| name | localization |
| description | Use when adding, editing, or reviewing user-facing strings in the Alkaa project — UI labels, button text, content descriptions, empty states, error messages, plurals, or any text visible to the user. |
Localization
Overview
All user-facing strings live in the resources module and must be translated for every supported language. Non-user-facing strings (previews, logs) may be hardcoded.
Naming Convention
<feature-name>_<component-name>_<description>
| Example | Feature | Component | Description |
|---|
task_list_header_empty | task | list | header_empty |
category_cd_add_category | category | — | cd_add_category |
task_alarm_permission_dialog_title | task | alarm_permission_dialog | title |
Use _cd_ in the component/description segment for content descriptions.
Where to Add
- File:
resources/src/commonMain/composeResources/values/strings.xml
- Plurals:
resources/src/commonMain/composeResources/values/plurals.xml
Place new strings:
- Next to existing entries for the same feature, OR
- In a new
<!-- Feature --> comment block if no block exists yet
<string name="myfeature_screen_title">My Title</string>
<string name="myfeature_button_save">Save</string>
<string name="myfeature_cd_close">Close</string>
Supported Languages
Provide a translation in all four language files:
| Directory | Language |
|---|
values/ | English (default) |
values-es/ | Spanish |
values-fr/ | French |
values-pt-rBR/ | Portuguese (Brazil) |
Each language directory contains strings.xml and plurals.xml. Add the new entry to the matching location in each file.
Plurals
Same rules apply. Use plurals.xml instead of strings.xml:
<plurals name="tracker_message_title">
<item quantity="one">%1$d completed task</item>
<item quantity="other">%1$d completed tasks</item>
</plurals>
What NOT to Localize
Hardcode strings that are not user-facing:
- Composable preview annotations (
name = "TaskItem - Loading")
- Log/debug messages
- Internal identifiers
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|
| Reusing a string across two features | Create a separate entry per feature, even if text is identical |
Adding only to values/ | Add to all four language directories |
| Hardcoding a content description | Content descriptions are user-facing — add to resources |
| Skipping plurals translation | Apply the same four-language rule to plurals.xml |
