Impossible to use i18n pluralization

[jnizet]

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[x] bug report => search github for a similar issue or PR before submitting
[ ] feature request
[ ] support request => Please do not submit support request here, instead see https://github.com/angular/angular/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md#question

Current behavior
Building a bundle with plural messages translations fail

Expected behavior
The bundle would be built successfully

Minimal reproduction of the problem with instructions
I tried using the pluralization support using the following template snippet:

    <ng-container i18n="New pack available alert">
      We rolled out {{ newerPacks.length }} {newerPacks.length, plural, =1 {new pack} other {newer packs}} since the version you're using. [abbreviated]
    </ng-container>

Extracting the i18n messages works (almost) fine: two trans-unit elements are generated: one for the whole message, and one for the pluralization part, but without any source value:

    <trans-unit id="44a0e07b720aebe2fdf15b27e3f9200f3b324dcd" datatype="html">
      <source>
        We rolled out <x id="INTERPOLATION"/> <x id="ICU"/> since the version you&apos;re using. [abbreviated]
      </source>
      <target/>
      <note priority="1" from="description">New pack available alert</note>
    </trans-unit>
    <trans-unit id="b1e46f91ba6caaabef682f347be69deb8ab26d02" datatype="html">
      <source/>
      <target/>
    </trans-unit>

However, if I translate these two trans-units and then build the application, it complains that a message is not translated, but with an unrelated, and unexisting ID:

ERROR in Missing translation for message 1c59e50923d54ca365fdcbd95258b4310dc9ad0f ("pan class="glyphicon glyphicon-info-sign"></span>
    <ng-container i18n="New pack available alert">[ERROR ->]
      We rolled out {{ newerPacks.length }} {newerPacks.length, plural, =1 {new pack} other {newer p"): HomeComponent@6:50

Note that replacing the generated ID (44a0e07b720aebe2fdf15b27e3f9200f3b324dcd) by the one suggested in the error message (1c59e50923d54ca365fdcbd95258b4310dc9ad0f) makes the compiler complain about a missing translation for the generated ID. I have to translate the message twice, using the two IDs, to make it work as expected.

Please tell us about your environment:
MacOS X Sierra, following versions:

angular-cli: 1.0.0-beta.24
node: 6.9.2
os: darwin x64
@angular/common: 2.4.1
@angular/compiler: 2.4.1
@angular/core: 2.4.1
@angular/forms: 2.4.1
@angular/http: 2.4.1
@angular/platform-browser: 2.4.1
@angular/platform-browser-dynamic: 2.4.1
@angular/router: 3.4.1
@angular/compiler-cli: 2.4.1

• Angular version: 2.4.1

• Browser: NA

• Language: TypeScript 2.0.10

• Node (for AoT issues): node --version = 6.9.2

[vicb]

Known issue: ICU messages are not yet supported in xliff

[jnizet]

OK. Thanks for the clarification. This is not very clear in the documentation, which indeed mentions a lack of support, but nevertheless shows examples and gives explanations about translating them, using xliff.

[jnizet]

BTW, couldn't we leave this issue opened if it's indeed an issue, because a search on open issues on i18n / ICU doesn't bring anything, which tends to suggest that the issue isn't known, or is fixed already. Instead, there are issues like #12636, which also tend to suggest that ICU is working, except for HTML support.

[vicb]

This is not very clear in the documentation,

Please open a bug on angular/angular.io

there are issues like ...

We already have issues tracking this 12636 is one of them, there are other. GH search sucks for issue and there's nothing I can for for that, sorry.

FYI the main thing here is to figure out how the ICU messages should be serialized in xliff. If anybody has some pointers the impl is trivial. (might be as easy as create a .po and convert it to xliff with Virtaal or any other tools)

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