docs/html/gettext/gettext_7.html

   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>