Display dynamic values in a localized string

Drive a Smart String entry with a local variable from a script.

This example builds a score readout that localizes its text and updates its number from gameplay: Score: 120 in English, Punkte: 120 in German. The collection table entry owns the sentence, while an associated script owns the number. For the format syntax, refer to Smart Strings.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have the following:

A table collection. Refer to Get started with localization.

Author the entry

To author a Smart String entry:

Open Window > Localization > Resource Tables and select the collection.
Add a key named score-display with the entry type String.
Enable the key’s Smart string toggle from the row’s actions menu (⋮).
Give each locale a value that uses a placeholder named score, for example Score: {score} in English.

Because each placeholder has a name, each translation can place it wherever the language needs it.

Update the value from a script

Add a LocalizedString field, register an IntVariable named score in its local variables, and refresh when the value changes:

public class ScoreDisplay : MonoBehaviour
{
    public LocalizedString scoreText = new();

    IntVariable m_Score = new();

    void OnEnable()
    {
        scoreText.LocalVariables.Add(m_Score, "score");
        scoreText.StringChanged += OnStringChanged;
    }

    void OnDisable()
    {
        scoreText.StringChanged -= OnStringChanged;
        scoreText.LocalVariables.Remove("score");
    }

    void OnStringChanged(string value) => GetComponent<TextMesh>().text = value;

    public void AddPoints(int points)
    {
        m_Score.Value += points;
        scoreText.RefreshString();
    }
}

In the Inspector window, set the scoreText field to the score-display entry. Each call to AddPoints updates the variable and calls RefreshString, which re-raises StringChanged with the formatted value. A language change re-raises it too, so the readout stays correct after a value change and after a language change.

Extend the example

For more information about how you can configure dynamic text in your application using Smart Strings, refer to the following links:

Handle pluralization in the entry itself with the plural formatter, so each language picks the right word form from the count.
Share values across many strings with persistent variables instead of per-reference local variables.
Pass one-off values as arguments to GetLocalizedString instead of registering variables.

Additional resources

Create a language selection menu

Create a custom startup locale selector