View source for Features/Jetpack/Add-on SDK Localization API and Service

{{FeatureStatus
|Feature name=Add-on SDK Localization API and Service
|Feature stage=On hold
|Feature health=OK
|Feature status note=The full API and web service has been put on hold in favour of a simpler local API for now.
}}
{{FeatureTeam
|Feature product manager=David Mason
|Feature security lead=Dan Veditz
|Feature localization lead=Zbigniew Braniecki
}}
{{FeaturePageBody
|Feature overview=The ability for localizers to localize addons is key for addons to reach Mozilla's global userbase.

Addon localization in the traditional platform is cumbersome, because addon developers must solicit localizations themselves and manually integrate them into their addon packages.

Addon localization in the SDK comprises a simple, high-level API for specifying the strings to localize, a localization service to which addons distributed by AMO are automatically submitted for localization, a web application through which localizers can localize addons, and automatic repackaging of AMO-distributed addons with new and updated localizations.
|Feature users and use cases=The target audience is addon developers. The use case is an add-on developer using the Add-on SDK (either directly or via the Add-on Builder) to build an addon.
|Feature dependencies=The feature depends on work to be done in the SDK, AMO, and a localization service with which AMO interacts to solicit and retrieve localizations.
|Feature requirements=The feature must enable localization of addons and distribution of localized addons without requiring the developer of an addon to do anything other than identify the strings needing localization and submit the addon to AMO.
|Feature implementation plan=A good deal of work to implement this has already been done by Gandalf - what is missing is the coordination among Jetpack, Gandalf, and AMO as was originally planned. In addition, AMO's time to work on this is very limited and perhaps too far away for us to effectively launch this feature in a timely manner. To that end, we may want to move the "pushing to the 3rd party service" side of this to the Add-on Builder.

In addition, since most of the hard work has been done, we can launch this in phases:

'''Phase 1:''' The initial step is simply to land gandalf's "Common Pool" module. This will allow devs to flag strings to translate with a _("string to translate") - When done, the dev can then upload the xpi to https://l10n.mozillalabs.com/projects/p/mozilla-jetpacks/upload/ and the strings will enter the common pool to be translated, and returned to the developer.

'''Phase 2:''' In this stage we should iterate on the l10n support, including taking a look at localizing html files (a method for hosted html as well as included html). 

At the same time, we should look at adding automatic uploads to transifex directly from the Online Builder so that devs don't have to worry about doing that themselves.

'''Phase 3:''' when the AMO devs have time to implement it, we should have the automatic uploads work directly from AMO when a dev uploads his/her xpi to AMO.
}}
{{FeatureInfo
|Feature priority=Unprioritized
|Feature roadmap=Jetpack
|Feature list=Jetpack
|Feature engineering team=Jetpack
}}
{{FeatureTeamStatus
|Feature security status=sec-review-needed
|Feature security health=Assigned
|Feature security notes=dveditz
}}
Existing work:

* http://diary.braniecki.net/2011/01/12/jetpack-localization-common-pool-approach/
* http://diary.braniecki.net/2011/01/12/using-common-pool-tutorial/