release/src/router/gettext/gettext-tools/doc/gettext_9.html

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   6 <TITLE>GNU gettext utilities - 9  The User's View</TITLE>
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  11
  12
  13 <H1><A NAME="SEC156" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC156">9  The User's View</A></H1>
  14
  15 <P>
  16 When GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> will truly have reached its goal, average users
  17 should feel some kind of astonished pleasure, seeing the effect of
  18 that strange kind of magic that just makes their own native language
  19 appear everywhere on their screens.  As for naive users, they would
  20 ideally have no special pleasure about it, merely taking their own
  21 language for <EM>granted</EM>, and becoming rather unhappy otherwise.
  22
  23 </P>
  24 <P>
  25 So, let's try to describe here how we would like the magic to operate,
  26 as we want the users' view to be the simplest, among all ways one
  27 could look at GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE>.  All other software engineers:
  28 programmers, translators, maintainers, should work together in such a
  29 way that the magic becomes possible.  This is a long and progressive
  30 undertaking, and information is available about the progress of the
  31 Translation Project.
  32
  33 </P>
  34 <P>
  35 When a package is distributed, there are two kinds of users:
  36 <EM>installers</EM> who fetch the distribution, unpack it, configure
  37 it, compile it and install it for themselves or others to use; and
  38 <EM>end users</EM> that call programs of the package, once these have
  39 been installed at their site.  GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> is offering magic
  40 for both installers and end users.
  41
  42 </P>
  43
  44
  45
  46 <H2><A NAME="SEC157" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC157">9.1  The Current <TT>`ABOUT-NLS&acute;</TT> Matrix</A></H2>
  47 <P>
  48 <A NAME="IDX970"></A>
  49 <A NAME="IDX971"></A>
  50 <A NAME="IDX972"></A>
  51
  52 </P>
  53 <P>
  54 Languages are not equally supported in all packages using GNU
  55 <CODE>gettext</CODE>.  To know if some package uses GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE>, one
  56 may check the distribution for the <TT>`ABOUT-NLS&acute;</TT> information file, for
  57 some <TT>`<VAR>ll</VAR>.po&acute;</TT> files, often kept together into some <TT>`po/&acute;</TT>
  58 directory, or for an <TT>`intl/&acute;</TT> directory.  Internationalized packages
  59 have usually many <TT>`<VAR>ll</VAR>.po&acute;</TT> files, where <VAR>ll</VAR> represents
  60 the language.  section <A HREF="gettext_9.html#SEC159">9.3  Magic for End Users</A> for a complete description of the format
  61 for <VAR>ll</VAR>.
  62
  63 </P>
  64 <P>
  65 More generally, a matrix is available for showing the current state
  66 of the Translation Project, listing which packages are prepared for
  67 multi-lingual messages, and which languages are supported by each.
  68 Because this information changes often, this matrix is not kept within
  69 this GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> manual.  This information is often found in
  70 file <TT>`ABOUT-NLS&acute;</TT> from various distributions, but is also as old as
  71 the distribution itself.  A recent copy of this <TT>`ABOUT-NLS&acute;</TT> file,
  72 containing up-to-date information, should generally be found on the
  73 Translation Project sites, and also on most GNU archive sites.
  74
  75 </P>
  76
  77
  78 <H2><A NAME="SEC158" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC158">9.2  Magic for Installers</A></H2>
  79 <P>
  80 <A NAME="IDX973"></A>
  81 <A NAME="IDX974"></A>
  82
  83 </P>
  84 <P>
  85 By default, packages fully using GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE>, internally,
  86 are installed in such a way that they to allow translation of
  87 messages.  At <EM>configuration</EM> time, those packages should
  88 automatically detect whether the underlying host system already provides
  89 the GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> functions.  If not,
  90 the GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> library should be automatically prepared
  91 and used.  Installers may use special options at configuration
  92 time for changing this behavior.  The command <SAMP>`./configure
  93 --with-included-gettext&acute;</SAMP> bypasses system <CODE>gettext</CODE> to
  94 use the included GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> instead,
  95 while <SAMP>`./configure --disable-nls&acute;</SAMP>
  96 produces programs totally unable to translate messages.
  97
  98 </P>
  99 <P>
 100 <A NAME="IDX975"></A>
 101 Internationalized packages have usually many <TT>`<VAR>ll</VAR>.po&acute;</TT>
 102 files.  Unless
 103 translations are disabled, all those available are installed together
 104 with the package.  However, the environment variable <CODE>LINGUAS</CODE>
 105 may be set, prior to configuration, to limit the installed set.
 106 <CODE>LINGUAS</CODE> should then contain a space separated list of two-letter
 107 codes, stating which languages are allowed.
 108
 109 </P>
 110
 111
 112 <H2><A NAME="SEC159" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC159">9.3  Magic for End Users</A></H2>
 113 <P>
 114 <A NAME="IDX976"></A>
 115 <A NAME="IDX977"></A>
 116 <A NAME="IDX978"></A>
 117
 118 </P>
 119 <P>
 120 <A NAME="IDX979"></A>
 121 We consider here those packages using GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> internally,
 122 and for which the installers did not disable translation at
 123 <EM>configure</EM> time.  Then, users only have to set the <CODE>LANG</CODE>
 124 environment variable to the appropriate <SAMP>`<VAR>ll</VAR>_<VAR>CC</VAR>&acute;</SAMP>
 125 combination prior to using the programs in the package.  See section <A HREF="gettext_9.html#SEC157">9.1  The Current <TT>`ABOUT-NLS&acute;</TT> Matrix</A>.
 126 For example, let's presume a German site.  At the shell prompt, users
 127 merely have to execute <SAMP>`setenv LANG de_DE&acute;</SAMP> (in <CODE>csh</CODE>) or
 128 <SAMP>`export LANG; LANG=de_DE&acute;</SAMP> (in <CODE>sh</CODE>).  They could even do
 129 this from their <TT>`.login&acute;</TT> or <TT>`.profile&acute;</TT> file.
 130
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