Locale-Sensitive JavaScript Method

number.toPrecision(precision);


Internationalization (I18n) Method Overview

The toPrecision method returns a string, with the number formatted to the precision number of digits, rounding as needed.

For example:

var num = 123.567;
var result1 = num.toPrecision(2);
var result2 = num.toPrecision(3);
var result3 = num.toPrecision(5);


Method returns:

result1: 1.2e+2
result2: 124
result3: 123.57

Click here (w3schools) and here (MDN) for additional details.

I18n Issues

Whether or not calling toPrecision is an i18n issue is dependent on how it is being used in the application. If the number string is to be displayed to a user, then using this method is a problem, since it will always display a period for the decimal separator.

Suggested Replacement

Don't use the toPrecision method to format numbers that should be locale-dependent. Instead, use the Intl.NumberFormat constructor which supports setting the locale and then call its format method to format numbers based on the locale.

Globalyzer will detect this method and report it as an i18n issue. If you have determined that the call is being handled correctly, you can use Globalyzer's Ignore Comment functionality to ensure that it isn't picked up in a subsequent scan.