How to Parse Only One Language at a Time from a JSON File in Swift

Discover a simple method to parse a specific language from a JSON file in Swift, making localization easier for your app.
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Parsing Only One Language from a JSON File in Swift

In the world of application development, working with multiple languages can become quite complex, especially when it involves parsing JSON data for localization. If you're using Swift and have encountered the need to handle localized strings from a JSON file, you might be asking: How can I parse only one language at a time from my JSON file?

This post walks you through a straightforward solution that allows you to efficiently retrieve localized text based on the user's language preference.

The Problem

Imagine you have a JSON file that contains different translations for the same text. It might look something like this:

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You also have a Swift struct to store this data:

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The Challenge

The primary challenge is to parse only the language currently being used by the user. You've thought about various options, but they either lead to cumbersome code or additional logic layers. You might be considering these approaches:

Parse all languages: Use a switch case in the view to handle localization, which isn't ideal.

Intermediate layer: Implement a view model to filter translations before displaying them.

Dynamic key parsing: Attempt to parse only the specific language, potentially the best option, but difficult to implement.

The Solution

Let’s explore the dynamic key parsing approach, which allows you to only parse the language required based on the user's settings. The solution utilizes a custom CodingKey, a decoder, and an observable model to facilitate this process.

Implementing the Solution

Create a Linguistic Model: A class (LingoModel) that conforms to ObservableObject to manage your localization data.

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Create a Content View: This View uses a picker for the user to select the desired language and displays the corresponding localized text.

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Define the Lingo Struct: The struct that will hold our data and perform the dynamic key parsing.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, parsing a single language from a JSON file in Swift can be achieved efficiently using the outlined dynamic key parsing method. By implementing a dedicated model and customizing the decoding process, you can improve the readability and functionality of your localization process, all while maintaining a clean codebase.

This approach not only simplifies the handling of localized text but also provides a better user experience by aligning the interface with the language preferences of your users.

Now that you have a structured method at your disposal, you can easily implement it in your own projects to enhance their localization capabilities. Happy coding!