Is it possible to update a localized storyboard's strings?

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.

1. Select your base storyboard file from the Project Navigator
2. Find the Localization section in the File Inspector
3. If your file is currently a [Localizable Strings], change it to [Interface Builder Cocoa Touch Storyboard] or vice-versa.
4. 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.

1. Open the Terminal application

2. Locate your Base.lproj directory

3. Use this line to extract the strings:

   ibtool MainStoryboard.storyboard --generate-strings-file file_name.strings

4. 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 BartyCrouch, it perfectly solves your problem. Also it is open source, actively maintained and can be easily installed and integrated within your project.

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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: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/30772145/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:

1. In Project Navigator choose you project folder
2. Choose Editor > Export For Localization,
3. 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.
4. 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.

1. Go to target screen in xcode and press Editor -> Export For Localization.... Save the ar.xliff file somewhere.
2. Download XLIFF Edtior.
3. Open ar.xliff file and make changes.
4. 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.