[SalesForce] Parameterized Custom Label

Is there a way to parameterize a custom label? Example:

Label name: MyTestLabel

Label value: Thank you, {0}, for your feedback.

Then in Apex, do something like this:

String name = 'John';
String label = Label.MyTestLabel;
String value = String.valueOf(label, name);

The idea being that the value variable would now hold "Thank you, John, for your feedback.

Best Answer

You can do this using the String.format() method which can provide parameter substitution on your label. The second parameter to this method is a List type and contains your parameters to be substituted.

Label name: MyTestLabel
Label value: Thank you, {0}, for your feedback.


List<String> parameters = new List<String>();
parameters.add('John');

String label = Label.MyTestLabel;
String value = String.format(label, parameters);

You can do it in one line like this as well:

string.format(Label.MyTestLabel, new String[]{'John'});
string.format(Label.MyTestLabel, new List<String>{'John'});

Related Solutions

[SalesForce] Combine Custom settings with Custom Labels

Sdry, I have wanted to do exactly this ever since Custom Settings came out. The problem, though, is that there is no Apex API for Custom Labels (click the link to vote for the idea for it!), so Custom Labels cannot be dynamically retrieved or requested within Apex. However, it CAN, as of Spring 12, be done in Visualforce, using Dynamic Components.

Here, I think is what you are looking for in Apex (that cannot yet be done):

Custom Settings + Custom Labels IN APEX (**not yet possible**)

// Get the stored Custom Setting record for User Preferences
User_Prefs__c p = User_Prefs__c.getInstance(UserInfo.getUserId());

// Get the stored ISO Code
String isoCode = p.ISO_Code__c;

// Get the running user's language
String languageKey = [
    select LanguageLocaleKey from User 
     where Id = :UserInfo.getUserId() 
     limit 1
].LanguageLocaleKey;

// Get the translation of the ISO Code corresponding to this user's language
// **THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE YET IN APEX**
String translatedCode = System.Label.getLabel('ISOCode_'+isoCode).getTranslation(languageKey);

And here would be an equivalent if you are using Visualforce:

Custom Settings + Custom Labels IN VISUALFORCE (possible right now)

/* APEX CONTROLLER */
public class Controller {

    public String getStoredISOCode() {
        // Get the stored Custom Setting record for User Preferences,
        // and return the ISO code
        return User_Prefs__c.getInstance(UserInfo.getUserId()).ISO_Code__c;
    }

}

/* VF PAGE */
<apex:page controller="MyController">

    <b>ISO Code</b>{!storedISOCode}
    <b>Translated</b>{!$Label['ISOCode_' & storedISOCode]}

</apex:page>

[SalesForce] way to write to a Custom Label via Apex

Custom labels can only be created/modified via the setup web interface or via the metadata API. There's no direct way to invoke metadata API operations from apex other than some 3rd party libraries to make webservice calls.

That probably doesn't do what you want however, and it sounds like custom labels aren't an optimal fit for your use case. Have you looked at using list custom settings?

Best Answer

Related Solutions

[SalesForce] Combine Custom settings with Custom Labels

[SalesForce] way to write to a Custom Label via Apex

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