Android XML Percent Symbol

Question

I have an array of strings in which the % symbol is used. Proper format for using the % is %. When I have a string in that array with multiple % it gives me this error.

 Multiple annotations found at this
 line:
 - error: Multiple substitutions specified in non-positional format;
   did you mean to add the formatted="false" attribute?
 - error: Found tag </item> where </string-array> is expected

Solution 1

The Android Asset Packaging Tool (aapt) has become very strict in its latest release and is now used for all Android versions. The aapt-error you're getting is generated because it no longer allows non-positional format specifiers.

Here are a few ideas how you can include the %-symbol in your resource strings.

If you don't need any format specifiers or substitutions in your string you can simply make use of the formatted attribute and set it to false:

<string formatted="false">%a + %a == 2%a</string>

In this case the string is not used as a format string for the Formatter so you don't have to escape your %-symbols. The resulting string is "%a + %a == 2%a".

If you omit the formatted="false" attribute, the string is used as a format string and you have to escape the %-symbols. This is correctly done with double-%:

<string>%%a + %%a == 2%%a</string>

Now aapt gives you no errors but depending on how you use it, the resulting string can be "%%a + %%a == 2%%a" if a Formatter is invoked without any format arguments:

Resources res = context.getResources();

String s1 = res.getString(R.string.str);
// s1 == "%%a + %%a == 2%%a"

String s2 = res.getString(R.string.str, null);
// s2 == "%a + %a == 2%a"

Without any xml and code it is difficult to say what exactly your problem is but hopefully this helps you understand the mechanisms a little better.

Solution 2

To allow the app using formatted strings from resources you should correct your xml. So, for example

<string name="app_name">Your App name, ver.%d</string>

should be replaced with

<string name="app_name">Your App name, ver.%1$d</string>

You can see this for details.

Solution 3

You can escape % using %% for XML parser, but it is shown twice in device.

To show it once, try following format: \%%

For Example

<string name="zone_50">Fat Burning (50\%% to 60\%%)</string> 

is shown as Fat Burning (50% to 60%) in device

Solution 4

Use

<string name="win_percentage">%d%% wins</string>

to get

80% wins as a formatted string.

I'm using String.format() method to get the number inserted instead of %d.

Solution 5

to escape the percent symbol, you just need %%

for example :

String.format("%1$d%%", 10)

returns "10%"

View more solutions

Comments

[zaid]

i selected this as the answer because it should work, but apparently there is a bug that im running into with that string, so ive decided to use %% and "XXX.replaceAll("%%", "%");"

[Someone Somewhere]

using formatted=false works nicely. This is how I used it: <string name="information_description" formatted="false">\'Sweet\' 10% to 20% even 35% sugar by weight</string>

[samwize]

Yes it does escape with double %, and compile nicely. But when run on emulator, or even devices, it could show up as %%.

[samwize]

formatted=false works nicely for me too. Using %%, it literally showed up as %% on my device and emulator..

[Jon Willis]

\%% causes crashes on Nexus 4 4.2.1. Haven't tested others.

[android developer]

formatted=false worked fine for me in the past. now (ADT 22) , for some reason it doesn't. and if i use : " str=mContext.getString(R.string.str,"hello") " , it will have this lint warning: "Format string 'str' is not a valid format string so it should not be passed to String.format"

[BeniBela]

That does not make any sense. &#x0025; and % are identical in a xml file.

[Bahadır Yıldırım]

The resource file is converted into a Java resource, and in doing so, the % character returns. I'm afraid this doesn't resolve the problem.

[akauppi]

Thanks, you provided the missing link - literally.

[htafoya]

Forget it, I just needed to clean the project

[Shishir Gupta]

If not for formatting purpose, this answer provides best way to do display any number of % symbols in view using XML and string resources.

[Maurício Giordano]

You should always use formatted="false" when using String.format.

[CJBS]

For multiple parameter substitution (e.g. with strings), use %1$s, %2$s etc.

[Chintan Shah]

If you are accessing from <string-array/>, then for printing percentage use \u0025. This worked for me.

[Ben Rhys-Lewis]

Your answer is pretty much the same as several other existing answers

[Janaka R Rajapaksha]

who will read such a big answer for this little thing? Thanks, I scroll down to find you.

[Aranda]

As per the answer from Paul E, on SDK 22 I had to add the dollars symbol to apply a format: %1$s and %2$d

[portfoliobuilder]

This works well and is easy when you already know the percent you want to include into your strings, versus using string formatter and always having to set those hardcoded values programmatically.

[mtrakal]

... and wrong, because returns 10% not %10. FIY: When you use String.format you should everytime specify Locale. You can be really surprised when you don't put Locale and use Arabic locale for format numbers...

[Chan Jing Hong]

This crashed for me as well on Nexus 5.1.1. @ViliusK answer is the correct one.

[Sundeep1501]

just use %% instead of %

[Prinkal Kumar]

This solution leads to crashing .