Flutter quickstart

Install the CLICopy Anchor Link

npm install --save-dev @verbatra/cli

verbatra is a development tool and never ships in your app. The commands below use npx; with pnpm, yarn, or bun, run pnpm verbatra, yarn verbatra, or bun run verbatra instead.

Add a source locale fileCopy Anchor Link

Skip this step if lib/l10n/app_en.arb already exists. Otherwise create it with two strings, one of them with a placeholder:

{
  "@@locale": "en",
  "greeting": "Hello, {name}!",
  "@greeting": {
    "placeholders": { "name": { "type": "String" } }
  },
  "cartEmpty": "Your cart is empty."
}

Scaffold a configCopy Anchor Link

npx @verbatra/cli init --format arb --provider gemini --yes

--format arb is the file format of flutter_localizations. init finds your locale files, or writes the pattern lib/l10n/app_{locale}.arb when there are none yet. --yes takes what init detected instead of prompting. The new verbatra.config.ts translates from en into de; add codes to targetLocales for more languages.

Preview the run without a keyCopy Anchor Link

npx @verbatra/cli translate --dry-run

verbatra: dry run over 1 locale, no provider call
verbatra: de done, 2 would translate
verbatra translate (dry run)
  de: 2 would translate, 0 unchanged
1 succeeded, 0 partial, 0 failed (dry run: nothing written)
[ok] dry run done in 0.0s, nothing written
next: verbatra translate (run it for real)

A dry run builds no provider, so it needs no key, spends nothing, and writes nothing.

TranslateCopy Anchor Link

cp .env.example .env

Open .env and paste your key after GEMINI_API_KEY=. No key yet? Gemini has a free tier: create one in Google AI Studio. Every other provider and its variable is on Providers.

npx @verbatra/cli translate

verbatra sends the two strings to Gemini, checks that every placeholder survived, and writes lib/l10n/app_de.arb. The wording depends on the model, for example:

{
  "@@locale": "de",
  "greeting": "Hallo, {name}!",
  "cartEmpty": "Dein Warenkorb ist leer."
}

Check that every locale is in syncCopy Anchor Link

npx @verbatra/cli check

[ok] checking the locales (0.0s)
verbatra check
  de: 0 missing, 0 stale, 2 up-to-date (in sync)
all locales in sync

check calls no provider and exits 1 once a locale falls out of sync, so it can gate a pull request.

Load the locales in your appCopy Anchor Link

Add flutter_localizations:

flutter pub add flutter_localizations:"{sdk: flutter}" intl:any

Then load both files and render the greeting:

flutter:
  generate: true

arb-dir: lib/l10n
template-arb-file: app_en.arb
output-localization-file: app_localizations.dart

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'l10n/app_localizations.dart';

void main() => runApp(
  MaterialApp(
    locale: const Locale('de'),
    localizationsDelegates: AppLocalizations.localizationsDelegates,
    supportedLocales: AppLocalizations.supportedLocales,
    home: Builder(
      builder: (context) => Text(AppLocalizations.of(context)!.greeting('Ada')),
    ),
  ),
);

Start your app: the greeting reads Hallo, Ada!.