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Asked: 2026-05-15T14:05:56+00:00

I have a localized string which needs to take a few variables. However, in

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I have a localized string which needs to take a few variables. However, in localization it is important that the order of the variables can change from language to language.

So this is not a good idea:

NSString *text = NSLocalizedString(@"My birthday is at %@ %@ in %@", nil);

In some languages some words come before others, while in others it’s reverse. I lack of an good example at the moment.

How would I provide NAMED variables in a formatted string? Is there any way to do it without some heavy self-made string replacements? Even some numbered variables like {%@1}, {%@2}, and so on would be sufficient… is there a solution?

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    This is why NSLocalizedString takes two parameters. Use the second parameter to include a comment describing the native language meaning of the variables. Then, translators can reorder them using the $ + number construct. See Apple’s Notes for Localizers.

    However you cannot skip parameters in one language. For example, if you have 3 parameters in English and 4 in French and you don’t need the third in English, you cannot format like %1$@ %2$@ and %4$@. You can only skip the last one.

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