iOS Localizable Stringsdict for pluralized translation keys

What does iOS Localizable Stringsdict file do, and how is it associated with localization?

iOS Localizable Stringsdict is an XML-based exchange file format used to define language plural rules. It is used when you need to provide several translations for a string in a language with different plural forms (e.g., Arabic). The root element of a Stringsdict file is <plist> that holds one or more <dict> elements. Each dict element represents a key that will be referenced in the source code.

Note: iOS Stringsdict should only be used to provide alternate translations for languages that have different plural rules. Otherwise, the standard localization file format for iOS and OS X is the iOS Strings Resource file format.

Format Options 

Convert placeholder 

Code Sample

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<plist version="1.0">
  <dict>
    <key>pluralized_key</key>
    <dict>
      <key>NSStringLocalizedFormatKey</key>
      <string>%#@localized_format_key@</string>
      <key>localized_format_key</key>
      <dict>
        <key>NSStringFormatSpecTypeKey</key>
        <string>NSStringPluralRuleType</string>
        <key>NSStringFormatValueTypeKey</key>
        <string>d</string>
        <key>one</key>
        <string>Only one pluralization found.</string>
        <key>other</key>
        <string>Wow, you have %s pluralizations!</string>
        <key>zero</key>
        <string>You have no pluralization.</string>
      </dict>
    </dict>
  </dict>
</plist>

This format should only be used to provide alternate strings for languages that have different plural rules. To specify language plural rules that can’t be represented by key-value pairs in the iOS Localizable .strings file, use a .stringsdict file.

Creating complex keys trough the Translation Editor

Setting a project’s default file format to iOS Localizable Stringsdict as show below will enable additional functionality in the Add/Edit Key dialog:

This allows adding/editing the NSStringLocalizedFormatKey. Providing multiple placeholders in this field will create the corresponding amount of keys:

Creating keys as above will result in the following:

Please note that manually refreshing the page might be necessary to see the newly created keys and that this functionality is currently only available through the Translation Editor.

More Information 

• Apple Developers Localization Documentation