# General Translation Changelog: gt-next 6.12.0: Static derivation for string functions
URL: https://generaltranslation.com/en-US/blog/gt-next_v6_12_0.mdx
Docs index: https://generaltranslation.com/llms.txt
Description: 
Authors: Ernest McCarter
Published: 2025-12-15

## Overview

In [gt-next@6.8.0](/devlog/gt-next_v6_8_0), we introduced the `<Static>` component to address sentence fragmentation and code reuse in JSX content.
The component allows static function calls directly inside translations while preserving word agreement, conjugation, and word order changes across languages.
However, this left a gap for string-based translations using `gt()` and [`msg()`](/docs/react/reference/functions/msg).
Like with JSX, many applications rely heavily on string construction through utility functions, especially in mature codebases where translatable content is scattered across services, utilities, and business logic.

**gt-next 6.12.0** bridges this gap by introducing `declareStatic()` - the string equivalent of the `<Static>` component - along with supporting functions [`declareVar()`](/docs/react/reference/functions/declare-var) and [`decodeVars()`](/docs/react/reference/functions/decode-vars).


## Core Functionality

### `declareStatic()`

Works similarly to `<Static>` but for string functions. The CLI analyzes all possible return paths and creates separate translation entries for each outcome.

```tsx
const getDisplayName = (name) => {
  return name ? declareVar(name) : 'Someone';
};

gt(`${declareStatic(getDisplayName(name))} says hello.`);
```

### `declareVar()`

The string equivalent of [`<Var>`](/docs/react/reference/components/var) - marks dynamic content within `declareStatic()` functions that should be excluded from hash calculations and handled as variables at runtime.
It does this by wrapping dynamic content in an ICU-compatible select statement that resolves to the original dynamic content during interpolation.

```tsx
const greeting = "Hello, " + declareVar(name);
// "Hello, {_gt_, select, other {name}}"
```

### `decodeVars()`

Because [`declareVar()`](/docs/react/reference/functions/declare-var) adds ICU-compatible markers in source text, adding [`declareVar()`](/docs/react/reference/functions/declare-var) on its own can create issues for existing string-processing logic.
To extract the original value, you just need to wrap the source string in [`decodeVars()`](/docs/react/reference/functions/decode-vars).

```tsx
const greeting = "Hello, " + declareVar("Brian");
// "Hello, {_gt_, select, other {Brian}}"
const decodedGreeting = decodeVars(greeting);
// "Hello, Brian"
```

## Additional Improvements

### Enhanced String Functions

Both `gt()` and [`msg()`](/docs/react/reference/functions/msg) now support string concatenation for **static strings** only:

```tsx
gt("Hello " + "world");
msg("Welcome, " + "Brian");
```

### Expanded `<Static>` Support

Up until this point, the `<Static>` component only supported function invocations as children.
Now, it can support arbitrary JSX expressions resolvable at build time such as nested JSX text, ternary operators, conditional statements, and function calls.

```tsx
function getDisplayName(name) {
  return name ? <Var>{name}</Var> : 'Someone';
};
...
<T>
  <Static>
    Hello {getDisplayName("Brian")}!
    {
      isFriend ? " How are you?" : " What's up?"
    }
  </Static>
</T>
```

## Performance Considerations

Like `<Static>`, `declareStatic()` multiplies translation entries.
Each function call with multiple outcomes creates separate translations, and multiple `declareStatic()` calls in the same string multiply the total entries exponentially.
Use this feature judiciously and prefer ICU select statements when the multiplication factor becomes excessive.

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