10.7. Internationalization and localization in Flutter: Measure format
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10.7. Internationalization and Localization in Flutter: Measurement Format
Internationalization and localization are critical aspects when developing applications with a global user base. Internationalization is the process of designing and preparing your application to be used in different languages and regions. Localization is the process of translating internationalized content into specific languages and cultures. In Flutter, these processes are facilitated by the use of specific libraries and tools, such as the flutter_localizations package and Dart intl.
Measurement Format
The measurement format is an important part of localization. It involves presenting units of measure in a way that is familiar to users in a specific region. This can include converting between measurement systems such as imperial and metric, as well as formatting numbers according to local conventions.
Internationalization of Measures in Flutter
Internationalization of measures in Flutter can be performed using the Dart intl package. This package provides a number of utilities to format measures according to local conventions.
For example, to format a measurement of length in meters, you can use the NumberFormat class. This class allows you to format numbers according to the conventions of a specific locale. You can specify the locale by passing your code to the NumberFormat constructor. For example, to format a number according to French conventions, you can do the following:
var formatter = NumberFormat('###.0', 'fr_FR'); print(formatter.format(123456.789)); // prints "123 456.8"
Note that the number is formatted with a space as the thousands separator and a comma as the decimal separator, in accordance with French conventions.
Finding Measurements in Flutter
Localizing measurements in Flutter involves translating units of measurement into the user's language. This can be done using the flutter_localizations package. This package provides support for over 70 languages and includes classes for translating unit names.
For example, to translate the unit "meter" into French, you can use the MaterialLocalizations class. This class provides a getUnitName method that returns the name of the unit in the current language. You can get an instance of MaterialLocalizations using the Localizations.of method. For example, you can do the following to get the French name for "meter":
var localizations = Localizations.of(context, MaterialLocalizations); print(localizations.getUnitName(Unit.meter)); // prints "mètre"
Note that you need to pass a context that has a Localizations widget above it in the widget tree. This is necessary because Localizations uses context to determine the current locale.
Conclusion
The internationalization and localization of measures are important aspects when developing Flutter apps for a global audience. Thanks to the Dart intl package and the flutter_localizations package, Flutter makes these processes relatively simple. By using these tools, you can ensure that your app is easy to use for users of all regions and languages.
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