# gt: General Translation CLI tool: .strings
URL: https://generaltranslation.com/en-GB/docs/cli/reference/formats/dot-strings-files.mdx
Docs index: https://generaltranslation.com/llms.txt
Description: Translate .strings files with the General Translation CLI. API reference for the .strings file format.

The CLI translates `.strings` files, the key/value text tables an app loads from one `<locale>.lproj` directory per locale. Translations keep each entry&#39;s key, escapes and format specifiers, and the comment above an entry is passed to the translation engine as context.

*Note: `.strings` and `.stringsdict` are the legacy Apple localisation layout. Xcode&#39;s String Catalog migration folds the `.lproj` files into a single [`.xcstrings` catalogue](/docs/cli/reference/formats/xcstrings-files) and deletes them, so a project uses one layout or the other.*

## Configuration [#config]

Add a `dotStrings` entry under `files` with an `include` array of glob patterns. Put the `[locale]` placeholder in the `.lproj` directory name so the CLI can find source tables and save translations to the right path.

```json title="gt.config.json"
{
  "defaultLocale": "en",
  "locales": ["es", "ja", "ar"],
  "files": {
    "dotStrings": {
      "include": [
        "Resources/[locale].lproj/Localizable.strings",
        "Resources/[locale].lproj/InfoPlist.strings"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

With this config, the CLI reads the tables in `Resources/en.lproj/` and writes `Resources/es.lproj/`, `Resources/ja.lproj/` and `Resources/ar.lproj/`. See the [configuration reference](/docs/cli/reference/config#files) for all file keys.

The `dotStrings` key requires `gt` 2.18.1 or later.

## File encoding [#encoding]

The CLI detects UTF-8, UTF-16, and UTF-32 byte order marks when it reads a `.strings` file. It sends decoded text to the API, then writes each translation in the source file&#39;s original encoding. A file without a byte order mark is treated as UTF-8.

If the source file was moved or deleted after upload, the CLI uses the existing translated file&#39;s encoding when one is available.

<Callout type="info">
  **Changed in v2.20.0:** The CLI now hashes decoded text and preserves the source encoding. Existing `.strings` files receive new version IDs because earlier releases hashed base64 bytes, so they can translate once more after upgrading even when their text has not changed.
</Callout>

## Output behaviour [#output]

When a translated table has no entries, the CLI writes an empty property-list dictionary instead of a zero-byte file so that Foundation can load it.

## Multiple tables per locale [#tables]

Most apps ship more than one table per locale, so a config that lists only `Localizable.strings` silently leaves the rest untranslated. The two common tables are:

* `Localizable.strings` — interface text loaded through `NSLocalizedString`
* `InfoPlist.strings` — the system-facing values in `Info.plist`, such as `CFBundleDisplayName` and the usage descriptions shown in permission prompts

List each table in `include`, or match them all with a single glob:

```json title="gt.config.json"
{
  "files": {
    "dotStrings": {
      "include": ["Resources/[locale].lproj/*.strings"]
    }
  }
}
```

## Plurals [#plurals]

A `.strings` entry holds one string per key and cannot express plural forms. Apple keeps plural rules in a companion `.stringsdict` file in the same `.lproj` directory, which is a separate config key. See [`.stringsdict`](/docs/cli/reference/formats/dot-stringsdict-files) to translate them alongside your tables.

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](https://generaltranslation.com/sitemap.md) for all pages.