INTERNATIONALIZATION_IMPLEMENTATION.md 6.8 KB

ZenTap Internationalization Implementation

Overview

ZenTap now supports multi-language functionality with English, German, and Hungarian translations. This document outlines the complete implementation of the internationalization (i18n) system.

Supported Languages

  1. English (en) - Default language
  2. German (de) - Deutsch
  3. Hungarian (hu) - Magyar

Implementation Details

1. Dependencies Added

dependencies:
  flutter_localizations:
    sdk: flutter
  intl: ^0.20.2

dev_dependencies:
  flutter_gen: ^5.7.0

2. Configuration Files

l10n.yaml

arb-dir: lib/l10n
template-arb-file: app_en.arb
output-localization-file: app_localizations.dart
output-class: AppLocalizations

pubspec.yaml

flutter:
  generate: true

3. Translation Files (ARB Format)

English (lib/l10n/app_en.arb)

Contains all base strings in English with descriptions and metadata.

German (lib/l10n/app_de.arb)

Complete German translations for all UI elements.

Hungarian (lib/l10n/app_hu.arb)

Complete Hungarian translations for all UI elements.

4. Core Components

LocaleManager (lib/utils/locale_manager.dart)

  • Manages current locale state
  • Handles locale persistence with SharedPreferences
  • Provides locale change callbacks
  • Supports system locale detection
  • Offers display name mapping for languages

Key features:

  • Automatic system locale detection
  • Persistent locale storage
  • Callback system for UI updates
  • Locale validation

Main App Configuration (lib/main.dart)

  • Stateful MaterialApp with locale support
  • Integrated localization delegates
  • Automatic locale refresh system
  • Locale initialization in main()

5. Settings Integration

Language Selection UI

  • Added language section in Settings screen
  • Interactive language picker dialog
  • Real-time language switching
  • Visual feedback with haptics
  • Current language indication

6. Generated Files

The Flutter i18n system automatically generates:

  • lib/l10n/app_localizations.dart - Main localizations class
  • lib/l10n/app_localizations_en.dart - English implementation
  • lib/l10n/app_localizations_de.dart - German implementation
  • lib/l10n/app_localizations_hu.dart - Hungarian implementation

Usage Example

// In any widget with BuildContext
final l10n = AppLocalizations.of(context)!;

// Use translated strings
Text(l10n.appTitle)
Text(l10n.play)
Text(l10n.settings)

Translation Keys

Core App

  • appTitle - "ZenTap"
  • play - Play button
  • zenMode - Zen Mode
  • settings - Settings
  • stats - Statistics

Game Interface

  • score - Score display
  • relaxationPoints - Relaxation Points
  • pause - Pause button
  • resume - Resume button
  • menu - Menu button

Statistics

  • totalScore - Total Score
  • gamesPlayed - Games Played
  • bestScore - Best Score
  • averageScore - Average Score
  • playtime - Playtime
  • bubblesPopped - Bubbles Popped

Settings

  • soundEnabled - Sound toggle
  • hapticsEnabled - Haptics toggle
  • tiltEnabled - Tilt controls
  • googlePlayGames - Google Play Games
  • language - Language selection
  • donate - Donation

Tutorial

  • tutorialWelcome - Welcome message
  • tutorialInstructions - Instructions
  • tutorialClose - Close button

Game Over

  • gameOver - Game Over title
  • finalScore - Final score with parameter
  • playAgain - Play Again button
  • back - Back button

Language Names

  • englishLanguage - "English"
  • germanLanguage - "Deutsch"
  • hungarianLanguage - "Magyar"

Google Play Store Descriptions

Complete localized descriptions are provided in LOCALIZATION.md for:

  • Short descriptions (80 characters max)
  • Full store descriptions
  • Feature lists
  • Marketing copy

All descriptions are optimized for each target market and include relevant keywords.

Technical Features

Automatic Locale Detection

  • Detects system locale on first launch
  • Falls back to English if system locale not supported
  • Respects user's explicit language choice

Persistent Storage

  • Language preference saved to SharedPreferences
  • Survives app restarts and updates
  • Immediate application without restart needed

Real-time Switching

  • Instant language changes
  • No app restart required
  • Callback-based UI updates
  • Smooth user experience

Locale Validation

  • Validates locale support before switching
  • Prevents invalid locale states
  • Graceful fallback handling

File Structure

lib/
├── l10n/
│   ├── app_en.arb              # English translations
│   ├── app_de.arb              # German translations
│   ├── app_hu.arb              # Hungarian translations
│   ├── app_localizations.dart  # Generated main class
│   ├── app_localizations_en.dart # Generated English
│   ├── app_localizations_de.dart # Generated German
│   └── app_localizations_hu.dart # Generated Hungarian
├── utils/
│   └── locale_manager.dart     # Locale management
├── ui/
│   └── settings_screen.dart    # Language selection UI
└── main.dart                   # App configuration

Building and Generation

Generate Localization Files

flutter gen-l10n

Build with Localizations

flutter build apk --debug
flutter build appbundle --release

Future Enhancements

Additional Languages

The system is designed to easily support additional languages by:

  1. Adding new ARB files (e.g., app_fr.arb for French)
  2. Adding locale to LocaleManager.supportedLocales
  3. Adding display name to getLocaleDisplayName()
  4. Running flutter gen-l10n to regenerate

Potential Languages

  • French (fr)
  • Spanish (es)
  • Italian (it)
  • Portuguese (pt)
  • Japanese (ja)
  • Korean (ko)
  • Chinese Simplified (zh-CN)

Advanced Features

  • Right-to-left (RTL) language support
  • Plural form handling
  • Date/time localization
  • Number format localization
  • Currency localization

Testing

Language Switching

  1. Open Settings
  2. Navigate to Language section
  3. Select different language
  4. Verify immediate UI update
  5. Restart app to verify persistence

System Locale

  1. Change device language to supported locale
  2. Clear app data
  3. Launch app
  4. Verify correct language detection

Fallback Behavior

  1. Change device to unsupported language
  2. Clear app data
  3. Launch app
  4. Verify fallback to English

Maintenance

Adding New Translations

  1. Add new keys to app_en.arb with descriptions
  2. Translate keys in app_de.arb and app_hu.arb
  3. Run flutter gen-l10n
  4. Use AppLocalizations.of(context)!.newKey in UI

Updating Existing Translations

  1. Modify translation in appropriate ARB file
  2. Run flutter gen-l10n
  3. Test language switching
  4. Verify UI updates correctly

This implementation provides a robust, scalable internationalization system that enhances ZenTap's accessibility to users worldwide while maintaining a smooth user experience.