Syncing iOS Localization Gaps with Google Sheets and GitHub PR Placeholders

This n8n workflow automatically identifies missing translations in .strings files across iOS localizations (e.g., Base.lproj vs fr.lproj) and generates a report in Google Sheets. Optionally, it creates a GitHub Pull Request to insert placeholder strings ("__TODO_TRANSLATE__") so builds don’t fail. Supports DRY_RUN mode.

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🚀 Quick Start – Setup Steps

1. Import the Workflow JSON into your n8n instance.
2. Set Config Node values, for example:

   {
     "GITHUB_OWNER": "your-github-user-name",
     "GITHUB_REPO": "your-iOS-repo-name",
     "BASE_BRANCH": "develop",
     "SHEET_ID": "<YOUR_GOOGLE_SHEET_ID>",
     "ENABLE_PR": "true",
     "IOS_SOURCE_GLOB": "**/Base.lproj/*.strings,**/en.lproj/*.strings",
     "IOS_TARGET_GLOB": "**/*.lproj/*.strings",
     "PLACEHOLDER_VALUE": "__TODO_TRANSLATE__",
     "BRANCH_TEMPLATE": "chore/l10n-gap-{{YYYYMMDD}}"
   }
   ```

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📌 What It Does

• Listens for GitHub push or pull request events.
• Scans the iOS repository for .strings files under source and target language directories.
• Compares translation keys between source and target to identify missing entries.
• Updates or creates Google Sheet tabs (e.g., fr) with missing entries.
• Optionally creates a GitHub PR with placeholder values so missing translations don’t break builds.
• Supports DRY_RUN mode (sheet only, no PR).

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👥 Who’s It For

• iOS development teams who want fast feedback on missing localizations.
• Localization managers who want a shared sheet to assign work to translators.

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🛠 Requirements

| Tool | Purpose | Notes | | -------------------- | -------------------- | ----------------------------------- | --- | | GitHub Repo | Webhook, API for PRs | Requires repo token or App access | | Google Sheets | Sheet output | Needs valid SHEET_ID | | Slack (optional) | Notifications | Requires chat:write scope | | SMTP (optional) | Email fallback | Standard SMTP credentials | |

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⚙️ How It Works (Architecture)

1. GitHub Webhook Trigger — Fired on push or pull request.
2. Scan Repository Tree — Finds .strings source and target files based on glob patterns.
3. Key Comparison — Detects missing translation keys.
4. Update Sheets — Adds missing entries to the appropriate sheet tab.
5. (Optional) Create GitHub PR — Opens a pull request with placeholder translations.

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🛠 How to Customize

• Multiple Locales — Add comma‑separated values to TARGET_LANGS_CSV (e.g., fr,de,es).
• Glob Patterns — Adjust IOS_SOURCE_GLOB and IOS_TARGET_GLOB to scan only certain modules.
• Ignore Rules — Add IGNORE_KEY_PREFIXES_CSV to skip internal or debug strings.
• Placeholder Value — Change PLACEHOLDER_VALUE to something meaningful like "@@@".
• Slack/Email — Set SLACK_CHANNEL and EMAIL_FALLBACK_TO_CSV.
• DRY_RUN Mode — Set to true to update Sheets only without PR creation.

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➕ Add‑Ons & Extensions

• Android support — Add a path for strings.xml (values → values‑<lang>), diff → Sheets → placeholder PR.
• Multiple languages — Expand TARGET_LANGS_CSV and loop through tabs + placeholder commits per locale.
• .stringsdict handling — Validate plural/format entries and open precise PRs.
• Translator DMs — Map language → Slack handle/email to DM translators with their file/key counts.
• GitLab/Bitbucket variants — Replace GitHub API calls with equivalents to open merge requests.

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📈 Use Case Examples

• Before a test build, ensure the locale (e.g., fr) has all keys present — placeholders keep the app compiling.
• Weekly runs create sheets for translators and PRs with placeholders, avoiding last‑minute breakages.
• When adding a new screen with new strings, the workflow flags missing keys across locales and pre‑fills them.

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🧪 Common Troubleshooting

Issue	Possible Cause	Solution
No source files found	Glob pattern doesn’t match Base.lproj or en.lproj	Adjust IOS_SOURCE_GLOB
Target file missing	Locale folder doesn’t exist yet	Placeholder PR will create it
Parsing skips entries	Non‑standard .strings format	Ensure proper "key" = "value"; syntax
Sheet not updating	Invalid SHEET_ID or insufficient permission	Provide a valid ID or allow write access
PR not created	ENABLE_PR=false or no keys missing	Enable PR creation and confirm missing gaps
Slack/Email not received	Missing credentials/config	Configure Slack/SMTP and set recipients

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💬 Need Help?

Want to expand this for Android? Loop through 5+ locales at once? Replace GitHub with GitLab?
Contact the WeblineIndia.n8n experts with your repo and locale setup and we’ll help tailor it to your translation workflow!