📋 Localizing An App with a String Catalog 🌎

Welcome to issue #46 of the iOS Coffee Break Newsletter 📬 and to the 9th edition of the "Building a Newsletter App" series.

Last week, I showed you how to handle deep links from notifications in my newsletter app, ensuring users land on the issue detail page when tapping push notifications of a certain type.

This week, I will guide you through localizing the newsletter app using a String Catalog! Localization is key to making your app accessible to a global audience.

Before Xcode 15, managing translations with multiple .strings and .stringsdict files was tedious and error-prone. Mistakes could easily break your build. Now, with Xcode 15 or higher, Apple has introduced String Catalogs, a streamlined and user-friendly way to handle localization efficiently. Let's explore how to use this powerful new tool to make your app speak different languages!

The Plan

The goal is to localize the app into English and Portuguese, but the process applies to any language. Here is the plan:

• Add a String Catalog to the project
• Include new languages in the project settings
• Add localizable text to the catalog
• Handle pluralization for different cases

Adding a String Catalog to the Project

To add a string catalog to your project, go to File > New > File from Template. In the pop-up window, select your platform, type "string catalog" in the search bar, choose String Catalog, and click Next. You can keep the default name as Localizable. Pick a save location, and click Create to finalize.

Adding a string catalog to the project.

Adding a Language to your Project

To make the app support multiple languages, you need to add additional languages to your project. Select the string catalog in the Project Navigator, then click the (+) button at the bottom of the string catalog editor and choose the language you want to include. In my case, I am adding Portuguese as the additional language.

Adding a language to the project.

Adding the Localizable text to the String Catalog

Xcode keeps your string catalog updated with your app's localizable content each time you build the project. To populate it, go to Product > Build, and Xcode will automatically detect and add localizable strings.

Adding localizable text to the string catalog.

You can monitor the translation progress for each language by checking the indicator next to its name in the String Catalog.

Adding Pluralizations

String catalog simplifies the localization of word variations. Pluralization is now easier than ever - just right, click a row and select "Vary by Plural", which adds One and Other options.

Varying a string by plural.

You can also vary text based on the device type, which is especially useful when supporting multiple platforms.

🤝 Wrapping Up

That is a wrap on this week's issue, where I explored localization with Xcode String Catalogs. I truly believe String Catalogs are a well-designed addition that transforms the once tedious localization process into something much more streamlined and enjoyable to use!

Next week, I will be stepping out of my comfort zone to explore how to design an app logo for my newsletter app, without any prior design skills. Stay tuned!