How to change text encoding of Localizable.strings file in Xcode 4?

Question

I am learning how to localize the strings in my project and I am using Xcode 4.

I have generated the base Localizable.strings file, and I want to import this file,

Answer 1

View -> Utilities -> Show File Inspector
Change Text Encoding in the file inspector utility view.

Answer 2

After changing the encoding, and re-executing the genstrings command to regenerate the localize string, things should work.

Answer 3

Maybe this can help you Objective C/Xcode 4: Encoding Problem with Localizable.strings files

These kind of errors can happen if you copy and paste content within Xcode or from external files in your localization files. The consequence is that the encoding of the file changes to for example Western (Mac OS Roman). The Localizable.strings file should be in UTF-16 though.

Solution

1. Like in the picture below, navigate in Xcode to the Localizable.strings location and open it so that you can see all the languages you are supporting.

2. Left-click on the language file the causes the build error.

3. Make sure your Utilities View is showing in Xcode. Activate on the button at mark 1 in Picture below.

4. In the Utilities View select the File Inspector. (Small Logo that looks like Page)

5. Under Text Settings change the encoding to UTF-16(Marked as 2 in the picture above). The Drop-Down might be grayed out but you can click on it anyways. Click on "Convert" on the Popup.

That's it your project should now compile again.

Answer 4

Sometimes Xcode displays the warning, even if the file contents are UTF-16, but the file is somehow interpreted as UTF-8. iconv usually says that it can’t convert the file in this case. Converting the file in Xcode to UTF-8 and then converting it back again to UTF-16, like Edmar suggested, solves this problem. The warnings are gone.

To make sure that nothing got broken during the conversion, recheck the whole strings file.

Answer 5

The "Text Settings" for my Localizable.strings files don't have the option of changing the encoding like XCode 3. However, I found if I simply restart Xcode 4, it reinterprets it correctly (UTF-16).