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- - -
msgmerge Program
-Each PO file entry for which the msgstr field has been filled with
-a translation, and which is not marked as fuzzy (see section Fuzzy Entries),
-is a said to be a translated entry. Only translated entries will
-later be compiled by GNU msgfmt and become usable in programs.
-Other entry types will be excluded; translation will not occur for them.
-
-
-Some commands are more specifically related to translated entry processing. - -
-
-The commands t (po-next-translated-entry) and M-t
-(po-previous-transted-entry) move forwards or backwards, chasing
-for an translated entry. If none is found, the search is extended and
-wraps around in the PO file buffer.
-
-
-Translated entries usually result from the translator having edited in
-a translation for them, section Modifying Translations. However, if the
-variable po-auto-fuzzy-on-edit is not nil, the entry having
-received a new translation first becomes a fuzzy entry, which ought to
-be later unfuzzied before becoming an official, genuine translated entry.
-See section Fuzzy Entries.
-
-
-Each PO file entry may have a set of attributes, which are
-qualities given an name and explicitly associated with the entry
-translation, using a special system comment. One of these attributes
-has the name fuzzy, and entries having this attribute are said
-to have a fuzzy translation. They are called fuzzy entries, for short.
-
-
-Fuzzy entries, even if they account for translated entries for
-most other purposes, usually call for revision by the translator.
-Those may be produced by applying the program msgmerge to
-update an older translated PO files according to a new PO template
-file, when this tool hypothesises that some new msgid has
-been modified only slightly out of an older one, and chooses to pair
-what it thinks to be the old translation for the new modified entry.
-The slight alteration in the original string (the msgid string)
-should often be reflected in the translated string, and this requires
-the intervention of the translator. For this reason, msgmerge
-might mark some entries as being fuzzy.
-
-
-Also, the translator may decide herself to mark an entry as fuzzy -for her own convenience, when she wants to remember that the entry -has to be later revisited. So, some commands are more specifically -related to fuzzy entry processing. - -
-
-The commands f (po-next-fuzzy) and M-f
-(po-previous-fuzzy) move forwards or backwards, chasing for
-a fuzzy entry. If none is found, the search is extended and wraps
-around in the PO file buffer.
-
-
-The command TAB (po-unfuzzy) removes the fuzzy
-attribute associated with an entry, usually leaving it translated.
-Further, if the variable po-auto-select-on-unfuzzy has not
-the nil value, the TAB command will automatically chase
-for another interesting entry to work on. The initial value of
-po-auto-select-on-unfuzzy is nil.
-
-
-The initial value of po-auto-fuzzy-on-edit is nil. However,
-if the variable po-auto-fuzzy-on-edit is set to t, any entry
-edited through the RET command is marked fuzzy, as a way to ensure
-some kind of double check, later. In this case, the usual paradigm is
-that an entry becomes fuzzy (if not already) whenever the translator
-modifies it. If she is satisfied with the translation, she then uses
-TAB to pick another entry to work on, clearing the fuzzy attribute
-on the same blow. If she is not satisfied yet, she merely uses SPC
-to chase another entry, leaving the entry fuzzy.
-
-
-The translator may also use the DEL command
-(po-fade-out-entry) over any translated entry to mark it as being
-fuzzy, when she wants to easily leave a trace she wants to later return
-working at this entry.
-
-
-Also, when time comes to quit working on a PO file buffer with the q -command, the translator is asked for confirmation, if fuzzy string -still exists. - -
- - -
-When xgettext originally creates a PO file, unless told
-otherwise, it initializes the msgid field with the untranslated
-string, and leaves the msgstr string to be empty. Such entries,
-having an empty translation, are said to be untranslated entries.
-Later, when the programmer slightly modifies some string right in
-the program, this change is later reflected in the PO file
-by the appearance of a new untranslated entry for the modified string.
-
-
-The usual commands moving from entry to entry consider untranslated -entries on the same level as active entries. Untranslated entries -are easily recognizable by the fact they end with `msgstr ""'. - -
--The work of the translator might be (quite naively) seen as the process -of seeking after an untranslated entry, editing a translation for -it, and repeating these actions until no untranslated entries remain. -Some commands are more specifically related to untranslated entry -processing. - -
-
-The commands u (po-next-untranslated-entry) and M-u
-(po-previous-untransted-entry) move forwards or backwards,
-chasing for an untranslated entry. If none is found, the search is
-extended and wraps around in the PO file buffer.
-
-
-An entry can be turned back into an untranslated entry by
-merely emptying its translation, using the command k
-(po-kill-msgstr). See section Modifying Translations.
-
-
-Also, when time comes to quit working on a PO file buffer -with the q command, the translator is asked for confirmation, -if some untranslated string still exists. - -
- - -
-By obsolete PO file entries, we mean those entries which are
-commented out, usually by msgmerge when it found that the
-translation is not needed anymore by the package being localized.
-
-
-The usual commands moving from entry to entry consider obsolete
-entries on the same level as active entries. Obsolete entries are
-easily recognizable by the fact that all their lines start with
-#, even those lines containing msgid or msgstr.
-
-
-Commands exist for emptying the translation or reinitializing it -to the original untranslated string. Commands interfacing with the -kill ring may force some previously saved text into the translation. -The user may interactively edit the translation. All these commands -may apply to obsolete entries, carefully leaving the entry obsolete -after the fact. - -
--Moreover, some commands are more specifically related to obsolete -entry processing. - -
-
-The commands o (po-next-obsolete-entry) and M-o
-(po-previous-obsolete-entry) move forwards or backwards,
-chasing for an obsolete entry. If none is found, the search is
-extended and wraps around in the PO file buffer.
-
-
-PO mode does not provide ways for un-commenting an obsolete entry
-and making it active, because this would reintroduce an original
-untranslated string which does not correspond to any marked string
-in the program sources. This goes with the philosophy of never
-introducing useless msgid values.
-
-
-However, it is possible to comment out an active entry, so making
-it obsolete. GNU gettext utilities will later react to the
-disappearance of a translation by using the untranslated string.
-The command DEL (po-fade-out-entry) pushes the current entry
-a little further towards annihilation. If the entry is active (it is a
-translated entry), then it is first made fuzzy. If it is already fuzzy,
-then the entry is merely commented out, with confirmation. If the entry
-is already obsolete, then it is completely deleted from the PO file.
-It is easy to recycle the translation so deleted into some other PO file
-entry, usually one which is untranslated. See section Modifying Translations.
-
-
-Here is a quite interesting problem to solve for later development of -PO mode, for those nights you are not sleepy. The idea would be that -PO mode might become bright enough, one of these days, to make good -guesses at retrieving the most probable candidate, among all obsolete -entries, for initializing the translation of a newly appeared string. -I think it might be a quite hard problem to do this algorithmically, as -we have to develop good and efficient measures of string similarity. -Right now, PO mode completely lets the decision to the translator, -when the time comes to find the adequate obsolete translation, it -merely tries to provide handy tools for helping her to do so. - -
- - --PO mode prevents direct edition of the PO file, by the usual -means Emacs give for altering a buffer's contents. By doing so, -it pretends helping the translator to avoid little clerical errors -about the overall file format, or the proper quoting of strings, -as those errors would be easily made. Other kinds of errors are -still possible, but some may be caught and diagnosed by the batch -validation process, which the translator may always trigger by the -V command. For all other errors, the translator has to rely on -her own judgment, and also on the linguistic reports submitted to her -by the users of the translated package, having the same mother tongue. - -
--When the time comes to create a translation, correct an error diagnosed -mechanically or reported by a user, the translators have to resort to -using the following commands for modifying the translations. - -
-
-The command RET (po-edit-msgstr) opens a new Emacs window
-containing a copy of the translation taken from the current PO file entry,
-all ready for edition, fully modifiable and with the complete extent of
-GNU Emacs modifying commands. The string is presented to the translator
-expunged of all quoting marks, and she will modify the unquoted
-string in this window to heart's content. Once done, the regular Emacs
-command M-C-c (exit-recursive-edit) may be used to return the
-edited translation into the PO file, replacing the original translation.
-The keys C-c C-c are bound so they have the same effect as
-M-C-c.
-
-
-If the translator becomes unsatisfied with her translation to the extent
-she prefers keeping the translation which was existent prior to the
-RET command, she may use the standard Emacs command C-]
-(abort-recursive-edit) to merely get rid of edition, while
-preserving the original translation. The keys C-c C-k are
-bound so they have the same effect as C-]. Another way would
-be for her to exit normally with C-c C-c, then type U
-once for undoing the whole effect of last edition.
-
-
-Functions found on po-subedit-mode-hook, if any, are executed after
-the string has been inserted in the edit buffer and before recursive edit
-is entered.
-
-
-While editing her translation, the translator should pay attention to -not inserting unwanted RET (carriage returns) characters at -the end of the translated string if those are not meant to be there, -or to removing such characters when they are required. Since these -characters are not visible in the editing buffer, they are easily -introduced by mistake. To help her, RET automatically puts -the character < at the end of the string being edited, but this -< is not really part of the string. On exiting the editing -window with C-c C-c, PO mode automatically removes such -< and all whitespace added after it. If the translator adds -characters after the terminating <, it looses its delimiting -property and integrally becomes part of the string. If she removes -the delimiting <, then the edited string is taken as -is, with all trailing newlines, even if invisible. Also, if the -translated string ought to end itself with a genuine <, then the -delimiting < may not be removed; so the string should appear, -in the editing window, as ending with two < in a row. - -
--When a translation (or a comment) is being edited, the translator -may move the cursor back into the PO file buffer and freely -move to other entries, browsing at will. The edited entry will -be recovered as soon as the edit ceases, because it is this entry -only which is being modified. If, with an edition still opened, the -translator wanders in the PO file buffer, she cannot modify -any other entry. If she tries to, PO mode will react by suggesting -that she abort the current edit, or else, by inviting her to finish -the current edit prior to any other modification. - -
-
-The command LFD (po-msgid-to-msgstr) initializes, or
-reinitializes the translation with the original string. This command
-is normally used when the translator wants to redo a fresh translation
-of the original string, disregarding any previous work.
-
-
-It is possible to arrange so, whenever editing an untranslated
-entry, the LFD command be automatically executed. If you set
-po-auto-edit-with-msgid to t, the translation gets
-initialised with the original string, in case none exist already.
-The default value for po-auto-edit-with-msgid is nil.
-
-
-In fact, whether it is best to start a translation with an empty -string, or rather with a copy of the original string, is a matter of -taste or habit. Sometimes, the source language and the -target language are so different that is simply best to start writing -on an empty page. At other times, the source and target languages -are so close that it would be a waste to retype a number of words -already being written in the original string. A translator may also -like having the original string right under her eyes, as she will -progressively overwrite the original text with the translation, even -if this requires some extra editing work to get rid of the original. - -
-
-The command k (po-kill-msgstr) merely empties the
-translation string, so turning the entry into an untranslated
-one. But while doing so, its previous contents is put apart in
-a special place, known as the kill ring. The command w
-(po-kill-ring-save-msgstr) has also the effect of taking a
-copy of the translation onto the kill ring, but it otherwise leaves
-the entry alone, and does not remove the translation from the
-entry. Both commands use exactly the Emacs kill ring, which is shared
-between buffers, and which is well known already to GNU Emacs lovers.
-
-
-The translator may use k or w many times in the course -of her work, as the kill ring may hold several saved translations. -From the kill ring, strings may later be reinserted in various -Emacs buffers. In particular, the kill ring may be used for moving -translation strings between different entries of a single PO file -buffer, or if the translator is handling many such buffers at once, -even between PO files. - -
--To facilitate exchanges with buffers which are not in PO mode, the -translation string put on the kill ring by the k command is fully -unquoted before being saved: external quotes are removed, multi-lines -strings are concatenated, and backslashed escaped sequences are turned -into their corresponding characters. In the special case of obsolete -entries, the translation is also uncommented prior to saving. - -
-
-The command y (po-yank-msgstr) completely replaces the
-translation of the current entry by a string taken from the kill ring.
-Following GNU Emacs terminology, we then say that the replacement
-string is yanked into the PO file buffer.
-See section `Yanking' in The Emacs Editor.
-The first time y is used, the translation receives the value of
-the most recent addition to the kill ring. If y is typed once
-again, immediately, without intervening keystrokes, the translation
-just inserted is taken away and replaced by the second most recent
-addition to the kill ring. By repeating y many times in a row,
-the translator may travel along the kill ring for saved strings,
-until she finds the string she really wanted.
-
-
-When a string is yanked into a PO file entry, it is fully and -automatically requoted for complying with the format PO files should -have. Further, if the entry is obsolete, PO mode then appropriately -push the inserted string inside comments. Once again, translators -should not burden themselves with quoting considerations besides, of -course, the necessity of the translated string itself respective to -the program using it. - -
--Note that k or w are not the only commands pushing strings -on the kill ring, as almost any PO mode command replacing translation -strings (or the translator comments) automatically save the old string -on the kill ring. The main exceptions to this general rule are the -yanking commands themselves. - -
-
-To better illustrate the operation of killing and yanking, let's
-use an actual example, taken from a common situation. When the
-programmer slightly modifies some string right in the program, his
-change is later reflected in the PO file by the appearance
-of a new untranslated entry for the modified string, and the fact
-that the entry translating the original or unmodified string becomes
-obsolete. In many cases, the translator might spare herself some work
-by retrieving the unmodified translation from the obsolete entry,
-then initializing the untranslated entry msgstr field with
-this retrieved translation. Once this done, the obsolete entry is
-not wanted anymore, and may be safely deleted.
-
-
-When the translator finds an untranslated entry and suspects that a
-slight variant of the translation exists, she immediately uses m
-to mark the current entry location, then starts chasing obsolete
-entries with o, hoping to find some translation corresponding
-to the unmodified string. Once found, she uses the DEL command
-for deleting the obsolete entry, knowing that DEL also kills
-the translation, that is, pushes the translation on the kill ring.
-Then, r returns to the initial untranslated entry, y
-then yanks the saved translation right into the msgstr
-field. The translator is then free to use RET for fine
-tuning the translation contents, and maybe to later use u,
-then m again, for going on with the next untranslated string.
-
-
-When some sequence of keys has to be typed over and over again, the -translator may find it useful to become better acquainted with the GNU -Emacs capability of learning these sequences and playing them back under -request. See section `Keyboard Macros' in The Emacs Editor. - -
- - --Any translation work done seriously will raise many linguistic -difficulties, for which decisions have to be made, and the choices -further documented. These documents may be saved within the -PO file in form of translator comments, which the translator -is free to create, delete, or modify at will. These comments may -be useful to herself when she returns to this PO file after a while. - -
-
-Comments not having whitespace after the initial `#', for example,
-those beginning with `#.' or `#:', are not translator
-comments, they are exclusively created by other gettext tools.
-So, the commands below will never alter such system added comments,
-they are not meant for the translator to modify. See section The Format of PO Files.
-
-
-The following commands are somewhat similar to those modifying translations, -so the general indications given for those apply here. See section Modifying Translations. - -
--These commands parallel PO mode commands for modifying the translation -strings, and behave much the same way as they do, except that they handle -this part of PO file comments meant for translator usage, rather -than the translation strings. So, if the descriptions given below are -slightly succinct, it is because the full details have already been given. -See section Modifying Translations. - -
-
-The command # (po-edit-comment) opens a new Emacs
-window containing a copy of the translator comments on the current
-PO file entry. If there are no such comments, PO mode
-understands that the translator wants to add a comment to the entry,
-and she is presented with an empty screen. Comment marks (#) and
-the space following them are automatically removed before edition,
-and reinstated after. For translator comments pertaining to obsolete
-entries, the uncommenting and recommenting operations are done twice.
-Once in the editing window, the keys C-c C-c allow the
-translator to tell she is finished with editing the comment.
-
-
-Functions found on po-subedit-mode-hook, if any, are executed after
-the string has been inserted in the edit buffer and before recursive edit
-is entered.
-
-
-The command K (po-kill-comment) get rid of all
-translator comments, while saving those comments on the kill ring.
-The command W (po-kill-ring-save-comment) takes
-a copy of the translator comments on the kill ring, but leaves
-them undisturbed in the current entry. The command Y
-(po-yank-comment) completely replaces the translator comments
-by a string taken at the front of the kill ring. When this command
-is immediately repeated, the comments just inserted are withdrawn,
-and replaced by other strings taken along the kill ring.
-
-
-On the kill ring, all strings have the same nature. There is no -distinction between translation strings and translator -comments strings. So, for example, let's presume the translator -has just finished editing a translation, and wants to create a new -translator comment to document why the previous translation was -not good, just to remember what was the problem. Foreseeing that she -will do that in her documentation, the translator may want to quote -the previous translation in her translator comments. To do so, she -may initialize the translator comments with the previous translation, -still at the head of the kill ring. Because editing already pushed the -previous translation on the kill ring, she merely has to type M-w -prior to #, and the previous translation will be right there, -all ready for being introduced by some explanatory text. - -
-
-On the other hand, presume there are some translator comments already
-and that the translator wants to add to those comments, instead
-of wholly replacing them. Then, she should edit the comment right
-away with #. Once inside the editing window, she can use the
-regular GNU Emacs commands C-y (yank) and M-y
-(yank-pop) to get the previous translation where she likes.
-
-
-PO mode is able to help the knowledgeable translator, being fluent in -many languages, at taking advantage of translations already achieved -in other languages she just happens to know. It provides these other -language translations as additional context for her own work. Moreover, -it has features to ease the production of translations for many languages -at once, for translators preferring to work in this way. - -
--An auxiliary PO file is an existing PO file meant for the same -package the translator is working on, but targeted to a different mother -tongue language. Commands exist for declaring and handling auxiliary -PO files, and also for showing contexts for the entry under work. - -
--Here are the auxiliary file commands available in PO mode. - -
-
-Command A (po-consider-as-auxiliary) adds the current
-PO file to the list of auxiliary files, while command M-A
-(po-ignore-as-auxiliary just removes it.
-
-
-The command a (po-cycle-auxiliary) seeks all auxiliary PO
-files, round-robin, searching for a translated entry in some other language
-having an msgid field identical as the one for the current entry.
-The found PO file, if any, takes the place of the current PO file in
-the display (its window gets on top). Before doing so, the current PO
-file is also made into an auxiliary file, if not already. So, a
-in this newly displayed PO file will seek another PO file, and so on,
-so repeating a will eventually yield back the original PO file.
-
-
-The command M-a (po-select-auxiliary) asks the translator
-for her choice of a particular auxiliary file, with completion, and
-then switches to that selected PO file. The command also checks if
-the selected file has an msgid field identical as the one for
-the current entry, and if yes, this entry becomes current. Otherwise,
-the cursor of the selected file is left undisturbed.
-
-
-For all this to work fully, auxiliary PO files will have to be normalized,
-in that way that msgid fields should be written exactly
-the same way. It is possible to write msgid fields in various
-ways for representing the same string, different writing would break the
-proper behaviour of the auxiliary file commands of PO mode. This is not
-expected to be much a problem in practice, as most existing PO files have
-their msgid entries written by the same GNU gettext tools.
-
-
-However, PO files initially created by PO mode itself, while marking
-strings in source files, are normalised differently. So are PO
-files resulting of the the `M-x normalize' command. Until these
-discrepancies between PO mode and other GNU gettext tools get
-fully resolved, the translator should stay aware of normalisation issues.
-
-
-
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