localedependent

Localedependent refers to software behavior, data presentation, or content that varies according to the user's locale. The term emphasizes that locale, not language alone, governs conventions such as number formats, date representations, sorting, and pluralization. Localedependent design aims to respect cultural norms and improve usability across regions.

Common areas affected include date and time formats (for example, month/day/year in the United States versus day/month/year in many other countries), numeric formatting (decimal separators, thousands separators, and currency expressions), calendar systems, measurement units, and text direction. Locale also influences resource selection for language translations and culturally appropriate icons or color choices.

Implementation typically relies on locale data libraries and standards. The CLDR project curates locale-specific data used by many frameworks and platforms. Software may use APIs such as ICU, Java's Locale, Python's locale module, or native OS facilities to apply locale-aware formatting, collation, and plural rules.

Challenges include incomplete data for less common locales, performance costs of dynamic formatting, and the complexity of testing across numerous locale combinations. Developers must consider fallbacks for missing data and ensure consistent behavior for users who switch locales at runtime.

Localedependent behavior is a core concern of internationalization and localization. It complements language translation and is often implemented alongside pluralization rules, locale-aware sorting, and culture-specific UI design. Related concepts include Unicode, ICU, and the CLDR data ecosystem.