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Programmatic String Access

In some cases, you may need to programmatically get or set translations for specific languages without relying on the standard Android resource system. The Crowdin SDK provides methods to directly access and modify translation strings.

Version Requirement

Available starting from Crowdin SDK version 1.18.0.

Getting a String​

You can retrieve a translation for a specific language using the Crowdin.getString() method:

val translation = Crowdin.getString("en-US", "string_key")

Parameters​

  • language - Language code in the format language or language-country (e.g., en, en-GB, en-US). See Crowdin Language Codes for more details.
  • key - The string resource key as defined in your Crowdin project.

Return Value​

Returns the translated string for the specified language and key. If the translation is not found, an empty string is returned.

Setting a String​

You can programmatically set a translation for a specific language using the Crowdin.setString() method:

Crowdin.setString("en-US", "string_key", "Hello, World!")

Parameters​

  • language - Language code in the format language or language-country (e.g., en, en-GB, en-US)
  • key - The string resource key
  • value - The translation string value

Best Practices​

Use Configuration Locale​

When retrieving translations for the current language, always use resources.configuration.getLocale() instead of Locale.getDefault(). This ensures the language tag matches exactly what the SDK uses to store translations from the distribution.

import com.crowdin.platform.util.getLocale

// Recommended: Use configuration locale
val languageTag = resources.configuration.getLocale().toLanguageTag()
val translation = Crowdin.getString(languageTag, "string_key")

// Not recommended: Using default locale may not match distribution locale
val languageTag = Locale.getDefault().toLanguageTag()
val translation = Crowdin.getString(languageTag, "string_key")
note

getLocale() is an extension function provided by the SDK in the com.crowdin.platform.util package.

This is especially important when implementing in-app language switching or when using Android's per-app language settings (Android 13+). If your app allows users to change the language within the app, or if users set a different language for your app in system settings, Locale.getDefault() will still return the system locale, not the app's current language. Using resources.configuration.getLocale() ensures you always get the correct locale that matches your app's current language setting.

Use Cases​

These methods are useful for:

  • Dynamic Content: Setting translations dynamically based on runtime conditions
  • Testing: Injecting test translations without modifying resource files
  • Custom Fallbacks: Implementing custom fallback logic for missing translations
  • A/B Testing: Switching between different translation variants programmatically
  • Analytics: Retrieving specific translations for logging or analytics purposes
info
  • Strings set using setString() are applied immediately and available for the current session
  • These strings are also included in the SDK's cache and persist across app restarts