Zero quantities need a distinct expression

What it is

Exact-zero message handling uses dedicated content such as “No results yet” instead of mechanically displaying “0 results.” It expresses product state and next action and is distinct from CLDR's zero plural category. A locale can lack zero while a product still selects an exact numeric-zero message; conversely, the locale category is rule-defined and is not an alias for =0.

Why it happens

Zero often marks a state transition rather than an ordinary magnitude. Nothing created yet, no filter matches, failed synchronization, and inaccessible content can all produce a count of zero but demand different explanations and actions. Message selection should first use application state to identify the zero case, then apply locale plural rules inside branches that express a quantity. Collapsing these layers into zero withholds product exceptions from locales without that category and merges unrelated empty states.

Where it stops holding

Not every zero should hide the numeral or become an empty state. In reports, inventory, balances, and scientific measurements, zero is meaningful data; replacing it with “none” can confuse a measured zero with missingness. Near-zero values, values rounded to displayed zero, negative zero, and unknown data must not automatically enter the exact-zero branch. Selection should use the business-defined source value and data state, not the formatted string.

Applying it

• Distinguish not-yet-created, no-match, unauthorized, failed-load, and true numeric-zero states, assigning an accurate explanation and action to each.
• Select dedicated copy with an implementation-supported exact numeric selector—for example ICU MessageFormat-style =0—or application state; do not depend on whether the locale generates a cardinal zero category.
• Preserve “0” and its unit in data-reading contexts, with separate states and visual treatment for missing, unknown, and zero.
• Test exact zero, tiny nonzero values, values rounded to zero, unknowns, and failures; require copy, action, and underlying data to agree after locale changes.

Related

• Same group: S1.04.1 Languages have different numbers of plural forms · S1.04.2 Noun gender affects articles and adjectives · S1.04.3 Singular/plural pairs cannot cover most languages
• Adjacent: T2.05 Empty-state and zero-result copy · U7.03 Distinguishing missing values from zeros
• Search terms: exact zero message · plural zero category · empty state semantics