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(libc.info)Helper programs for gettext

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Programs to handle message catalogs for `gettext'
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   The GNU C Library does not contain the source code for the programs
to handle message catalogs for the `gettext' functions.  As part of the
GNU project the GNU gettext package contains everything the developer
needs.  The functionality provided by the tools in this package by far
exceeds the abilities of the `gencat' program described above for the
`catgets' functions.

   There is a program `msgfmt' which is the equivalent program to the
`gencat' program.  It generates from the human-readable and -editable
form of the message catalog a binary file which can be used by the
`gettext' functions.  But there are several more programs available.

   The `xgettext' program can be used to automatically extract the
translatable messages from a source file.  I.e., the programmer need not
take care for the translations and the list of messages which have to be
translated.  S/He will simply wrap the translatable string in calls to
`gettext' et.al and the rest will be done by `xgettext'.  This program
has a lot of option which help to customize the output or do help to
understand the input better.

   Other programs help to manage development cycle when new messages
appear in the source files or when a new translation of the messages
appear.  here it should only be noted that using all the tools in GNU
gettext it is possible to _completely_ automize the handling of message
catalog.  Beside marking the translatable string in the source code and
generating the translations the developers do not have anything to do
themselves.