Manage translations

Requirements

Qt Linguist tools are used to manage translations. Install them using your system package manager:

# On Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install qttools5-dev-tools

# On Fedora
sudo dnf install qt5-designer qgis-devel

# Or on newer systems with Qt6
sudo apt install qt6-tools-dev

Quick Workflow (Recommended)

The project provides automated commands using just for translation management:

# Update translation files (extract translatable strings)
just trans-update

# Compile translation files (.ts to .qm)
just trans-compile

Manual Workflow

If you prefer to run the commands manually or need more control:

1. Ensure proper environment

Always use uv run to ensure commands run in the correct virtual environment:

# Generate the plugin_translation.pro file
uv run python scripts/generate_translation_profile.py

2. Update .ts files

Extract translatable strings from source code:

# Using uv run (recommended)
uv run pylupdate5 -noobsolete -verbose dip_strike_tools/resources/i18n/plugin_translation.pro

# Or using just (simpler)
just trans-update

3. Translate text

Use Qt Linguist to translate your text or edit .ts files directly:

# Launch Qt Linguist for translation
linguist dip_strike_tools/resources/i18n/*.ts

# Or edit .ts files directly in your text editor

4. Compile translations

Convert .ts files to binary .qm files:

# Using uv run (recommended)
uv run lrelease dip_strike_tools/resources/i18n/*.ts

# Or using just (simpler)
just trans-compile

Development Workflow Integration

Translation management is integrated into the development workflow:

# During development, after adding new translatable strings
just trans-update

# After translating, before testing
just trans-compile

# Run all development tasks including translations
just bootstrap-dev  # Sets up environment and compiles existing translations

Notes

• pylupdate5: Extracts translatable strings from source code and updates .ts files

  • -noobsolete: Avoids removing obsolete translations (maintains translation history)

  • -verbose: Provides detailed output for debugging

• linguist: Launches Qt Linguist GUI for user-friendly translation editing

• lrelease: Compiles .ts files into binary .qm files for Qt applications

• Git tracking: The resulting *.qm files should not be tracked in git history since they’re autogenerated binary files. The CI/CD pipeline handles generating and packaging them