json_to_arb

json_to_arb is a Dart command-line tool for Flutter localization. It lets you keep translations in multiple modular JSON files (per feature, module, or screen) for each language, then automatically merges them into a single ARB file per locale—ready for Flutter's official localization system.

Key Features

Modular JSON files for each language and feature/module (e.g., app.json, home.json, profile.json).
Automatic merging and flattening of nested objects, with file name prefixes to avoid key collisions.
Generates a single ARB file per language in your chosen output directory (matching Flutter's arb-dir).
Seamless integration: Flutter's localization code generator picks up the ARB files, so you access translations with strongly-typed properties.

Benefits

Easy, maintainable translation workflow.
No manual merging or risk of duplicate keys.
Works out-of-the-box with Flutter's localization system.

Installation

Note: This package is intended for development use only. Add it to your dev_dependencies so it is not included in your production build.

Add to your pubspec.yaml:

dev_dependencies:
   json_to_arb: ^0.1.13

Then run:

flutter pub get

Usage

Global CLI Installation

You can install json_to_arb globally to use it as a command-line tool anywhere:

dart pub global activate json_to_arb

After activation, run:

json_to_arb

This will execute the conversion process as defined in your configuration.

Add your JSON files Organize by language and feature/module:

lib/l10n/en/app.json
lib/l10n/en/home.json
lib/l10n/ar/app.json
lib/l10n/ar/home.json

Configure your project In your pubspec.yaml, add:
```
arb_directories:
  source: lib/l10n
  output: lib/l10n/app_arb
  locales:
    - en
    - ar
```
Important: The output path must match the arb-dir in your Flutter pubspec.yaml:
```
flutter:
  generate: true
  # arb-dir: lib/l10n/app_arb
```
This ensures ARB files are picked up automatically by Flutter's localization system.
Run the converter From your project root:
```
dart run json_to_arb
```

Output Example

ARB files are created for each language:

lib/l10n/app_arb/app_en.arb
lib/l10n/app_arb/app_ar.arb

Sample JSON:

{
   "welcome": "Welcome",
   "home": {
      "title": "Home Title"
   }
}

Resulting ARB:

{
   "appWelcome": "Welcome",
   "appHomeTitle": "Home Title"
}

Accessing Translations in Flutter

After generating ARB files and running Flutter's localization code generation:

AppLocalizations.of(context)!.appWelcome      // "Welcome"
AppLocalizations.of(context)!.appHomeTitle   // "Home Title"

How It Integrates with Flutter Localization

Flutter expects a single ARB file per locale. This tool merges all your JSONs for a locale into one ARB file, placed in the directory specified by arb-dir. Flutter's localization system automatically reads these files—no manual steps or risk of duplication.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you have ideas, bug reports, or feature requests, please open an issue or submit a pull request on GitHub:

Fork the repository
Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/my-feature)
Commit your changes (git commit -am 'Add new feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/my-feature)
Open a pull request

Please make sure your code follows the existing style and includes relevant documentation and tests if applicable.

Errors and warnings are printed in color for easy debugging.