How to Configure XLIFF Export Attributes Mapping
Some translation buyers require the exported XLIFF (XML Localization Interchange File Format) file to carry specific translate, approved, and state attributes on each segment, matching the exact format their downstream CAT tool (Computer-Assisted Translation tool) or review pipeline expects. Export Attributes Mapping lets you define which attributes wxrks writes into an exported XLIFF segment based on whether that segment is confirmed and/or locked — without any manual post-processing of the exported file.
Table of Contents
Who can use this
Applies only to XLIFF files — both XLIFF 1.2 and XLIFF 2.x. The mapping section does not appear for any other file format.
Permission / Role: Configuring the mapping on a project file requires the same permission used to create or edit the project's files (available to Account Admin and Project Manager by default). Managing the Organizational Unit's default filters and its list of suggested State values requires edit access to the Organizational Unit, which is normally granted only to Account Admin.
Dependency: The file must use a filter that is one of the XLIFF-based parsers. If you select a different filter for the file, the section is hidden.
Key concepts
Term | Meaning |
Segment status combination | Every segment being exported is either Confirmed or not, and either Locked or not. wxrks lets you map attributes for three of these combinations: Confirmed and locked, Confirmed and not locked, and Not confirmed and not locked. |
| The standard XLIFF attribute that tells downstream tools whether a segment is translatable. Accepts only |
| The standard XLIFF attribute that marks a segment as reviewed/approved. Accepts only |
| A free-form XLIFF status label (for example, |
Suggested state values | A list of |
ℹ️ Note: There is no separate mapping for segments that are locked but not confirmed — wxrks applies the Not confirmed and not locked rule to that combination as well.
Configure attribute mapping for a project file
Use this when you need the exported XLIFF of one specific file to carry custom attributes.
Go to Projects > New Project (or open an existing project and add/replace a file), and upload a file that uses an XLIFF-based filter.
In the file's parameters panel, scroll to Export Attributes Mapping.
For each segment status combination you want to customize, select Translate (
yes/no) and/or Approved (yes/no) as needed, type or select a State value (values already registered for the project's Organizational Unit appear as suggestions), and click Save on that row. wxrks writes the combined value (for example,translate=no,state=Final) into the read-only field above the row, confirming exactly what will be applied on export. Click Clear on a row to remove all attributes configured for that status.
Continue the file upload/project creation as usual. The mapping is stored with the file's parameters and applied automatically the next time this file's translations are exported/merged.
⚠️ Warning: Leaving a field blank means wxrks writes no value for that attribute on that status — it does not fall back to a default. Only fill in the attributes your target CAT tool actually requires.
Configure default mapping for an Organizational Unit's file filters
Use this when every project under an Organizational Unit should reuse the same XLIFF export attribute mapping, so Project Managers don't have to repeat the configuration on every file.
Go to Organization > Organizational Units, and open the target Organizational Unit.
Open the Project tab and expand the Filter Settings card.
Select or create an XLIFF-based filter. The Export Attributes Mapping section appears below its other parameters, with the same three rows and Translate/Approved/State fields described above.
Configure and save each row the same way as for a single project file. Any project created under this Organizational Unit that uses this default filter inherits the mapping.
Manage suggested state values for an Organizational Unit
Account Admins can curate the list of State values offered as suggestions across every mapping field for a given Organizational Unit's projects, so Project Managers pick from a consistent, pre-approved list instead of retyping free text.
Go to Organization > Organizational Units, and open the target Organizational Unit.
Open the Project tab and expand the Export Attributes Mapping card.
Type a new value and press Enter to add it to the list, or remove one by clicking its x.
Click Save. wxrks confirms with a "States saved successfully" message.
ℹ️ Note: This list only supplies autocomplete suggestions — it does not restrict which state values can actually be typed and saved on a mapping row.
Worked example
A client requires that segments locked after final review are exported with translate=no (so their CAT tool never resurfaces them for translation) and state=Final, while segments that are confirmed but still open for another pass should be exported with state=Reviewed and remain translatable.
On the file's Export Attributes Mapping section, on the Confirmed and locked row: set Translate to
no, leave Approved unset, typeFinalin State, and click Save. The row now showstranslate=no,state=Final.On the Confirmed and not locked row: leave Translate and Approved unset, type
Reviewedin State, and click Save. The row now showsstate=Reviewed.Leave Not confirmed and not locked empty if untranslated segments should export with no extra attributes.
Export the file. Every segment that is confirmed and locked at export time carries
translate="no" state="Final"in the XLIFF; every segment confirmed but not locked carriesstate="Reviewed".
Important behaviors and limitations
The mapping is evaluated at the moment of export, using each segment's current confirmation and lock status — not the status it had when the mapping was configured.
Translate and Approved are fixed
yes/noselections in the UI — you cannot enter any other value for these two attributes.A State value must start with a letter and can only contain letters, numbers, dots, underscores, or hyphens — spaces and most punctuation are not allowed. The Save button for a row stays disabled while its State value is invalid.
Attribute mapping only takes effect when the file's filter is an XLIFF-based parser (XLIFF 1.2 or 2.x). Configuring it on a filter that is later changed to a non-XLIFF type has no effect on export.
Troubleshooting
The exported XLIFF doesn't show my configured attributes. Confirm the file still uses an XLIFF-based filter — switching filters after configuring the mapping discards its effect on export. Also confirm which status combination the segment actually falls into: a segment that is confirmed but not locked will never pick up the Confirmed and locked row's values.
The Save button stays disabled on a mapping row. This means the State value doesn't match the required format (must start with a letter; only letters, numbers, dots, underscores, or hyphens afterward). Remove spaces or special characters — the validation message below the field disappears once the value is valid, and Save becomes clickable again.
Quick reference
Segment status | Configuration row |
Confirmed + Locked | Confirmed and locked |
Confirmed + Not locked | Confirmed and not locked |
Not confirmed + Locked | (uses the "Not confirmed and not locked" rule) |
Not confirmed + Not locked | Not confirmed and not locked |
Attribute | Accepted values |
|
|
|
|
| Free text starting with a letter; letters, numbers, |