The .gleef/config.json file controls how Gleef CLI processes your localization files. This file is created automatically by gleef init but can be customized for complex project setups.

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Configuration Location

The configuration file is always located at: 
your-project/
└── .gleef/
    └── config.json
This file should be committed to version control so your team shares the same configuration.

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Basic Configuration Structure

{
  "localeFilePatterns": [
    "src/locales/*.json",
    "public/i18n/*.json"
  ],
  "formatOptions": {
    "json": {
      "nested": true
    },
    "xml": {
      "nested": false
    }
  },
  "customFileNames": {
    "en-US": "english.json",
    "fr-FR": "french.json"
  }
}

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Configuration Properties

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localeFilePatterns

Type: string[]
Required: Yes Defines glob patterns that match your localization files. 
{
  "localeFilePatterns": [
    "src/locales/*.json",           // Basic pattern
    "public/i18n/**/*.json",        // Recursive pattern
    "assets/strings/*.strings",     // iOS strings files
    "!src/locales/config.json"      // Exclusion pattern
  ]
}
Pattern Examples:
PatternMatches
src/*.jsonsrc/en.json, src/fr.json
locales/**/*.jsonlocales/en/common.json, locales/fr/auth.json
*.{json,yaml}en.json, fr.yaml
!**/test.jsonExcludes any test.json files

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formatOptions

Type: object
Required: No Controls how different file formats are processed and generated. 
{
  "formatOptions": {
    "json": {
      "nested": true
    },
    "xml": {
      "nested": false
    },
    "yaml": {
      "nested": true
    }
  }
}
Format-Specific Options:

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JSON Options

  • nested (boolean): Use nested object structure vs flat keys

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XML Options

  • nested (boolean): Use nested elements vs flat structure

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YAML Options

  • nested (boolean): Use nested structure vs flat keys

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Strings Options

None

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customFileNames

Type: object
Required: No Maps locale codes to specific file or folder names when they don’t follow standard naming conventions. 
{
  "customFileNames": {
    "en-US": "english.json",
    "fr-FR": "french.json", 
    "es-ES": "spanish.json",
    "zh-CN": "chinese-simplified.json"
  }
}
Use Cases:
  • Legacy naming conventions
  • Simplified locale names (fr instead of fr-FR)
  • Descriptive filenames
  • Platform-specific naming requirements

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Advanced Configuration Examples

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Multi-Module Project

{
  "localeFilePatterns": [
    "apps/web/src/locales/*.json",
    "apps/mobile/assets/i18n/*.json", 
    "packages/shared/locales/*.json",
    "!**/*test*.json"
  ],
  "formatOptions": {
    "json": {
      "nested": true
    }
  }
}

​
Mixed Format Project

{
  "localeFilePatterns": [
    "src/locales/*.json",
    "ios/MyApp/*.lproj/*.strings",
    "android/app/src/main/res/values*/*.xml"
  ],
  "formatOptions": {
    "json": {
      "nested": true
    },
    "xml": {
      "nested": false
    }
  },
  "customFileNames": {
    "en-US": "LocalizableEn.strings",
    "fr-FR": "LocalizableFr.strings"
  }
}

​
Monorepo Configuration

{
  "localeFilePatterns": [
    "packages/*/src/locales/*.json",
    "apps/*/locales/**/*.json",
    "shared/i18n/*.{json,yaml}"
  ],
  "formatOptions": {
    "json": {
      "nested": true
    },
    "yaml": {
      "nested": true
    }
  }
}

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File Structure Examples

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Nested JSON (Default)

Configuration: 
{
  "formatOptions": {
    "json": {
      "nested": true
    }
  }
}
Output: 
{
  "auth": {
    "login": {
      "title": "Sign In",
      "email": "Email Address",
      "password": "Password"
    }
  },
  "navigation": {
    "home": "Home",
    "about": "About"
  }
}

​
Flat JSON

Configuration: 
{
  "formatOptions": {
    "json": {
      "nested": false
    }
  }
}
Output: 
{
  "auth.login.title": "Sign In",
  "auth.login.email": "Email Address", 
  "auth.login.password": "Password",
  "navigation.home": "Home",
  "navigation.about": "About"
}

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XML Structure

Configuration: 
{
  "formatOptions": {
    "xml": {
      "nested": false
    }
  }
}
Output: 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<resources>
  <string name="auth_login_title">Sign In</string>
  <string name="auth_login_email">Email Address</string>
  <string name="navigation_home">Home</string>
</resources>

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Configuration Validation

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Common Validation Errors

Invalid Pattern: 
Error: Pattern 'src/**.json' is invalid. Use 'src/**/*.json' for recursive matching.
No Files Matched: 
Warning: Pattern 'locales/*.json' matched no files. Check your file structure.
Format Conflict: 
Error: File 'en.json' matches multiple patterns with different format options.

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Troubleshooting

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Configuration Issues

No files detected:
  • Check pattern syntax
  • Verify file paths are correct
  • Test patterns with file system tools
Wrong files included:
  • Add exclusion patterns
  • Make patterns more specific
  • Check for conflicting patterns
Format errors:
  • Validate JSON syntax
  • Check property names and values
  • Review format-specific options

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Recovery

Reset configuration: 
rm -rf .gleef/
gleef init

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Next Steps

File Patterns

Learn advanced file pattern matching techniques

Format Options

Master format-specific configuration options