Question

If one is not going to use the genstrings console tool to create .strings files, is there any benefit to using the NSLocalizedString macros rather than directly calling the NSBundle localizedStringForKey:value:table: method?

Those macros call that same NSBundle method. So is support of genstrings the only purpose to those macros?

Answer 1

If you look at NSLocalizedString definition:

#define NSLocalizedString(key, comment) \
    [[NSBundle mainBundle] localizedStringForKey:(key) value:@"" table:nil]

it becomes clear that NSLocalizedString just calls localizedStringForKey: with default arguments while also allowing for the specification of a comment (which is ignored by localizedStringForKey:.)

Thus, localizedStringForKey: is suited for:

1. handling multiple string tables;

2. specifying a custom-return value when no translation is found (value arg).

NSLocalizedString on the contrary:

1. is more suited to the simplest (most common?) case (just one string table);

2. is more compact;

3. allows to specify a contextual comment.

When to use one or the other?

IMO, the biggest criteria is if you have multiple string tables. If so, you have to use localizedStringForKey:, otherwise NSLocalizedString will do just fine.

Hope this helps.