Android variables in strings.xml

Question

Somewhere I read how to use variables in XML document. They said it's very simple and I guess it was. I successfully used it that way in Android strings.xml file. I was using it that way the whole day until suddenly android stopped to parse it and stopped to treat it like a variable.

I used it in this way:

<resources>
<string name="some_string">string1</string>
<string name="another_string"> {$some_string} trolololo </string>
</resources>

and in java accessing it through: getApplicationContext().getString(R.strings.another_string);

getApplicationContext().getString(R.strings.another_string);

In the output I used to receive string like:

string1 trolololo

and now I receive only:

{$some_string} trolololo

Does anyone have any idea what is wrong? I know that Android's XML may differ than standard XML, but IT USED TO WORK. Awww... Thanks for any advice.

Hm... I'm wondering, if this works also with other types like int or int[] — Fraggles
– Fraggles, Commented Feb 11, 2014 at 12:32

yugidroid · Accepted Answer · 2012-07-16 23:16:01Z

21

Assuming that you want to pass a string value as a parameter in the another_string then your string is not well formatted to receive that argument and if you try to use it your output will be {$some_string} trolololo.

If you need to format your strings using String.format(String, Object...), then you can do so by putting your format arguments in the string resource.

<resources>
<string name="some_string">string1</string>
<string name="another_string">%1$s trolololo</string>
</resources>

Now your able to format the string with arguments from your application like this:

String arg = "It works!";
String testString = String.format(getResources().getString(R.string.another_string), arg);
Log.i("ARG", "another_string = " + testString);

Doing so the output string will be another_string = It works! trolololo.

Take a look at the Android Developers official documentation, here.

answered Jul 16, 2012 at 23:16

yugidroid

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1 Comment

bpawlowski Over a year ago

Thanks for the reply. I've already seen this method to format string(Earlier I was looking for solution on the Android Dev. documentation link you posted). And - Yes - That would solve my problem but I wanted to put all these strings into strings.xml file, prepare(concatenate) them there, and use these during runtime pre-prepared strings. The one thing I cannot understand is WHY it was working, and now it's not?

Bogdan Kobylynskyi · Accepted Answer · 2015-11-09 22:47:09Z

7

This will solve your problem:

<resources>
    <string name="some_string">string1</string>
    <string name="another_string">@string/some_string trolololo</string>
</resources>

Now the output of the getApplicationContext().getString(R.strings.another_string) will be string1 trolololo.

edited Nov 9, 2015 at 22:47

answered Jul 16, 2012 at 20:13

Bogdan Kobylynskyi

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5 Comments

Jason L Over a year ago

The interesting thing is when I try this, I get an error, No resource found that matches at the given name (at 'another_string' with value '@string/some_string trolololo').

Bogdan Kobylynskyi Over a year ago

DevGuide says that in XML resource references '@string/string_name'

Jason L Over a year ago

Yes, it's the XML file that's throwing the error. I didn't manage to edit that into the comment in time before it locked.

Tolga E Over a year ago

@BogdanKobylinsky That is only useable in XML files other than the resource itself (such as views)

bpawlowski Over a year ago

unfortunately this method with @string/some_string, doesn't. I saw the usage of strings in that way, but in the manifest file, but there it looks like that: <something value="@/string/some_string"> </something>

Sabeeh · Accepted Answer · 2019-12-03 09:23:52Z

1

Or, you can directly use getResources().getString(R.string.activity_title, arg).

For example

<resources>
   <string name="postfix_title">%s Gallery</string>
</resources>

and then simply,

String arg = "Colors";
String title = getResources().getString(R.string.postfix_title, arg);

This will result in title containing value Colors Gallery.

answered Dec 3, 2019 at 9:23

Sabeeh

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Comments

Tolga E · Accepted Answer · 2012-07-16 20:47:04Z

0

I'm not sure how the first initial thing you've done was working with the curly brackets but i've run into this issue before and couldn't find a solution..

Now what I do is calling those strings separately and concatenate them during runtime.

answered Jul 16, 2012 at 20:47

Tolga E

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1 Comment

bpawlowski Over a year ago

using that curly brackets I could reference to some string value within this local document, and obviously that allowed me to concatenate them.

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