Localizador: Effortless CSV-to-Android Strings Converter

Localizador is a modern, cross-platform desktop application built with Flutter that streamlines the process of converting CSV translation files into Android-compatible strings.xml resources. Designed for localization teams, Android developers, and translators, Localizador offers an intuitive drag-and-drop interface.

Usage Video

localizador_usage.mp4

✨ Features

• Drag & Drop CSV Localization: Instantly import your translation CSV files by simply dragging and dropping them into the app.
• Automatic Android Resource Generation: Converts each language column in your CSV header into a proper values-<lang> folder and strings.xml file, following Android’s best practices.
• Smart Data Handling: Only the columns defined in the CSV header are processed—extra columns in data rows are ignored, ensuring clean and accurate output.
• Key Replacement & Merging: Existing keys in strings.xml are updated with new translations, while untouched keys remain, making it safe for iterative localization.
• Multi-Platform: Runs natively on Linux and Windows desktops.
• Recent Folders & Quick Access: Remembers your last used output folders for fast, efficient workflows.
• Safe XML Output: Handles special characters and ensures Android-compatible XML formatting.

🚀 How It Works

1. Prepare your CSV: You can create the CSV file manually or use our Google Sheets template for a more automated workflow.

   Option A: Using the Google Sheets Template (Recommended)

   We've created a Google Sheet with a built-in script to help you translate and export your strings into a Localizador-compatible CSV file.

   1. Make a copy of the Localizador Google Sheet.
   2. Add your strings:
      • In Column A, starting from row 2, paste your string keys (e.g., hello_world, welcome_message).
      • In the same column, add the English source text inside the XML tag (e.g., <string name="hello_world">Hello World</string>).
   3. Define languages: In Row 1, starting from Column B, enter the language codes you want to translate to (e.g., es, fr, de).
   4. Translate: From the main menu, go to Translate & Export > Translate Data. The script will automatically fill in the translations using Google Translate.
   5. Export: Once ready, go to Translate & Export > Download as CSV. This will generate a CSV file perfectly formatted for Localizador.

   Option B: Creating the CSV Manually

   If you prefer to create the CSV file yourself, ensure it follows this format:

   • The first row must be a header: key,es,fr,...
   • Each subsequent row must contain the string key in the first column, followed by its corresponding translations for each language.

2. Drag & Drop: Drop your generated CSV file into the Localizador app, or use the file picker to select it.

3. Select Output Folder: Choose your Android project's res folder (or any other folder where you want the output to be saved).

4. Done! Localizador automatically creates or updates the values-<lang>/strings.xml files for each language defined in your CSV header.

Example

Input CSV:

key,es,fr
hello,Hola,Bonjour
how_are_you,Cómo estás,Comment vas-tu
colors,"Rojo, amarillo, rosa","Rouge, jaune, rose"

Output:

• res/values-es/strings.xml

• res/values-fr/strings.xml

  res/values-es/strings.xml will contain:

  <?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
  <resources>
     <string name="hello">Hola</string>
     <string name="how_are_you">Cómo estás</string>
     <string name="colors">Rojo, amarillo, rosa</string>
  </resources>

Each file will contain the appropriate XML-formatted strings for its language.

🔥 Why Localizador?

• Save hours on manual copy-pasting and error-prone resource editing.
• Perfect for teams working with translators and multiple languages.
• Streamline your workflow using the provided Google Sheets template.
• Open source and easy to extend.

🧪 Testing

Localizador includes comprehensive automated tests to ensure reliability:

• Unit Tests: The core CSV processing logic is thoroughly tested with various scenarios including edge cases and error conditions.
• Test Coverage: Tests cover CSV validation, XML generation, file handling, special characters, and error scenarios.

To run the tests:

flutter test