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9. Section-level filtering for locale generation

Last updated · View source · View changelog

Date: 2026-03-16

Status

Accepted

Context

The generate-locales.js script maps CSV sections to i18n namespaces. Multiple CSV sections can map to the same namespace — for example, both S1 (enrollment checker's "Personal Information" page) and S3 (portal's profile management) map to the personalInfo namespace via the sectionToNamespace config.

The script already has an --app CLI flag that filters at the namespace level, but personalInfo and confirmInfo are mapped as 'all' (shared between portal and enrollment), so the --app filter lets both S1 and S3 rows through for these namespaces.

Because S3 rows appear later in the CSV and the collision resolution uses "last non-empty value wins" logic, the portal's values overwrite the enrollment checker's. This caused the enrollment checker to display headings like "Are you sure you want to delete this address?" instead of "Check if your child is already enrolled in Summer EBT."

Decision

Add a --sections CLI flag to generate-locales.js that filters at the CSV row level, complementing the existing --app namespace-level filter. When --sections is provided, only rows from the specified CSV sections are processed.

  • --app controls which namespaces appear in the output
  • --sections controls which CSV rows contribute to those namespaces

The enrollment checker's copy:generate script uses --sections S1,GLOBAL to exclude portal-specific sections (S3, S4, etc.) while keeping shared content.

Alternatives Considered

  1. Separate CSV files per app — creates content management overhead. State content teams maintain a single CSV per state; splitting would double maintenance.
  2. Rename S1 namespaces (e.g., enrollmentPersonalInfo) — breaks the predictable naming convention and requires changing all component useTranslation() calls.
  3. Change collision resolution to warn/error — doesn't solve the problem, just surfaces it. Both S1 and S3 legitimately need the personalInfo namespace for their respective apps.

Consequences

  • Each app's copy:generate script specifies which sections it consumes.
  • Content authors continue using the shared CSV.
  • New apps must declare their section filter.
  • When --sections is not provided, all sections are processed (backward compatible).
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