sync-translations - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: sync-translations description: Keep the Lightroom GUI translation files (en/de/fr) in sync with the LOC() keys in the Lua plugin. Use whenever adding, changing, or removing a LOC() string, or when translation drift is suspected.

Translation sync

The plugin localizes every GUI string through LOC("$$$/LrGeniusAI/Module/Key=Default"). Those keys must exist in all three translation files:

plugin/LrGeniusAI.lrdevplugin/TranslatedStrings_en.txt
plugin/LrGeniusAI.lrdevplugin/TranslatedStrings_de.txt
plugin/LrGeniusAI.lrdevplugin/TranslatedStrings_fr.txt

If a key is missing from a file, Lightroom shows the raw $$$/... key (or the English fallback) instead of translated text — a silent, shippable bug.

Critical gotcha

These .txt files are UTF-16 encoded. Do not hand-edit them with tools that assume UTF-8, and never edit just one of the three. Always go through the scripts below.

Workflow when you add or change a LOC() string

Make the LOC(...) change in the .lua source as usual.
Regenerate all three files from the Lua keys:
```
python sync_translations.py
```
This adds any new keys (English default text is filled in; new de/fr entries start from the English value and need translating).
Translate the freshly-added German and French entries (don't leave English placeholders in _de/_fr).
Verify parity:
```
python3 scripts/check_translations.py
```
Exit 0 = in sync. It reports keys missing from any file (error) and orphaned keys no longer used in Lua (warning).

Verifying without changing anything

scripts/check_translations.py is read-only and is also wired into the edit-time lint hook (.claude/hooks/lint-edited-file.py) — editing any TranslatedStrings_*.txt triggers a parity check automatically.

Removing strings

When you delete a LOC() usage, its key becomes an orphan. Re-run sync_translations.py to prune it from all three files.