Localization Commands

The lang command group provides comprehensive localization management for Flutter projects using the easy_localization package. FDAWG simplifies the process of adding multi-language support to your Flutter applications.

Overview

fdawg lang [subcommand] [options] [arguments]

FDAWG uses the popular easy_localization package for Flutter localization, automatically managing translation files, updating dependencies, and configuring your app for multi-language support.

Available Subcommands

`init` - Initialize Localization

Sets up localization for your Flutter project using the easy_localization package.

fdawg lang init

What it does:

Adds easy_localization dependency to pubspec.yaml
Creates assets/translations/ directory
Creates default en_US.json translation file
Updates main.dart to initialize easy_localization
Configures asset paths in pubspec.yaml

Example Output:

Initializing localization...
✓ Added easy_localization dependency
✓ Created translations directory
✓ Created default en_US.json file
✓ Updated main.dart with localization setup
✓ Updated pubspec.yaml with translation assets
Localization initialized successfully!

`list` - List Supported Languages

Lists all languages currently supported in your project.

fdawg lang list

Example Output:

Supported Languages:
- en_US (English - United States) [Default]
- es (Spanish)
- fr_FR (French - France)
- de (German)
- ja (Japanese)

Total: 5 languages

`add` - Add Language Support

Adds support for a new language by creating a translation file.

fdawg lang add <language-code>

Parameters:

<language-code>: ISO language code (e.g., ‘en’, ‘es’, ‘fr’) or locale code (e.g., ‘en_US’, ‘pt_BR’)

Supported Language Codes:

Simple codes: en, es, fr, de, ja, ko, zh, ar, hi, pt, ru, it
Locale-specific: en_US, en_GB, es_ES, es_MX, fr_FR, fr_CA, pt_BR, pt_PT, zh_CN, zh_TW

Examples:

# Add Spanish support
fdawg lang add es

# Add French (France) support
fdawg lang add fr_FR

# Add Portuguese (Brazil) support
fdawg lang add pt_BR

`remove` - Remove Language Support

Removes support for a language by deleting its translation file.

fdawg lang remove <language-code>

Parameters:

<language-code>: Language code to remove

Note: Cannot remove the default language (en_US).

Examples:

# Remove Spanish support
fdawg lang remove es

# Remove French (France) support
fdawg lang remove fr_FR

`insert` - Add Translation Key

Adds a new translation key to all supported language files.

fdawg lang insert <key>

Parameters:

<key>: Translation key in dot notation (e.g., ‘app.welcome’, ‘auth.login.title’)

The command will prompt you to enter translations for each supported language.

Example:

fdawg lang insert app.welcome

Interactive Prompt:

Adding translation key: app.welcome

Enter translation for en_US (English - United States): Welcome to our app!
Enter translation for es (Spanish): ¡Bienvenido a nuestra aplicación!
Enter translation for fr_FR (French - France): Bienvenue dans notre application !

✓ Added translation key 'app.welcome' to 3 languages

`delete` - Remove Translation Key

Removes a translation key from all language files.

fdawg lang delete <key>

Parameters:

<key>: Translation key to delete

Example:

fdawg lang delete app.old_message

Translation File Structure

Translation files are stored as JSON in the assets/translations/ directory:

your_flutter_project/
├── assets/
│   └── translations/
│       ├── en_US.json    # Default language
│       ├── es.json       # Spanish
│       ├── fr_FR.json    # French (France)
│       └── de.json       # German
├── lib/
│   └── main.dart         # Updated with localization setup
└── pubspec.yaml          # Updated with dependencies and assets

Example Translation File (en_US.json):

{
  "app": {
    "title": "My Flutter App",
    "welcome": "Welcome to our app!",
    "description": "This is an amazing Flutter application"
  },
  "auth": {
    "login": {
      "title": "Login",
      "email": "Email Address",
      "password": "Password",
      "button": "Sign In"
    },
    "register": {
      "title": "Create Account",
      "button": "Sign Up"
    }
  },
  "common": {
    "ok": "OK",
    "cancel": "Cancel",
    "save": "Save",
    "delete": "Delete"
  }
}

Using Translations in Your App

After initializing localization, use translations in your Flutter app:

1. Import the package

import 'package:easy_localization/easy_localization.dart';

2. Use translations in widgets

class MyWidget extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return Column(
      children: [
        Text('app.title'.tr()),           // Simple translation
        Text('app.welcome'.tr()),         // Nested translation
        Text('auth.login.title'.tr()),    // Deep nested translation
        
        // With parameters
        Text('welcome_user'.tr(namedArgs: {'name': 'John'})),
        
        // Plural forms
        Text('items_count'.plural(itemCount)),
      ],
    );
  }
}

3. Change language dynamically

// Change to Spanish
await context.setLocale(Locale('es'));

// Change to French (France)
await context.setLocale(Locale('fr', 'FR'));

// Get current locale
Locale currentLocale = context.locale;

Best Practices

1. Translation Key Organization

Use hierarchical keys with dot notation:

{
  "app": {
    "title": "My App",
    "subtitle": "Welcome"
  },
  "screens": {
    "home": {
      "title": "Home",
      "welcome": "Welcome back!"
    },
    "profile": {
      "title": "Profile",
      "edit": "Edit Profile"
    }
  },
  "common": {
    "buttons": {
      "save": "Save",
      "cancel": "Cancel",
      "delete": "Delete"
    }
  }
}

2. Naming Conventions

Use descriptive, hierarchical keys
Group related translations together
Use snake_case or camelCase consistently
Avoid overly deep nesting (max 3-4 levels)

3. Translation Management

# Add all common languages at once
fdawg lang add es
fdawg lang add fr
fdawg lang add de
fdawg lang add ja

# Add common UI elements
fdawg lang insert common.ok
fdawg lang insert common.cancel
fdawg lang insert common.save
fdawg lang insert common.delete

# Add screen-specific translations
fdawg lang insert screens.home.title
fdawg lang insert screens.home.welcome

4. Handling Plurals and Parameters

Plurals:

{
  "items_count": {
    "zero": "No items",
    "one": "One item", 
    "other": "{} items"
  }
}

Parameters:

{
  "welcome_user": "Welcome, {name}!",
  "items_found": "Found {count} items in {category}"
}

Common Workflows

Setting up localization for a new project

# Initialize localization
fdawg lang init

# Add target languages
fdawg lang add es
fdawg lang add fr
fdawg lang add de

# Add basic translations
fdawg lang insert app.title
fdawg lang insert app.welcome
fdawg lang insert common.ok
fdawg lang insert common.cancel

Adding new features with translations

# Add translations for new screen
fdawg lang insert screens.settings.title
fdawg lang insert screens.settings.theme
fdawg lang insert screens.settings.language
fdawg lang insert screens.settings.notifications

Managing existing translations

# List current languages
fdawg lang list

# Add new language
fdawg lang add pt_BR

# Remove unused language
fdawg lang remove de

# Update existing translations
fdawg lang delete old.unused.key
fdawg lang insert new.feature.title

Integration with main.dart

After running fdawg lang init, your main.dart will be updated:

import 'package:easy_localization/easy_localization.dart';
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';

void main() async {
  WidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();
  await EasyLocalization.ensureInitialized();
  
  runApp(
    EasyLocalization(
      supportedLocales: [
        Locale('en', 'US'),
        Locale('es'),
        Locale('fr', 'FR'),
      ],
      path: 'assets/translations',
      fallbackLocale: Locale('en', 'US'),
      child: MyApp(),
    ),
  );
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    return MaterialApp(
      localizationsDelegates: context.localizationDelegates,
      supportedLocales: context.supportedLocales,
      locale: context.locale,
      home: MyHomePage(),
    );
  }
}

Web Interface Integration

The FDAWG web interface provides visual translation management:

View all translations in a table format
Edit translations inline
Google Translate integration for quick translations
Add/remove languages visually
Export/import translation files

Access via: fdawg serve → Localizations tab

Next: Learn about App Namer Commands for cross-platform app naming.

Localization Commands

Overview

Available Subcommands

init - Initialize Localization

list - List Supported Languages

add - Add Language Support

remove - Remove Language Support

insert - Add Translation Key

delete - Remove Translation Key

Translation File Structure

Using Translations in Your App

1. Import the package

2. Use translations in widgets

3. Change language dynamically

Best Practices

1. Translation Key Organization

2. Naming Conventions

3. Translation Management

4. Handling Plurals and Parameters

Common Workflows

Setting up localization for a new project

Adding new features with translations

Managing existing translations

Integration with main.dart

Web Interface Integration

`init` - Initialize Localization

`list` - List Supported Languages

`add` - Add Language Support

`remove` - Remove Language Support

`insert` - Add Translation Key

`delete` - Remove Translation Key