SmartStringParser Class

Utility class for parsing and formatting Smart Strings with variables, pluralization, gender, and conditionals.

Namespace: Lexis

Methods

Parse

public static string Parse(string template, params object[] args);
public static string Parse(string template, Dictionary<string, object> args);

Parse a Smart String template with arguments.

Positional Arguments:

string result = SmartStringParser.Parse("{0} scored {1} points", "John", 100);
// Result: "John scored 100 points"

Named Arguments:

var args = new Dictionary<string, object>
{
    { "player", "John" },
    { "score", 100 }
};
string result = SmartStringParser.Parse("{player} scored {score} points", args);
// Result: "John scored 100 points"

Validate

public static bool Validate(string template, out string[] errors);

Validate a Smart String template for syntax errors.

Example:

if (!SmartStringParser.Validate(template, out string[] errors))
{
    foreach (var error in errors)
    {
        Debug.LogError($"Template error: {error}");
    }
}

ExtractVariables

public static string[] ExtractVariables(string template);

Get all variable names from a template.

Example:

string[] vars = SmartStringParser.ExtractVariables("{player} scored {score} points");
// Returns: ["player", "score"]

Syntax Reference

Variable Substitution

Syntax	Example	Output
Positional	{0}, {1}	Value at index
Named	{name}	Value with key "name"

Pluralization

Syntax: {variable:plural:category=text|category=text}

Category	Languages
zero	Arabic, Latvian, Welsh
one	English, German, Spanish, French
two	Arabic, Hebrew, Slovenian
few	Russian, Czech, Polish
many	Russian, Polish, Arabic
other	All (required fallback)

Use # as placeholder for the number:

SmartStringParser.Parse("{0:plural:one=# item|other=# items}", 5);
// Result: "5 items"

Gender Agreement

Syntax: {variable:male=text|female=text|other=text}

SmartStringParser.Parse("{0:male=He|female=She|other=They} logged in", "female");
// Result: "She logged in"

Conditional

Syntax: {variable:true=text|false=text}

SmartStringParser.Parse("Status: {0:true=Online|false=Offline}", true);
// Result: "Status: Online"

Number Formatting

Uses .NET format specifiers:

Format	Description	Example
N0	Number, no decimals	1,234
N2	Number, 2 decimals	1,234.56
C	Currency	$19.99
P	Percentage	85.50%
F2	Fixed-point	3.14

SmartStringParser.Parse("Score: {0:N0}", 1234567);
// Result: "Score: 1,234,567"

Date Formatting

Format	Description	Example
d	Short date	1/15/2025
D	Long date	Wednesday, January 15, 2025
t	Short time	3:30 PM
T	Long time	3:30:00 PM

SmartStringParser.Parse("Date: {0:D}", DateTime.Now);

Complex Examples

Pluralization with Russian

{0:plural:one=# яблоко|few=# яблока|many=# яблок|other=# яблока}

Combined Formatting

string template = "{player} has {count:plural:one=# coin|other=# coins} worth {value:C}";
var args = new Dictionary<string, object>
{
    { "player", "Alice" },
    { "count", 42 },
    { "value", 100.50m }
};
string result = SmartStringParser.Parse(template, args);
// Result: "Alice has 42 coins worth $100.50"

Best Practices

1. Always include other - Required fallback for all languages
2. Validate templates - Catch syntax errors before deployment
3. Test with edge cases - 0, 1, and large numbers
4. Consider locale - Number/date formatting varies by locale