Using Localization in Mods

Owned by enenra
Last updated: Jan 02, 2023
2 min read

This tutorial covers the setup of localization files for your mods, which will enable you to move all your text out of your SBC definitions. This is good practice but more importantly also allows you to include translations of your mod within the mod itself - without a need to create and maintain a second mod.

I. Required Tools

II. Setup

  1. Download the empty MyTexts.resx and the MyTexts.sbl file. Place them as follows:

    [YOURMOD]\Data\Localization\MyTexts.resx [YOURMOD]\Data\Localization\MyTexts.sbl

     

  2. Next, open MyTexts.resx and you should see something like this:

     

  3. Within your SBC's DisplayName or Description-tags, you can now place any string as a variable (preceded by DisplayName_ or Description_ respectively) to connect it to a text bit saved within the RESX-file. This is done by wrapping the string into {LOC: and }:

    <DisplayName>{LOC:DisplayName_MyCoolString}</DisplayName> <Description>{LOC:Description_MyCoolString}</Description>

     

  4. Now add that same string to the Name-column in the MyTexts.resx-file. Place the text you want to show ingame into the Value-column:

    DisplayName_MyCoolString | My Block Name Description_MyCoolString | My Block Description

 

The vanilla game does not need the {LOC: ... }-wrap around the RESX reference. Only mods do.

III. Translations

  1. In order to include translations in your mod, add a correctly named MyTexts-files for the respective language in your mod:

  2. Also add the corresponding SBL-file for the language to your mod.

  3. Ensure that the Name-column always stays the same, but replace the strings within the Value-column with the translation of the string in the respective language. When a player selects a certain language ingame, the correct translations should immediately be used.

 

There currently is an issue with Keen’s RESX-Implementation for mods: If you have the modded block on your toolbar, then save and reload the save, you will see its localization key instead of the localized name. Unfortunately there isn’t much that can be done about this right now. Keen is aware of the problem but has not gotten around to fixing the bug yet.

Learnings

 

Prerequisites

 

Overview