[wxWidgets.git] / docs / html / gettext / gettext_7.html

<HTML>
<HEAD>
<!-- This HTML file has been created by texi2html 1.54
     from gettext.texi on 25 January 1999 -->

<TITLE>GNU gettext utilities - The User's View</TITLE>
<link href="gettext_8.html" rel=Next>
<link href="gettext_6.html" rel=Previous>
<link href="gettext_toc.html" rel=ToC>

</HEAD>
<BODY>
<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>.
<P><HR><P>


<H1><A NAME="SEC35" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC35">The User's View</A></H1>

<P>
When GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> will truly have reached is goal, average users
should feel some kind of astonished pleasure, seeing the effect of
that strange kind of magic that just makes their own native language
appear everywhere on their screens.  As for naive users, they would
ideally have no special pleasure about it, merely taking their own
language for <EM>granted</EM>, and becoming rather unhappy otherwise.

</P>
<P>
So, let's try to describe here how we would like the magic to operate,
as we want the users' view to be the simplest, among all ways one
could look at GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE>.  All other software engineers:
programmers, translators, maintainers, should work together in such a
way that the magic becomes possible.  This is a long and progressive
undertaking, and information is available about the progress of the
Translation Project.

</P>
<P>
When a package is distributed, there are two kind of users:
<STRONG>installers</STRONG> who fetch the distribution, unpack it, configure
it, compile it and install it for themselves or others to use; and
<STRONG>end users</STRONG> that call programs of the package, once these have
been installed at their site.  GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> is offering magic
for both installers and end users.

</P>


<H2><A NAME="SEC36" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC36">The Current <TT>`ABOUT-NLS'</TT> Matrix</A></H2>

<P>
Languages are not equally supported in all packages using GNU
<CODE>gettext</CODE>.  To know if some package uses GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE>, one
may check the distribution for the <TT>`ABOUT-NLS'</TT> information file, for
some <TT>`<VAR>ll</VAR>.po'</TT> files, often kept together into some <TT>`po/'</TT>
directory, or for an <TT>`intl/'</TT> directory.  Internationalized packages
have usually many <TT>`<VAR>ll</VAR>.po'</TT> files, where <VAR>ll</VAR> represents
the language.  section <A HREF="gettext_7.html#SEC38">Magic for End Users</A> for a complete description of the format
for <VAR>ll</VAR>.

</P>
<P>
More generally, a matrix is available for showing the current state
of the Translation Project, listing which packages are prepared for
multi-lingual messages, and which languages is supported by each.
Because this information changes often, this matrix is not kept within
this GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> manual.  This information is often found in
file <TT>`ABOUT-NLS'</TT> from various distributions, but is also as old as
the distribution itself.  A recent copy of this <TT>`ABOUT-NLS'</TT> file,
containing up-to-date information, should generally be found on the
Translation Project sites, and also on most GNU archive sites.

</P>


<H2><A NAME="SEC37" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC37">Magic for Installers</A></H2>

<P>
By default, packages fully using GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE>, internally,
are installed in such a way that they to allow translation of
messages.  At <EM>configuration</EM> time, those packages should
automatically detect whether the underlying host system provides usable
<CODE>catgets</CODE> or <CODE>gettext</CODE> functions.  If neither is present,
the GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> library should be automatically prepared
and used.  Installers may use special options at configuration
time for changing this behavior.  The command <SAMP>`./configure
--with-included-gettext'</SAMP> bypasses system <CODE>catgets</CODE> or <CODE>gettext</CODE> to
use GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> instead, while <SAMP>`./configure --disable-nls'</SAMP>
produces program totally unable to translate messages.

</P>
<P>
Internationalized packages have usually many <TT>`<VAR>ll</VAR>.po'</TT>
files.  Unless
translations are disabled, all those available are installed together
with the package.  However, the environment variable <CODE>LINGUAS</CODE>
may be set, prior to configuration, to limit the installed set.
<CODE>LINGUAS</CODE> should then contain a space separated list of two-letter
codes, stating which languages are allowed.

</P>


<H2><A NAME="SEC38" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC38">Magic for End Users</A></H2>

<P>
We consider here those packages using GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> internally,
and for which the installers did not disable translation at
<EM>configure</EM> time.  Then, users only have to set the <CODE>LANG</CODE>
environment variable to the appropriate <SAMP>`<VAR>ll</VAR>'</SAMP> prior to
using the programs in the package.  See section <A HREF="gettext_7.html#SEC36">The Current <TT>`ABOUT-NLS'</TT> Matrix</A>.  For example,
let's presume a German site.  At the shell prompt, users merely have to
execute <SAMP>`setenv LANG de'</SAMP> (in <CODE>csh</CODE>) or <SAMP>`export
LANG; LANG=de'</SAMP> (in <CODE>sh</CODE>).  They could even do this from their
<TT>`.login'</TT> or <TT>`.profile'</TT> file.

</P>
<P><HR><P>
<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>.
</BODY>
</HTML>
Commit	Line	Data
f6bcfd97 BP	1	<HTML>
	2	<HEAD>
	3	<!-- This HTML file has been created by texi2html 1.54
	4	from gettext.texi on 25 January 1999 -->
	5
	6	<TITLE>GNU gettext utilities - The User's View</TITLE>
	7	<link href="gettext_8.html" rel=Next>
	8	<link href="gettext_6.html" rel=Previous>
	9	<link href="gettext_toc.html" rel=ToC>
	10
	11	</HEAD>
	12	<BODY>
	13	<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>.
	14	<P><HR><P>
	15
	16
	17	<H1><A NAME="SEC35" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC35">The User's View</A></H1>
	18
	19	<P>
	20	When GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> will truly have reached is goal, average users
	21	should feel some kind of astonished pleasure, seeing the effect of
	22	that strange kind of magic that just makes their own native language
	23	appear everywhere on their screens. As for naive users, they would
	24	ideally have no special pleasure about it, merely taking their own
	25	language for <EM>granted</EM>, and becoming rather unhappy otherwise.
	26
	27	</P>
	28	<P>
	29	So, let's try to describe here how we would like the magic to operate,
	30	as we want the users' view to be the simplest, among all ways one
	31	could look at GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE>. All other software engineers:
	32	programmers, translators, maintainers, should work together in such a
	33	way that the magic becomes possible. This is a long and progressive
	34	undertaking, and information is available about the progress of the
	35	Translation Project.
	36
	37	</P>
	38	<P>
	39	When a package is distributed, there are two kind of users:
	40	<STRONG>installers</STRONG> who fetch the distribution, unpack it, configure
	41	it, compile it and install it for themselves or others to use; and
	42	<STRONG>end users</STRONG> that call programs of the package, once these have
	43	been installed at their site. GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> is offering magic
	44	for both installers and end users.
	45
	46	</P>
	47
	48
	49
	50	<H2><A NAME="SEC36" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC36">The Current <TT>`ABOUT-NLS'</TT> Matrix</A></H2>
	51
	52	<P>
	53	Languages are not equally supported in all packages using GNU
	54	<CODE>gettext</CODE>. To know if some package uses GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE>, one
	55	may check the distribution for the <TT>`ABOUT-NLS'</TT> information file, for
	56	some <TT>`<VAR>ll</VAR>.po'</TT> files, often kept together into some <TT>`po/'</TT>
	57	directory, or for an <TT>`intl/'</TT> directory. Internationalized packages
	58	have usually many <TT>`<VAR>ll</VAR>.po'</TT> files, where <VAR>ll</VAR> represents
	59	the language. section <A HREF="gettext_7.html#SEC38">Magic for End Users</A> for a complete description of the format
	60	for <VAR>ll</VAR>.
	61
	62	</P>
	63	<P>
	64	More generally, a matrix is available for showing the current state
65	of the Translation Project, listing which packages are prepared for
66	multi-lingual messages, and which languages is supported by each.
67	Because this information changes often, this matrix is not kept within
68	this GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> manual. This information is often found in
69	file <TT>`ABOUT-NLS'</TT> from various distributions, but is also as old as
70	the distribution itself. A recent copy of this <TT>`ABOUT-NLS'</TT> file,
71	containing up-to-date information, should generally be found on the
72	Translation Project sites, and also on most GNU archive sites.
73
74	</P>
75
76
77	<H2><A NAME="SEC37" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC37">Magic for Installers</A></H2>
78
79	<P>
80	By default, packages fully using GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE>, internally,
81	are installed in such a way that they to allow translation of
82	messages. At <EM>configuration</EM> time, those packages should
83	automatically detect whether the underlying host system provides usable
84	<CODE>catgets</CODE> or <CODE>gettext</CODE> functions. If neither is present,
85	the GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> library should be automatically prepared
86	and used. Installers may use special options at configuration
87	time for changing this behavior. The command <SAMP>`./configure
88	--with-included-gettext'</SAMP> bypasses system <CODE>catgets</CODE> or <CODE>gettext</CODE> to
89	use GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> instead, while <SAMP>`./configure --disable-nls'</SAMP>
90	produces program totally unable to translate messages.
91
92	</P>
93	<P>
94	Internationalized packages have usually many <TT>`<VAR>ll</VAR>.po'</TT>
95	files. Unless
96	translations are disabled, all those available are installed together
97	with the package. However, the environment variable <CODE>LINGUAS</CODE>
98	may be set, prior to configuration, to limit the installed set.
99	<CODE>LINGUAS</CODE> should then contain a space separated list of two-letter
100	codes, stating which languages are allowed.
101
102	</P>
103
104
105	<H2><A NAME="SEC38" HREF="gettext_toc.html#TOC38">Magic for End Users</A></H2>
106
107	<P>
108	We consider here those packages using GNU <CODE>gettext</CODE> internally,
109	and for which the installers did not disable translation at
110	<EM>configure</EM> time. Then, users only have to set the <CODE>LANG</CODE>
111	environment variable to the appropriate <SAMP>`<VAR>ll</VAR>'</SAMP> prior to
112	using the programs in the package. See section <A HREF="gettext_7.html#SEC36">The Current <TT>`ABOUT-NLS'</TT> Matrix</A>. For example,
113	let's presume a German site. At the shell prompt, users merely have to
114	execute <SAMP>`setenv LANG de'</SAMP> (in <CODE>csh</CODE>) or <SAMP>`export
115	LANG; LANG=de'</SAMP> (in <CODE>sh</CODE>). They could even do this from their
116	<TT>`.login'</TT> or <TT>`.profile'</TT> file.
117
118	</P>
119	<P><HR><P>
120	<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>.
121	</BODY>
122	</HTML>