What is ARB file?
ARB stands for Application Resource Bundle. It is actually a JSON file on steroids intended for localization, with .arb extension. Since it is based on JSON, it just defines standardized ways how to add more information around key-value pairs.
ARB files offer a lot of capabilities, but here we will mention only those relevant for Flutter applications.
Sample ARB file
{ "@@locale" : "en", "appName" : "Demo app", "pageLoginUsername" : "Your username", "@pageLoginUsername" : {}, "pageLoginPassword" : "Your password", "@pageLoginPassword" : {}, "pageHomeTitle" : "Welcome {firstName}", "@pageHomeTitle" : { "description" : "Welcome message on the Home screen", "placeholders": { "firstName": {} } }, "pageHomeInboxCount" : "{count, plural, zero{You have no new messages} one{You have 1 new message} other{You have {count} new messages}}", "@pageHomeInboxCount" : { "description" : "New messages count on the Home screen", "placeholders": { "count": {} } }, "pageHomeBirthday": "{sex, select, male{His birthday} female{Her birthday} other{Their birthday}}", "@pageHomeBirthday": { "description": "Birthday message on the Home screen", "placeholders": { "sex": {} } }, "commonVehicleType": "{vehicleType, select, sedan{Sedan} cabriolet{Solid roof cabriolet} truck{16 wheel truck} other{Other}}", "@commonVehicleType": { "description": "Vehicle type", "placeholders": { "vehicleType": {} } } }
In the given example we have the following:
- “@@locale” – (optional) a global attribute that defined locale for translated strings
- “appName” – a minimal key-value pair with translation
- “@pageLoginUsername” – a key prefixed with @ represents a json object with additional attributes for the same key. It is optional if using Flutter Intl IDE plugin
- “description”– (optional) short text describing the string key and how it is being used in the app, explaining the context to translators
- “placeholders” – A map of placeholder ids. It is optional if using Flutter Intl IDE plugin. Otherwise, all placeholders from translation should be listed.
ARB file features
All localization file formats have some specific features. Here we will list those for ARB file, relevant for Flutter apps.
Placeholder
Placeholder is marked by curly brackets. Variable name inside {} must be a valid identifier, like {firstName}
.
Plural
Plurals are defined with ICU syntax.
"pageHomeInboxCount" : "{count, plural, zero{You have no new messages} one{You have 1 new message} other{You have {count} new messages}}", "@pageHomeInboxCount" : { "description" : "New messages count on the Home screen", "placeholders": { "count": {} } },
other
is a mandatory case.
Gender
Genders are defined with ICU syntax.
"pageHomeBirthday": "{sex, select, male{His birthday} female{Her birthday} other{Their birthday}}", "@pageHomeBirthday": { "description": "Birthday message on the Home screen", "placeholders": { "sex": {} } },
other
is a mandatory case.
Select
Custom selects are defined with ICU syntax.
"commonVehicleType": "{vehicleType, select, sedan{Sedan} cabriolet{Solid roof cabriolet} truck{16 wheel truck} other{Other}}", "@commonVehicleType": { "description": "Vehicle type", "placeholders": { "vehicleType": {} } }
other
is a mandatory case.
Newline
Since ARB file is based on JSON structure, a new line needs to be escaped with `\n` character.
Note that actual printing on the screen depends on the widget used.
"pageHomeTitle": "Welcome,\n{firstName}",
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