I love translating WordPress plugins or themes. But usually when i open for the first time a languages folder, when there is one, i discover all kind of stuffs, a default.po, no pot file or when it exist with a strange name or with no preferences set inside so of no use. I don’ blame developers for that, they have better things to do, coding. For sure i looked in the codex but wasn’t fully happy with what i found.

That’s how i came up with Blank WordPress Pot.

The main idea is to allow developers to have a great starting point for their translations .pot files and providing to new translators an explanation How To use the file provided.

Description

Developers and translators sometimes get a little confused when they want to start translating their WordPress files. Blank WordPress Pot provides the starting point to create the Ready-to-Translate pot.file.
In a few clicks your plugin or extension will be ready to incorporate your translated strings. No more default.po or .pot without the right settings.

Features of the files include

* Right propreties set ( utf-8, plurals ).
* Right path set.
* All keywords include ( __, _e, _x, _n and many mores ).

* A How To file for translators to explain how to use the pot file.

How does it work?

1. Create the languages folder right at the base of your root folder.
2. Put Blank-WordPress.pot and the HowTo file inside.
3. Rename Blank-WordPress.pot with the slug name of your plugin or your extension.
4. Open poedit, in catalog -> preferences -> settings : change the properties to match your slug file name -> ok.
5. Push the update button in poedit main ui to fetch and update the translated strings.
6. Save (if a notice ask you to pick a language just pick “none of this”).
7. Exit and that’s it.

Conclusion

Now translators have a pot file ready to be used, and a bonus file : a How To to explain them how to use it in case of need.
No more hassle for them and for you…

So what to you thing of that,  WordPress Dev are you ready to give it a try ?