Google Sheets Localization Script

A Google Sheets script that takes a sheet with translations and generates localization files for both iOS and Android platforms, with support for plurals.

What It Does

• For Android: Creates XML resource files with strings and plurals
• For iOS:
  • Legacy format: Creates Localizable.strings files and Localizable.stringsdict for plurals
  • Modern format: Creates Localizable.xcstrings files which combine both regular strings and plurals in a single JSON file

Installation

1. Open your Google Sheet
2. Go to Extensions → Apps Script
3. Copy the contents of script.gs into the editor
4. Save the project
5. Refresh your Google Sheet

Usage

1. Format your sheet according to the guidelines below
2. From your sheet, access the custom menu: Custom Export
3. Select one of the following:
   • iOS (Legacy) - creates .strings and .stringsdict files
   • iOS (.xcstrings) - creates modern .xcstrings file
   • Android - creates strings.xml
4. Copy the generated files to your project

Sheet Format

The script expects a specific sheet format:

... (any columns)	Identifier iOS	Identifier Android	English text	German text	...
(additional info)	login_button_title	login_button_title	Login	Einloggen
...	...	...	...	...

Important notes:

• The bold headers are required exactly as written
• The first row must contain headers
• The position of the iOS/Android identifier columns can be configured (see Configuration)
• Language columns should be added to the right of the identifier columns

Plural Support

This script supports pluralization with a special key format:

translation.key##{quantity}

Where quantity is one of the CLDR plural categories:

• zero
• one
• two
• few
• many
• other

Example:

Identifier iOS	Identifier Android	English	German
items.count##{zero}	items_count##{zero}	No items	Keine Elemente
items.count##{one}	items_count##{one}	One item	Ein Element
items.count##{other}	items_count##{other}	%d items	%d Elemente

String Arrays (Android)

For Android string arrays, append [] to the key. Consecutive rows with the same array name will be grouped:

Identifier iOS	Identifier Android	English	German
week.days	week.days[]	Monday	Montag
week.days	week.days[]	Tuesday	Dienstag
week.days	week.days[]	Wednesday	Mittwoch

Configuration

The script has several configurable properties at the top of the file:

// Number of languages in your sheet (columns after identifier columns)
var NUMBER_OF_LANGUAGES = 2;

// Position of the first column with iOS identifiers (1-based)
var FIRST_COLUMN_POSITION = 1;

// Position of the header row
var HEADER_ROW_POSITION = 1;

// Source language identifier (used for .xcstrings format)
var SOURCE_LANGUAGE = "en";

// Language codes for each column after the identifier columns
var LANGUAGE_CODES = ["en", "de"];

Make sure to:

1. Set NUMBER_OF_LANGUAGES to match the number of language columns in your sheet
2. Update LANGUAGE_CODES array to match your actual language codes in the correct order
3. Set SOURCE_LANGUAGE to your development language (typically "en")

Exported Files

Android

• strings.xml with string and plural resources (one per language)

iOS Legacy Format

• Localizable.strings for regular strings (one per language)
• Localizable.stringsdict for plurals (one per language)

iOS Modern Format

• Localizable.xcstrings (combines all languages and both regular strings and plurals in a single JSON file)

Modern iOS Format (.xcstrings)

The modern iOS format introduced in Xcode 15 combines all localizations in a single JSON file with the following advantages:

• Combines both regular strings and plurals in one file
• Supports multiple languages in a single file
• Native support in Xcode's localization system
• Better compatibility with future iOS/macOS versions

Credits

This script is inspired by localizable-sheet-script by COBE, with added support for plurals and other enhancements.

License

MIT License - See the LICENSE file for details.