i18n fill-missing tool
One-shot helper for bringing every locale file in apps/web/src/assets/i18n/
to full coverage of en.json.
How it works
en.json is the source of truth. For every other locale, the script:
- Walks
en.jsonin order (top-level + nested). - For each leaf key:
- Keeps the locale's existing translation if present.
- Otherwise pulls the translation from
tools/i18n/patches/<lang>.json(a flat object keyed by dotted path). - If neither exists, leaves the key absent and exits non-zero.
- Writes the merged tree back to the locale file with 4-space indent and a trailing newline.
Existing translations are never overwritten.
Workflow
# 1. Generate one missing-strings dump per locale (flat dotted-path → EN string)
node tools/i18n/fill-missing.mjs --emit-missing
# → tools/i18n/missing/<lang>.json
# 2. Translate each missing/<lang>.json into the equivalent patch file
# in tools/i18n/patches/<lang>.json (same shape: { dotted.path: translated }).
# 3. Merge patches into the locale files
node tools/i18n/fill-missing.mjs
# 4. Verify
node -e "
const fs=require('fs');
const en=JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync('apps/web/src/assets/i18n/en.json','utf8'));
const collect=(d,p='')=>Object.entries(d).flatMap(([k,v])=>v&&typeof v==='object'?collect(v,p?p+'.'+k:k):[p?p+'.'+k:k]);
const enKeys=new Set(collect(en));
for(const f of fs.readdirSync('apps/web/src/assets/i18n').filter(x=>x.endsWith('.json')&&x!=='en.json')){
const k=new Set(collect(JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync('apps/web/src/assets/i18n/'+f,'utf8'))));
console.log(f,'missing:',[...enKeys].filter(x=>!k.has(x)).length,'extra:',[...k].filter(x=>!enKeys.has(x)).length);
}"
For a non-mutating CI/agent check, run:
pnpm run i18n:check
The check fails on missing or extra keys against en.json, and on values that
are identical to English unless identical-en-baseline.json lists that exact
English text for the locale and key. Do not copy English into a locale as a
placeholder: translate it. The contract, including when an entry stops
covering a key, is in the
validation map.
Baseline entries that are no longer identical are reported, not fatal. After translating baselined values, or for a value that is legitimately the same in a language (a brand, a technical name, a loanword), rewrite the baseline and review every added entry in the diff:
pnpm run i18n:baseline:update
pnpm run i18n:check also runs check-usage.mjs, which fails on a key the
renderer uses but en.json lacks (ngx-translate would show the raw key). It
scans production .ts and .html files under apps/web/src,
apps/remote-control-web/src and libs for piped keys (including the
branches of a parenthesised operand), translate calls and
dotted literals in an en.json namespace; run it alone with
pnpm run i18n:usage. Keys built entirely at runtime are not checked.
The checkers' own tests run with pnpm run i18n:test; CI runs both through
pnpm run i18n:validate. For a full audit that ignores the baseline, run:
node tools/i18n/check-drift.mjs --fail-on-identical
pnpm run i18n:duplicates lists English strings that en.json defines under
several keys while a locale translates those keys differently, such as one
"Close" button saying "Afsluiten" and another "Sluiten". Add --verbose for
each locale's variants and keys, or --max <n> to fail above n groups. It is
a report, not a CI gate: a group can be legitimate when context needs another
grammatical form. When aligning, change the drifted values rather than
removing keys.
Changing existing translations
fill-missing.mjs never overwrites, so rewording an existing value or paying
down baseline debt means editing the value in the locale file directly (keep
the key order, 4-space indent and trailing newline), then running
pnpm run i18n:baseline:update and checking that the baseline diff only
removes entries.
Translation rules
- Preserve
{{interpolation}}placeholders verbatim. - Preserve any inline HTML tags.
- Match the locale's existing punctuation, casing, and terminology.
- Keep brand names (IPTVnator, Xtream, Stalker, M3U, EPG, MPV, VLC) untranslated.
- Short UI strings stay short — no length blow-up.