Localizing Dynamic Plural Noun messages (e.g. “5 Items Processed”) on iPhone using Objective-C

Question

In my current app, I have code that displays a message, e.g. \"5 Items Processed.\" To keep the phrase grammatically correct, i.e. whether or not it should be \"5 Item\" or

Answer 1

As of iOS 7, Foundation framework has native support for pluralization. Here is a quick tutorial how to use it:

Create a plist file named as Localizable.stringsdict

English Localization:

    
        %d tasks waiting for action
        
            NSStringLocalizedFormatKey
            %#@tasks@ waiting for action
            tasks
            
                NSStringFormatSpecTypeKey
                NSStringPluralRuleType
                NSStringFormatValueTypeKey
                d
                one
                A task is
                two
                Two tasks are
                other
                %d tasks are
            
        
    

Polish Localization:

    
        %d tasks waiting for action
        
            NSStringLocalizedFormatKey
            Masz %#@zadanie@ do zrobienia
            zadanie
            
                NSStringFormatSpecTypeKey
                NSStringPluralRuleType
                NSStringFormatValueTypeKey
                d
                one
                jedno zadanie
                few
                %d zadania
                other
                %d zadań
            
        
    

And finally in your implementation file, you can call the dictionary like this:

cell.tasksInfoLabel.text = [NSString localizedStringWithFormat:NSLocalizedString(@"%d tasks waiting for action", @"%d tasks waiting for action"), (long)taskCount];

EDIT: Thanks Zaphod for pointing this out ->: You also need to create the Localizable.strings file alongside the .stringsdict to have the pluralization work (even if it's empty).