# gt-react: General Translation React SDK: Strings
URL: https://generaltranslation.com/en-US/docs/react/guides/strings.mdx
---
title: Strings
description: How to internationalize plain text strings using useGT
---
{/* AUTO-GENERATED: Do not edit directly. Edit the template in content/docs-templates/ instead. */}


String translation provides direct access to text translations without JSX, perfect for attributes, object properties, and plain text values. Use [`useGT`](/docs/react/api/strings/use-gt) in React components for string translation.

## Quickstart

```jsx
import { useGT } from 'gt-react';

function MyComponent() {
  const gt = useGT();
  return (
    <input 
      placeholder={gt('Enter your email')}
      title={gt('Email address field')}
    />
  );
}
```

## When to use string translation

String translation is ideal when you need plain text rather than JSX:

### HTML attributes
```jsx
const gt = useGT();

<input 
  placeholder={gt('Search products...')}
  aria-label={gt('Product search input')}
  title={gt('Type to search our catalog')}
/>
```

### Object properties
```jsx
const gt = useGT();

const user = {
  name: 'John',
  role: 'admin',
  bio: gt('Experienced software developer with 5 years in React'),
  status: gt('Currently available for projects')
};
```

### Configuration & constants
```jsx
const gt = useGT();

const navigationItems = [
  { label: gt('Home'), href: '/' },
  { label: gt('Products'), href: '/products' },
  { label: gt('Contact'), href: '/contact' }
];
```

### When to use T instead
Use the [`<T>` component](/docs/react/api/components/t) for JSX content:

```jsx
// ✅ Use <T> for JSX content
<T><p>Welcome to <strong>our store</strong>!</p></T>

// ✅ Use string translation for plain text
<input placeholder={gt('Search products')} />
```

## Using variables

### Basic variables
Replace placeholders with dynamic values:

```jsx
const gt = useGT();
const itemCount = 5;

// String with placeholder
const message = gt('You have {count} items in your cart', { count: itemCount });
// Result: "You have 5 items in your cart"
```

### Multiple variables
```jsx
const gt = useGT();
const order = { id: 'ORD-123', total: 99.99, date: '2024-01-15' };

const confirmation = gt(
  'Order {orderId} for ${total} was placed on {date}',
  { 
    orderId: order.id, 
    total: order.total, 
    date: order.date 
  }
);
```

### ICU message format
For advanced formatting, use ICU syntax:

```jsx
const gt = useGT();
translate('There are {count, plural, =0 {no items} =1 {one item} other {{count} items}} in the cart', { count: 10 });
```

<Callout>
  Learn more about ICU Message Format in the [Unicode documentation](https://unicode-org.github.io/icu/userguide/format_parse/messages/).
</Callout>

## Examples

### Form inputs
```jsx
import { useGT } from 'gt-react';

function ContactForm() {
  const gt = useGT();
  
  return (
    <form>
      <input 
        type="email"
        placeholder={gt('Enter your email address')}
        aria-label={gt('Email input field')}
      />
      <textarea 
        placeholder={gt('Tell us about your project...')}
        aria-label={gt('Project description')}
      />
      <button type="submit">
        {gt('Send Message')}
      </button>
    </form>
  );
}
```

### Navigation menu
```jsx
import { useGT } from 'gt-react';

function Navigation() {
  const gt = useGT();
  
  const menuItems = [
    { label: gt('Home'), href: '/', icon: 'home' },
    { label: gt('About Us'), href: '/about', icon: 'info' },
    { label: gt('Services'), href: '/services', icon: 'briefcase' },
    { label: gt('Contact'), href: '/contact', icon: 'mail' }
  ];

  return (
    <nav>
      {menuItems.map((item) => (
        <a key={item.href} href={item.href} title={item.label}>
          <Icon name={item.icon} />
          {item.label}
        </a>
      ))}
    </nav>
  );
}
```

### Dynamic content factory
```jsx
// utils/productData.js
export function getProductMessages(gt) {
  return {
    categories: [
      { id: 'electronics', name: gt('Electronics') },
      { id: 'clothing', name: gt('Clothing') },
      { id: 'books', name: gt('Books') }
    ],
    statusMessages: {
      available: gt('In stock and ready to ship'),
      backordered: gt('Currently backordered - ships in 2-3 weeks'),  
      discontinued: gt('This item has been discontinued')
    },
    errors: {
      notFound: gt('Product not found'),
      outOfStock: gt('Sorry, this item is currently out of stock')
    }
  };
}

// components/ProductCard.jsx
import { useGT } from 'gt-react';
import { getProductMessages } from '../utils/productData';

function ProductCard({ product }) {
  const gt = useGT();
  const messages = getProductMessages(gt);
  
  return (
    <div>
      <h3>{product.name}</h3>
      <p>{messages.statusMessages[product.status]}</p>
      <span>{messages.categories.find(c => c.id === product.categoryId)?.name}</span>
    </div>
  );
}
```

### Component with document title
```jsx
import { useGT } from 'gt-react';
import { useEffect } from 'react';

function ProductPage() {
  const gt = useGT();
  
  useEffect(() => {
    document.title = gt('Product Catalog - Find What You Need');
    
    // Update meta description
    const metaDescription = document.querySelector('meta[name="description"]');
    if (metaDescription) {
      metaDescription.setAttribute('content', gt('Browse our extensive collection of high-quality products'));
    }
  }, [gt]);
  
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>{gt('Featured Products')}</h1>
      <p>{gt('Check out our latest and most popular items')}</p>
    </div>
  );
}
```

## Common issues

### Dynamic content at runtime
Strings must be known at build time - you cannot translate dynamic content:

```jsx
// ❌ Dynamic content won't work
function MyComponent() {
  const [userMessage, setUserMessage] = useState('');
  const gt = useGT();
  
  return <p>{gt(userMessage)}</p>; // This will fail
}

// ✅ Use predefined strings
function MyComponent() {
  const [messageType, setMessageType] = useState('welcome');
  const gt = useGT();
  
  const messages = {
    welcome: gt('Welcome to our app!'),
    goodbye: gt('Thanks for visiting!')
  };
  
  return <p>{messages[messageType]}</p>;
}
```

### Hook rules violations
Follow React hook rules when using [`useGT`](/docs/react/api/strings/use-gt):

```jsx
// ❌ Don't call hooks conditionally
function MyComponent({ showMessage }) {
  if (showMessage) {
    const gt = useGT(); // Hook rule violation
    return <p>{gt('Hello!')}</p>;
  }
  return null;
}

// ✅ Always call hooks at top level
function MyComponent({ showMessage }) {
  const gt = useGT();
  
  if (showMessage) {
    return <p>{gt('Hello!')}</p>;
  }
  return null;
}
```

<Callout>
  For truly dynamic content that needs runtime translation, see the [Dynamic Content Guide](/docs/key-concepts/dynamic-content).
</Callout>

## Next steps

- [Dynamic Content Guide](/docs/key-concepts/dynamic-content) - Handle runtime translation
- [Shared Strings Guide](/docs/react/guides/shared-strings) - Organize reusable translations
- API References: