# Data file tables

> Understand how table collections ship and load as data files instead of assets.

Understand how table collections ship and load as data files instead of assets.

With a data-file source, a collection's tables ship in the build as plain files, one per locale, instead of serialized assets. Translators can read and edit the files, you can patch a build without a rebuild, and you can add a language with a new file. The built-in format is JSON ([`JsonResourceProvider`](/engine/6000.7/script-reference/unity/localization/providers/filetables/jsonresourceprovider.md)).

You can also create your own data-file source for custom file formats. Refer to [Create a file table provider for text files](/engine/6000.7/manual/localization/examples/example-text-file-table-provider.md).

## Files and naming

Each table becomes one file named `[collection-name]_[locale-code].[extension]`, for example `Menus_fr.json`. In a build, the files sit in `StreamingAssets/{SubPath}`. [`SubPath`](/engine/6000.7/script-reference/unity/localization/providers/filetables/filetableprovider/subpath.md) defaults to `LocalizationTables`, and you can change it on the source in the Localization settings.

## From authoring to runtime

{ /*  Mermaid source kept for the future doc platform; shown as the static image below until mermaid rendering is supported.  */ }

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    author["Author tables in the Editor<br>(regular collection assets)"]
    gen["File generation<br>writes {collection}_{locale}.json to the project Library"]
    build["Player build<br>copies the files into StreamingAssets/SubPath"]
    run["Runtime<br>reads the file and rebuilds the table in memory"]
    graft["Entries a file can't carry<br>ship in a baked table asset and graft in at load"]

    author --> gen
    gen --> build
    build --> run
    graft --> run

    classDef code fill:#F5F5F5,stroke:#BDBDBD,color:#111;
    class author,gen,build,run,graft code;
    linkStyle default stroke:#2196F3,stroke-width:1.5px;
```


**Unity generates data-file tables at build time and rebuilds them from files at runtime.:**
![](/api/media?file=/engine/6000.7/media/images/localization-data-file-flow.svg)

You author the collection in the [Resource Tables window](/engine/6000.7/manual/localization/resource-tables-window-reference.md). The files are an export the build produces, not something you edit in the project. At build time, Unity generates the files into the project's `Library` folder and stages them into `StreamingAssets`. At runtime, the source reads a table's file the first time it needs the table and rebuilds it in memory.

The file preserves string values and plain-data entries. Some entries can't ship in a file: direct object references, and entries flagged **Exclude entry from player export**. Unity ships these entries in a baked table asset and merges them into the file-built table at load time. The build log lists which tables kept entries in the baked asset.

## Test in Play mode

Each data-file source has a **Play Mode Source** option in its section of the Localization settings. This option controls what Play mode uses:

| **Value**           | **Description**                                                                                                    |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Source assets**   | Serves the live authored tables. This is the default, and changes in the table editor apply immediately.           |
| **Generated files** | Generates the files and reads them the same way a build does. Exercises the real file path without a Player build. |

## Platform behavior

File reads need direct file access to `StreamingAssets`. On Android and Web, `StreamingAssets` is a URL. On these platforms, Localization fetches the files with a web request and skips locale discovery, so you can't add languages after release this way. Refer to [Add a language to a built Player](/engine/6000.7/manual/localization/content-storage-and-loading/add-a-language-to-a-built-player.md).

## Custom file formats

The JSON data-file source consists of scripts to read and write the files, along with a `FileTableProvider`. To ship tables in your own format instead of JSON, refer to [Create a file table provider for text files](/engine/6000.7/manual/localization/examples/example-text-file-table-provider.md).

## Additional resources

* [Add a language to a built Player](/engine/6000.7/manual/localization/content-storage-and-loading/add-a-language-to-a-built-player.md)
* [Create a file table provider for text files](/engine/6000.7/manual/localization/examples/example-text-file-table-provider.md)
* [Content sources](/engine/6000.7/manual/localization/content-storage-and-loading/content-sources.md)