make_strings(1)

💅 make_strings(1) — the GNUstep System Manual, but make it a group chat

okay bestie, gather round, because this little icon is literally the reason your app speaks Swedish 🦋 it lives in the GNUstep System Manual, so you know it's fancy.

✨ NAME ✨

make_strings — a tool that builds lists of localizable strings out of Objective-C files. it's giving "translator's best friend" fr fr 💖

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

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# 🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

so here's the vibe: `make_strings` parses your Objective-C files and builds up lists of localizable strings. then it either creates brand new `.strings` files or merges the strings into `.strings` files that already exist. no cap.

and honestly? it's <purple>fairly intelligent</purple> when it's matching old strings against new ones — it actually tries. and it produces `.strings` files that are <mint>(supposed to be)</mint> easy for a translator to work with. "supposed to be" is doing a lot of heavy lifting there but we move 💅

`make_strings` accepts the following options:

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# 👑 OPTIONS 👑

- **`--help`** — prints a short list of the available options. that's it, that's the whole thing, a lil menu 🫶
- **`--verbose`** — prints extra info while it's processing, so you can watch it cook 🔥
- **`-L languages`** — tell it which languages to process. you can stack multiple `-L` options, or you can just pile multiple languages into one single `-L` flag. your call bestie 💜
- **`--aggressive-import`** — turns on `--aggresive-match` *and* auto-removes the "dummy" entries that get added when you import `.strings` files that weren't made by `make_strings` in the first place. run this when it's your **first time** using `make_strings` and you've already got an existing `.strings` file sitting there with a pretty accurate translation in it. perfect moment for it ✨
- **`--aggressive-match`** — this one makes `make_strings` assume that matching keys should have matching translations. it can save you a TON of work, but ngl it also raises the risk of an erroneous translation slipping through 😭 so like… high risk high reward.
- **`--aggressive-remove`** — removes obsolete strings/keys. bye bye, dead weight 💀

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# 🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

the classic, the moment, the icon:

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

GNUstep(7) — go read it, iykyk 📚

💖 AUTHORS 💖

make_strings was written by Alexander Malmberg <alexander@malmberg.org>. king behavior 👑

this manual page was added by Yavor Doganov <yavor@gnu.org>. also king behavior 🙌

⭐ COPYRIGHT ⭐

copying and distribution of this file, with or without modification, are permitted in any medium without royalty provided the copyright notice and this notice are preserved. so like, share it, remix it, just keep the receipts 🧾💕

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<purple>**sign-off:**</purple> that's the whole page from the **GNUstep** girlies, dated <yellow>August 16, 2009</yellow> — she's been iconic since '09 and she's not slowing down. mwah 💋💅