Add a language to a built Player

Add a language to a shipped build by dropping in a new table file.

When a data-file source serves a collection, each locale is one file in the build. The source discovers locales from the files present when localization initializes. A correctly named file adds the language, so you don’t need to rebuild or change any code.

This workflow applies to desktop platforms. On Android and Web, StreamingAssets is a URL, so Localization can’t discover files and this workflow doesn’t apply.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have the following:

• A collection assigned to a data-file source, for example Data files (JSON). Refer to Data file tables.
• A Player build for a desktop platform.

Add the language

To add a language to a shipped build:

1. In the build’s files, open the table folder (StreamingAssets/LocalizationTables by default, or the source’s configured subfolder). On Windows, the folder is [game-name]_Data\StreamingAssets\LocalizationTables.
2. Copy an existing file for the collection as a template, for example Menus_en.json.
3. Name the copy [collection-name]_[locale-code].[extension] with the new language’s code. For example, Menus_pl.json for Polish.
4. Translate the values in the file. Leave keys and IDs unchanged.
5. Launch the Player.

During initialization, the source finds the file, adds the locale, and makes it available wherever locales appear, including the built-in language selection controls.

Note the following behavior and constraints:

• Localization initializes and discovers the available locales once when the Player starts, so a file added while the Player is running only appears the next time the Player launches.
• The file name’s collection part must match a collection the source serves. The source ignores a file for an unknown collection.
• Missing keys in the new locale fall back to the project locale, so they resolve to your authoring language rather than nothing.
• Entries that hold object references ship inside the build’s baked table asset. A new language’s file provides text and plain data, not new assets. To provide localized assets for a new language, assign them to the collection in the Resource Tables window before you build the Player.

Additional resources

• Data file tables
• Locales
• Create a file table provider for text files