages. Where do the alternative language asset files go?
I am already using the "res/values" directories for language files (values, values-es, etc) for use within the app. I thought the "Assets" directory was for help files and items like that.
I am trying to NOT muddy my values folders with the many help files that I am including and was using "activity.getAssets().open( file )" to read the files.
Also, some of these "Asset" files are different language pictures.
Can you put the files in /res instead of /assets? This has built in support for multiple languages, there is an easy to follow guide here.
Basically, if your original text is in /res/values/strings.xml, for example, you would put your translations in /res/values-{ISO LANGUAGE CODE}/strings.xml
For example, your French translation would be in /res/values-fr/strings.xml.
Android will pick the appropriate translation file according to the locale of the user's phone.
There are some good explanations of the other differences between /res and /assets here.
For the voice recognition in my app (using Vosk) I have defined the specific asset folder as resource string.
I.e. values\strings.xml contains:
<resources>
<string name="language_directory">vosk-model-small-en-us-0.15</string>
...
and values-de-rDE\strings.xml contains:
<resources>
<string name="language_directory">vosk-model-small-de-0.15</string>
...
So I can access the asset directory via
val assets = Assets(activity)
val assetDir = assets.syncAssets()
val modelDir = activity.getString(R.string.language_directory)
recognitionListener.model = Model("$assetDir/$modelDir")
This way the correct directory is always chosen based in the active locale.
In my case, those are located at models\src\main\assets\sync\<language_directory>
Make folder in assets:
1. htmlpagesNL
2. htmlpagesUS
Copy file from htmlpagesNL and paste to htmlpagesUS and Translate
Use url inside Nl string file:
file:///android_asset/htmlpagesNL for NL translation
Use url inside Us string file:
file:///android_asset/htmlpagesUS for US translation
Support different languages
Support different languages and cultures
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.
I have a small confusion, when in drawable folder in android i try to copy same file it says that "Resource with this name already exists" which is absolutely correct. Again if try to copy an image with different .extension but with same file name it takes it. But in R.java file only 1 resource id is generated. What does this mean? Also ID will point to which resource?
It simply means that at the time of compilation it is only able to generate id from one of the available resource. Why can't it generate both id's if it has allowed to keep both resources in the same folder? Because for each resource, there is a static integer named after the name of file, excluding extension so naturally, there can't be more than one of these static integers in one file.
ID points to which resource? I think you can't be sure. I just checked by recreating the scenario (out of curiosity) and I found that it pointed to the resource I added in the end!
Still, it is irrelevant as to which resource it points to. Because it won't allow to run the app.
P.S: If you really want to use resources with same name (diff extension) then you can do so by using assets
Is there a way to tag a strings resource folder with more than one language(values-en-es)?
My problem is that for Hebrew on some devices the language code "iw" and on others it is "he".
My current solution is to make two folders with the same content and only change their name
respectively.
I wonder if there is a more accurate way to do it?
Resource folder names can have multiple qualifiers but only one qualifier per type:
For example
values-en-rGB //Language + Region
is valid but
values-en-fr//Language + Language
is not valid, since it has multiple values for a single qualifier. So
values-iw-he
is not possible.
Source: Android Developers, Qualifier Name Rules.
However this doesn't mean you have to duplicate the files. Instead, you can create an Alias Resource.
Android Developers explains Alias Resouces like this:
Creating Alias Resources: When you have a resource that you'd like to use for more than one device configuration (but do not want to provide as a default resource), you do not need to put the same resource in more than one alternative resource directory. Instead, you can (in some cases) create an alternative resource that acts as an alias for a resource saved in your default resource directory.
For example, a String resource in one folder
<string name="app_name">My Awesome App</string>
can be referenced in another String resource in another folder as:
<string name="application_name">#string/app_name</string>
More about alias-resources on Android Developers.
You can make a File Link in eclipse, as described here.
So you have your values-iw/strings.xml with the real values and you make a File Link to that file in your values-he folder. This has the benefit that you do not have to edit 2 files, the linked 'file' gets updated automatically.
I have a special request to implement dynamic language packs and themes in Android. This basically means:
to download a zip file containing a file named strings.xml (containing the translation)
replace in the application the file /res/values/strings.xml with the one downloaded
Is this possible? Thank you for your help.
No. Things inside the Res folder are static and you can't recreate the R class in runtime.
Why don't you try using sqlite for your situation?