Createstringspo

Based on game build 714014 | Last updated: 2026-03-21

Overview

Createstringspo is a standalone utility script used during the build process to generate Portable Object Template (.pot) files from the game's STRINGS table. It is not a runtime component attached to entities; instead, it is executed via the command line to assist localization teams. The script supports two formats: Version 1 (msgid based) and Version 2 (msgctxt based), allowing developers to export string tables for translation into .po files.

Usage example

This script is typically executed from the command line within the data/scripts directory. It can also be required as a module to invoke generation functions directly.

-- Execute via command line (Windows example)
-- cd data/scripts
-- ..\..\tools\LUA\lua.exe createstringspo.lua

-- Or require within a custom build script
require "createstringspo"
CreateStringsPOTv2("languages/strings.pot", "STRINGS", STRINGS)

Dependencies & tags

Components used: None (standalone script). Modules: strings, io. Tags: None identified.

Properties

Property	Type	Default Value	Description
STRING_RESERVED_LEAD_BYTES	table	{238, 239}	Byte values indicating invalid UTF-8 strings to ignore during generation.
POT_GENERATION	boolean	true	Flag indicating that the script is running in generation mode.
PLATFORM	string	WIN32_STEAM	Detected platform based on command line arguments (e.g., PS4, XBL).

Main functions

CreateStringsPOTv1(filename, root, tbl_dta, tbl_lkp)

• Description: Generates a Version 1 .pot file using msgid-based localization. Iterates through the provided table and writes formatted strings to the specified file.
• Parameters:
  • filename (string) - Path for the output .pot file. Defaults to data\scripts\languages\temp_v1.pot.
  • root (string) - Root key name for the string table. Defaults to STRINGS.
  • tbl_dta (table) - The string table data to process.
  • tbl_lkp (table, optional) - Lookup table for translated strings. If nil, generates template only.
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: May skip strings containing reserved lead bytes or duplicate msgids.

CreateStringsPOTv2(filename, root, tbl_dta, tbl_lkp)

• Description: Generates a Version 2 .pot file using msgctxt-based localization. Includes file format headers and sorts output strings by path.
• Parameters:
  • filename (string) - Path for the output .pot file. Defaults to data\scripts\languages\temp_v2.pot.
  • root (string) - Root key name for the string table. Defaults to STRINGS.
  • tbl_dta (table) - The string table data to process.
  • tbl_lkp (table, optional) - Lookup table for translated strings. If nil, generates template only.
• Returns: Nothing.
• Error states: May skip strings containing reserved lead bytes. Logs warnings for valid strings dropped due to encoding issues.

LookupIdValue(lkp_var, path)

• Description: Helper function to lookup values in a table using a dot-delimited path string. Converts path syntax to bracket syntax for evaluation.
• Parameters:
  • lkp_var (string) - Name of the variable holding the lookup table.
  • path (string) - Dot-delimited indexes (e.g., STRINGS.LEVEL1.LEVEL2).
• Returns: string value if found, otherwise nil.
• Error states: Returns nil if the path is invalid or evaluation fails.

Events & listeners

None identified. This script does not interact with the game event system.