How to localise a string inside the iOS info.plist file?

Question

As you might know the iOS 8 requires NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription key for using user's location. I have added this key and some general information into my info plist.

How can I use translation string inside the plist file ?

-- Update --

I already have a Localizable string. I'm just wondering that can I use something like NSLocalizedString(MYSTRING,nil) inside the plist string. I know that I can create multiple file of info.plist for localisation but I was wondering there might be an easier way.

Answer 1

You should use InfoPlist.strings file to localize values of Info.plist. To do this, go to File->New->File, choose Strings File under Resource tab of iOS, name it InfoPlist, and create. Open and insert the Info.plist values you want to localize like:

NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription = "Description of this"; 

Now you can localize InfoPlist.strings file with translations.

Select the localization options, or enable localization if needed,

You should be able to see the file also on the left side editor.

Here is the official documentation for Info.plist keys localization.

Credits to Marco, thanks for including the pics in this answer!

Answer 2

All the above did not work for me (XCode 7.3) so I read Apple reference on how to do, and it is much simpler than described above. According to Apple:

Localized values are not stored in the Info.plist file itself. Instead, you store the values for a particular localization in a strings file with the name InfoPlist.strings. You place this file in the same language-specific project directory that you use to store other resources for the same localization.

Accordingly, I created a string file named InfoPlist.strings and placed it in the xx.lproj folder of the "xx" language (and added it to the project using File->Add Files to ...). That's it. No need for the key "Localized resources can be mixed" = YES, and no need for InfoPlist.strings in base.lproj or en.lproj.

The application uses the Info.plist key-value as the default value if it can not find a key in the language specific file. Thus, I put my English value in the Info.plist file and the translated one in the language specific file, tested and everything works.

In particular, there is no need to localize the InfoPlist.strings (which creates a version of the file in the base.lproj, en.lroj, and xx.lproj), and in my case going that way did not work.