I18N Messaging

i18n Messaging

Manage and maintain i18n messaging for Daedalus multi-language support

Handles message extraction, validation, localization workflows, and schema compliance for Daedalus's internationalization system. Supports English (en-US) and Japanese (ja-JP) locales using react-intl and Format.js.

Message Schema

Messages in Daedalus follow a structured format using defineMessages() from react-intl:

{
  messageKey: {
    id: "namespace.context.messageKey",          // Unique identifier with dot notation
    defaultMessage: "!!!Message text with placeholders",
    description: "Context/description for translators",
    values?: Record<string, any>                  // Runtime variable placeholders
  }
}

ID Naming Convention

• Format: namespace.context.messageKey (dot-separated)
• Prefix: All messages start with !!! in defaultMessage
• Examples:
  • global.errors.fieldIsRequired
  • api.errors.IncorrectPasswordError
  • global.ada.name

Variable Placeholders

Messages with dynamic content use curly braces:

knownMnemonicWordCount: {
  id: 'global.info.knownMnemonicWordCount',
  defaultMessage: '!!!{actual} of {required} words entered',
  values: { actual: 5, required: 12 }
}

Operations

1. Extract Messages

Extract all i18n messages from source code to generate message catalog.

yarn i18n:extract

What it does:

• Scans source/**/*.{ts,tsx} files
• Extracts defineMessages() and <FormattedMessage /> calls
• Ignores .d.ts TypeScript declaration files
• Outputs to translations/messages.json
• Records source file locations

When to use:

• After adding new messages with defineMessages()
• Before running i18n:check
• As part of i18n:manage workflow

Output format:

[
  {
    "path": "source/main/ipc/handlers.ts",
    "descriptors": [
      {
        "id": "global.errors.fieldIsRequired",
        "defaultMessage": "!!!This field is required.",
        "description": "Error message when required fields are left empty."
      }
    ]
  }
]

2. Check Translations

Validate translation files for consistency and completeness against extracted messages.

yarn i18n:check

What it does:

• Compares extracted messages with translation files
• Validates en-US and ja-JP locales
• Ensures all message IDs are present
• Detects missing or obsolete translations
• Uses react-intl-translations-manager to manage lifecycle

When to use:

• After extracting new messages
• Before committing translation changes
• To validate message format across locales

Validates:

• All en-US messages have corresponding ja-JP translations
• No orphaned message IDs
• Message structure consistency (id, defaultMessage, description)

3. Manage Translations

Combined operation: extract messages AND validate translations in one command.

yarn i18n:manage

Equivalent to: yarn i18n:extract && yarn i18n:check

When to use:

• Primary workflow for updating i18n content
• Part of check:all verification
• Before creating commits with messaging changes

Supported Locales

Locale Files Structure

source/renderer/app/i18n/locales/
├── defaultMessages.json          # All extracted messages (auto-generated)
├── en-US.json                    # English translations (English only)
├── ja-JP.json                    # Japanese translations
├── whitelist_en-US.json          # Approved en-US messages
├── whitelist_ja-JP.json          # Approved ja-JP messages
└── terms-of-use/                 # Locale-specific documents

Best Practices

Adding New Messages

1. Use defineMessages() or <FormattedMessage /> in source code
2. Follow naming convention: namespace.context.messageKey
3. Include descriptive description for translators
4. Always prefix defaultMessage with !!!
5. Run yarn i18n:extract to register new messages

Validating Message IDs

Do:

• Use hierarchical namespaces: wallet.send.confirmButton
• Keep IDs consistent across related messages
• Document placeholder variables in description
• Use lowercase with dots as separators

Don't:

• Use spaces or special characters in IDs
• Duplicate IDs across features
• Leave placeholders undocumented
• Change ID format mid-project

Working with Placeholders

Messages with runtime values use curly braces:

// Define message with placeholder
notEnoughFunds: {
  id: 'wallet.errors.notEnoughFunds',
  defaultMessage: '!!!Remaining balance: {balance} ADA',
  description: 'Error when insufficient funds'
}

// Use at runtime
<FormattedMessage
  id="wallet.errors.notEnoughFunds"
  defaultMessage="Remaining balance: {balance} ADA"
  values={{ balance: walletBalance }}
/>

Translation Flow

1. Extract: Run yarn i18n:extract after code changes
2. Check: Run yarn i18n:check to validate
3. Review: Update localized JSON files as needed
4. Verify: Run check:all before committing
5. Commit: Include updated translations/messages.json and locale files

Generated !!! Placeholders

• yarn i18n:manage seeds missing locale entries from defaultMessage, so new keys in en-US.json and ja-JP.json can be written with the !!! prefix.
• Treat !!! in locale files as a new or untranslated message marker, not polished release copy.
• This workflow does not remove the prefix automatically. If locale polish is in scope, manually replace new en-US.json entries with approved English copy and add real Japanese translations in ja-JP.json before commit.
• If the task only covers extraction or catalog sync, keeping generated !!! placeholders is acceptable, but document the follow-up translation work explicitly.

Related Files

Troubleshooting

Messages not extracted

• Verify defineMessages() is imported from react-intl
• Check files are in source/**/*.{ts,tsx} (not .d.ts)
• Run yarn clear:translations then yarn i18n:extract

Translation validation fails

• Ensure all en-US messages have ja-JP equivalents
• Check message IDs match exactly (case-sensitive)
• Verify JSON format is valid in locale files

Missing or duplicate IDs

• Check for conflicting message keys across files
• Remove obsolete messages from translation files manually
• Re-run yarn i18n:manage to refresh state

Template: Adding New Message

import { defineMessages } from 'react-intl';

// In your component file or messages.ts
export const componentMessages = defineMessages({
  newMessageKey: {
    id: 'feature.component.newMessageKey',
    defaultMessage: '!!!Default English text',
    description: 'Context for translators explaining where/how this message is used',
  },
  messageWithPlaceholder: {
    id: 'feature.component.messageWithPlaceholder',
    defaultMessage: '!!!You have {count} items',
    description: 'Message showing item count with placeholder',
  },
});

Then run: yarn i18n:manage