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HTML
123 lines
5.5 KiB
HTML
<HTML>
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<!-- This HTML file has been created by texi2html 1.54
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from gettext.texi on 25 January 1999 -->
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<TITLE>GNU gettext utilities - The User's View</TITLE>
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<link href="gettext_8.html" rel=Next>
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<link href="gettext_6.html" rel=Previous>
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<link href="gettext_toc.html" rel=ToC>
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</HEAD>
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<BODY>
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<p>Go to the <A HREF="gettext_1.html">first</A>, <A HREF="gettext_6.html">previous</A>, <A HREF="gettext_8.html">next</A>, <A HREF="gettext_12.html">last</A> section, <A HREF="gettext_toc.html">table of contents</A>.
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<P><HR><P>
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<H1><A NAME="SEC35" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC35">The User's View</A></H1>
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<P>
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When GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> will truly have reached is goal, average users
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should feel some kind of astonished pleasure, seeing the effect of
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that strange kind of magic that just makes their own native language
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appear everywhere on their screens. As for naive users, they would
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ideally have no special pleasure about it, merely taking their own
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language for <EM>granted</EM>, and becoming rather unhappy otherwise.
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</P>
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<P>
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So, let's try to describe here how we would like the magic to operate,
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as we want the users' view to be the simplest, among all ways one
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could look at GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE>. All other software engineers:
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programmers, translators, maintainers, should work together in such a
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way that the magic becomes possible. This is a long and progressive
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undertaking, and information is available about the progress of the
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Translation Project.
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</P>
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<P>
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When a package is distributed, there are two kind of users:
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<STRONG>installers</STRONG> who fetch the distribution, unpack it, configure
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it, compile it and install it for themselves or others to use; and
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<STRONG>end users</STRONG> that call programs of the package, once these have
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been installed at their site. GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> is offering magic
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for both installers and end users.
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</P>
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<H2><A NAME="SEC36" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC36">The Current <TT>`ABOUT-NLS'</TT> Matrix</A></H2>
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<P>
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Languages are not equally supported in all packages using GNU
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<CODE>gettext</CODE>. To know if some package uses GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE>, one
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may check the distribution for the <TT>`ABOUT-NLS'</TT> information file, for
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some <TT>`<VAR>ll</VAR>.po'</TT> files, often kept together into some <TT>`po/'</TT>
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directory, or for an <TT>`intl/'</TT> directory. Internationalized packages
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have usually many <TT>`<VAR>ll</VAR>.po'</TT> files, where <VAR>ll</VAR> represents
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the language. section <A HREF="gettext_7.html#SEC38">Magic for End Users</A> for a complete description of the format
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for <VAR>ll</VAR>.
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</P>
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<P>
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More generally, a matrix is available for showing the current state
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of the Translation Project, listing which packages are prepared for
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multi-lingual messages, and which languages is supported by each.
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Because this information changes often, this matrix is not kept within
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this GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> manual. This information is often found in
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file <TT>`ABOUT-NLS'</TT> from various distributions, but is also as old as
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the distribution itself. A recent copy of this <TT>`ABOUT-NLS'</TT> file,
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containing up-to-date information, should generally be found on the
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Translation Project sites, and also on most GNU archive sites.
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</P>
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<H2><A NAME="SEC37" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC37">Magic for Installers</A></H2>
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<P>
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By default, packages fully using GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE>, internally,
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are installed in such a way that they to allow translation of
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messages. At <EM>configuration</EM> time, those packages should
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automatically detect whether the underlying host system provides usable
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<CODE>catgets</CODE> or <CODE>gettext</CODE> functions. If neither is present,
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the GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> library should be automatically prepared
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and used. Installers may use special options at configuration
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time for changing this behavior. The command <SAMP>`./configure
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--with-included-gettext'</SAMP> bypasses system <CODE>catgets</CODE> or <CODE>gettext</CODE> to
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use GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> instead, while <SAMP>`./configure --disable-nls'</SAMP>
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produces program totally unable to translate messages.
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</P>
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<P>
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Internationalized packages have usually many <TT>`<VAR>ll</VAR>.po'</TT>
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files. Unless
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translations are disabled, all those available are installed together
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with the package. However, the environment variable <CODE>LINGUAS</CODE>
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may be set, prior to configuration, to limit the installed set.
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<CODE>LINGUAS</CODE> should then contain a space separated list of two-letter
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codes, stating which languages are allowed.
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</P>
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<H2><A NAME="SEC38" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC38">Magic for End Users</A></H2>
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<P>
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We consider here those packages using GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> internally,
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and for which the installers did not disable translation at
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<EM>configure</EM> time. Then, users only have to set the <CODE>LANG</CODE>
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environment variable to the appropriate <SAMP>`<VAR>ll</VAR>'</SAMP> prior to
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using the programs in the package. See section <A HREF="gettext_7.html#SEC36">The Current <TT>`ABOUT-NLS'</TT> Matrix</A>. For example,
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let's presume a German site. At the shell prompt, users merely have to
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execute <SAMP>`setenv LANG de'</SAMP> (in <CODE>csh</CODE>) or <SAMP>`export
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LANG; LANG=de'</SAMP> (in <CODE>sh</CODE>). They could even do this from their
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<TT>`.login'</TT> or <TT>`.profile'</TT> file.
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</P>
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<P><HR><P>
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<p>Go to the <A HREF="gettext_1.html">first</A>, <A HREF="gettext_6.html">previous</A>, <A HREF="gettext_8.html">next</A>, <A HREF="gettext_12.html">last</A> section, <A HREF="gettext_toc.html">table of contents</A>.
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</BODY>
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</HTML>
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