fluffychat/scripts/REMOVE_UNUSED_INTL_KEYS.md

Remove Unused Translation Keys Script

This Python script removes unused translation keys from all .arb files in the repository.

Purpose

After identifying unused keys with find_unused_intl_keys.py, this script automates the removal of those keys from all language files. It removes both the key-value pairs and their corresponding metadata entries.

How It Works

1. Loads Unused Keys: Reads the list of unused keys from unused_intl_keys.json
2. Processes Each File: For each .arb file in lib/l10n/:
   • Loads the file as JSON
   • Identifies keys to remove (both base keys and their @key metadata)
   • Removes those keys while preserving order
   • Writes the cleaned JSON back to the file
3. Reports Results: Shows how many keys were removed from each file

Usage

# First, generate the list of unused keys
python3 scripts/find_unused_intl_keys.py

# Then, remove those keys from all .arb files
python3 scripts/remove_unused_intl_keys.py

Output

The script provides progress output showing how many keys were removed from each file:

Loading unused keys from JSON file...
Found 488 unused keys to remove.

Found 54 .arb files to process.

Processing .arb files...
================================================================================
intl_en.arb: Removed 488 keys/metadata entries
intl_es.arb: Removed 557 keys/metadata entries
intl_fr.arb: Removed 950 keys/metadata entries
...
================================================================================

Total keys/metadata entries removed: 50015
Processed 54 .arb files successfully.

What Gets Removed

For each unused key (e.g., accountInformation), the script removes:

1. The key itself: "accountInformation": "Account information"
2. Its metadata (if present): "@accountInformation": { ... }

Important Notes

• Backup recommended: The script modifies files in place. Consider committing your work or creating a backup before running.
• JSON parsing: The script uses Python's JSON library, which:
  • Preserves the order of keys (using OrderedDict)
  • May reformat indentation to 2 spaces
  • Resolves duplicate keys by keeping the last value
• Validation: After running, verify the files are still valid JSON and that the application still works correctly.

Requirements

• Python 3.x
• Input file: scripts/unused_intl_keys.json (generated by find_unused_intl_keys.py)

Example

# Full workflow
cd /path/to/repository

# Step 1: Find unused keys
python3 scripts/find_unused_intl_keys.py

# Step 2: Review the list in scripts/unused_intl_keys.json

# Step 3: Remove the unused keys
python3 scripts/remove_unused_intl_keys.py

# Step 4: Verify the changes
git diff lib/l10n/

Related Files

• Input: scripts/unused_intl_keys.json
• Modified: All lib/l10n/intl_*.arb files
• Related: scripts/find_unused_intl_keys.py (generates the input file)