Bug: `fbtee.plural` with empty string value for singular count is throwing `Error: Table access did not result in string`

[dprevost-LMI]

Using

  const MATCHED_CONTACTS = (count: number) =>
    fbt(
      fbt.plural('', count, {
        many: 'Matches ',
      }) +
        fbt.plural('', count, {
          name: 'number of matched contacts',
          many: 'contacts:',
          showCount: 'ifMany',
        }),
      'Call.numberOfMatchedContacts',
    ).toString();
...
    <Text style={styles.result}>
      {MATCHED_CONTACTS(1)}
    </Text>

Trigger the following error. It happens only with one other number, which works fine.

Error: Table access did not result in string: {"*":{"*":"Matches {number of matched contacts} contacts:"},"_1":{"_1":""}}, Type: object
    at _ (index.mjs:1851:58)
    at MATCHED_CONTACTS (FbteeExample.tsx:9:5)
    at FbteeExample (FbteeExample.tsx:35:28)
    at react_stack_bottom_frame (ReactFabric-dev.js:15887:29)
    at renderWithHooks (ReactFabric-dev.js:3857:40)
    at updateFunctionComponent (ReactFabric-dev.js:7289:34)
    at beginWork (ReactFabric-dev.js:8541:41)
    at runWithFiberInDEV (ReactFabric-dev.js:683:21)
    at performUnitOfWork (ReactFabric-dev.js:12218:39)
    at workLoopSync (ReactFabric-dev.js:12042:58)
    at renderRootSync (ReactFabric-dev.js:12022:23)
    at performWorkOnRoot (ReactFabric-dev.js:11585:53)
    at performSyncWorkOnRoot (ReactFabric-dev.js:3088:24)
    at flushSyncWorkAcrossRoots_impl (ReactFabric-dev.js:2942:42)
    at processRootScheduleInMicrotask (ReactFabric-dev.js:2973:36)
    at anonymous (ReactFabric-dev.js:3108:47) Error Stack:
    at AppContent (App.tsx:28:7)
    at App (App.tsx:20:7)

See repo: https://github.com/dprevost-LMI/rn82/tree/fbtee

Claude suggested a patch:

diff --git a/node_modules/fbtee/lib/index.mjs b/node_modules/fbtee/lib/index.mjs
index aacf97e..2e20ae7 100644
--- a/node_modules/fbtee/lib/index.mjs
+++ b/node_modules/fbtee/lib/index.mjs
@@ -1842,7 +1842,14 @@ function createRuntime({ getResult, param, plural }) {
 			if (args) {
 				if (typeof table !== "string") {
 					const newPattern = FbtTable_default.access(table, args, 0, tokens);
-					if (newPattern) table = newPattern;
+					if (newPattern) {
+						table = newPattern;
+					} else {
+						// Handle case where table access returns null
+						// This happens when fbt.plural has empty string as singular form
+						// Return empty string to preserve the intended behavior
+						table = "";
+					}
 				}
 				invariant(table !== null, "Table access failed");
 				substitutions = getAllSubstitutions(args);

[kayhadrin]

An FBT string like this should already work. You're using two plurals but they depend on the same 'count' variable so I'd normally expect the translation payload to have only one level of nesting (instead of two as seen in your error message). Was this translation payload generated manually?

{"*":{"*":"Matches {number of matched contacts}

contacts:"},"_1":{"_1":""}} For this scenario, I would have expected a translation payload like this:

{"*":"Matches {number of matched contacts} contacts:"},"_1":""}

Apologies, I'm only on my phone at the moment so I'm only writing this based on my memories! .😅

…

On Wed, 3 Dec 2025, 11:06 David Prevost, ***@***.***> wrote: *dprevost-LMI* created an issue (nkzw-tech/fbtee#68) <#68> Using const MATCHED_CONTACTS = (count: number) => fbt( fbt.plural('', count, { many: 'Matches ', }) + fbt.plural('', count, { name: 'number of matched contacts', many: 'contacts:', showCount: 'ifMany', }), 'Call.numberOfMatchedContacts', ).toString(); <Text style={styles.result}> {MATCHED_CONTACTS(1)} </Text> Trigger the following error. It happens only with one other number, which works fine. Error: Table access did not result in string: {"*":{"*":"Matches {number of matched contacts} contacts:"},"_1":{"_1":""}}, Type: object at _ (index.mjs:1851:58) at MATCHED_CONTACTS (FbteeExample.tsx:9:5) at FbteeExample (FbteeExample.tsx:35:28) at react_stack_bottom_frame (ReactFabric-dev.js:15887:29) at renderWithHooks (ReactFabric-dev.js:3857:40) at updateFunctionComponent (ReactFabric-dev.js:7289:34) at beginWork (ReactFabric-dev.js:8541:41) at runWithFiberInDEV (ReactFabric-dev.js:683:21) at performUnitOfWork (ReactFabric-dev.js:12218:39) at workLoopSync (ReactFabric-dev.js:12042:58) at renderRootSync (ReactFabric-dev.js:12022:23) at performWorkOnRoot (ReactFabric-dev.js:11585:53) at performSyncWorkOnRoot (ReactFabric-dev.js:3088:24) at flushSyncWorkAcrossRoots_impl (ReactFabric-dev.js:2942:42) at processRootScheduleInMicrotask (ReactFabric-dev.js:2973:36) at anonymous (ReactFabric-dev.js:3108:47) Error Stack: at AppContent (App.tsx:28:7) at App (App.tsx:20:7) See repo: https://github.com/dprevost-LMI/rn82/tree/fbtee Claude suggested a patch: diff --git a/node_modules/fbtee/lib/index.mjs b/node_modules/fbtee/lib/index.mjs index aacf97e..2e20ae7 100644 --- a/node_modules/fbtee/lib/index.mjs +++ b/node_modules/fbtee/lib/index.mjs @@ -1842,7 +1842,14 @@ function createRuntime({ getResult, param, plural }) { if (args) { if (typeof table !== "string") { const newPattern = FbtTable_default.access(table, args, 0, tokens); - if (newPattern) table = newPattern; + if (newPattern) { + table = newPattern; + } else { + // Handle case where table access returns null + // This happens when fbt.plural has empty string as singular form + // Return empty string to preserve the intended behavior + table = ""; + } } invariant(table !== null, "Table access failed"); substitutions = getAllSubstitutions(args); — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#68>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AABMS5GOIXAKYWJVOLLEPDD37YSP5AVCNFSM6AAAAACN3LT6CWVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43ASLTON2WKOZTGY4DOOJUGUZTONA> . You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[dprevost-LMI]

@kayhadrin I'll review the example to isolate the problem further, since I thought it was related to the empty string rather than the double plural.

@cpojer is it normal that the issue is already closed? I just wonder why 🤔

[dprevost-LMI]

This one does work:

    fbt(
      fbt.plural('', 1, {
        many: 'Matches ',
      }) + 'test' ,
      'Call.numberOfMatchedContacts',
    );

But NOT this one (note the idea here is to output a string only for plurals)

    fbt(
      fbt.plural('', 1, {
        many: 'Matches ',
      }),
      'Call.numberOfMatchedContacts',
    );

Error for this case:

console.js:662 Error: Table access did not result in string: {"*":"Matches","_1":""}, Type: object
    at _ (index.mjs:1851:58)
    at MATCHED_CONTACTS (FbteeExample.tsx:8:42)
    at FbteeExample (FbteeExample.tsx:30:28)
    at react_stack_bottom_frame (ReactFabric-dev.js:15887:29)
    at renderWithHooks (ReactFabric-dev.js:3857:40)
    at updateFunctionComponent (ReactFabric-dev.js:7289:34)
    at beginWork (ReactFabric-dev.js:8541:41)
    at runWithFiberInDEV (ReactFabric-dev.js:683:21)
    at performUnitOfWork (ReactFabric-dev.js:12218:39)
    at workLoopSync (ReactFabric-dev.js:12042:58)
    at renderRootSync (ReactFabric-dev.js:12022:23)
    at performWorkOnRoot (ReactFabric-dev.js:11585:53)
    at performSyncWorkOnRoot (ReactFabric-dev.js:3088:24)
    at flushSyncWorkAcrossRoots_impl (ReactFabric-dev.js:2942:42)
    at processRootScheduleInMicrotask (ReactFabric-dev.js:2973:36)
    at anonymous (ReactFabric-dev.js:3108:47) Error Stack:
    at AppContent (App.tsx:28:7)
    at App (App.tsx:20:7)

See the repo I updated for a simplified version!

[kayhadrin]

Reopening because I can admit that fbt.plural('', ...) should work from a technical standpoint, although it seems like an anti-pattern.

fbt.plural('', 1, { many: 'Matches ' })

In the meantime, if you really want to show nothing when the "count" of fbt.plural is 0, you probably shouldn't render the fbt in the first place.

[dprevost-LMI]

FYI: Bad argument, but it used to work with fbt.
The guys who implemented it years ago wanted to render something different only when we have multiple matches of a contact.
I could have refactored it, but I also thought fixing FBTee would be a good idea!
Thanks for considering it!

If the suggested patch is a good idea, I can submit a PR. Let me know!