SETLOCALE(3) BSD Programmer's Manual SETLOCALE(3)
NAME
setlocale, localeconv - natural language formatting for C
SYNOPSIS
#include <locale.h>
char *
setlocale(int category, const char *locale)
struct lconv *
localeconv(void)
DESCRIPTION
The setlocale() function sets the C library's notion of natural language
formatting style for particular sets of routines. Each such style is
called a `locale' and is invoked using an appropriate name passed as a C
string. The localeconv() routine returns the current locale's parameters
for formatting numbers.
The setlocale() function recognizes several categories of routines.
These are the categories and the sets of routines they select:
LC_ALL Set the entire locale generically.
LC_COLLATE Set a locale for string collation routines. This controls
alphabetic ordering in strcoll() and strxfrm().
LC_CTYPE Set a locale for the ctype(3) and multibyte(3) functions.
This controls recognition of upper and lower case, alphabet-
ic or non-alphabetic characters, and so on.
LC_MONETARY Set a locale for formatting monetary values; this affects
the localeconv() function.
LC_NUMERIC Set a locale for formatting numbers. This controls the for-
matting of decimal points in input and output of floating
point numbers in functions such as printf() and scanf(), as
well as values returned by localeconv().
LC_TIME Set a locale for formatting dates and times using the
strftime() function.
Only two locales are defined by default, the empty string "" which de-
notes the native environment, and the "C" locale, which denotes the C
language environment. A locale argument of NULL causes setlocale() to
return the current locale. By default, C programs start in the "C" lo-
cale. The only function in the library that sets the locale is
setlocale(); the locale is never changed as a side effect of some other
routine.
The localeconv() function returns a pointer to a structure which provides
parameters for formatting numbers, especially currency values:
struct lconv {
char *decimal_point;
char *thousands_sep;
char *grouping;
char *int_curr_symbol;
char *currency_symbol;
char *mon_decimal_point;
char *mon_thousands_sep;
char *mon_grouping;
char *positive_sign;
char *negative_sign;
char int_frac_digits;
char frac_digits;
char p_cs_precedes;
char p_sep_by_space;
char n_cs_precedes;
char n_sep_by_space;
char p_sign_posn;
char n_sign_posn;
};
The individual fields have the following meanings:
decimalpoint The decimal point character, except for currency val-
ues.
thousandssep The separator between groups of digits before the dec-
imal point, except for currency values.
grouping The sizes of the groups of digits, except for currency
values. This is a pointer to a vector of integers,
each of size char, representing group size from low
order digit groups to high order (right to left). The
list may be terminated with 0 or CHAR_MAX. If the list
is terminated with 0, the last group size before the 0
is repeated to account for all the digits. If the
list is terminated with CHAR_MAX, no more grouping is
performed.
intcurrsymbol The standardized international currency symbol.
currencysymbol The local currency symbol.
mondecimalpoint The decimal point character for currency values.
monthousandssep The separator for digit groups in currency values.
mongrouping Like grouping but for currency values.
positivesign The character used to denote nonnegative currency val-
ues, usually the empty string.
negativesign The character used to denote negative currency values,
usually a minus sign.
intfracdigits The number of digits after the decimal point in an in-
ternational-style currency value.
fracdigits The number of digits after the decimal point in the
local style for currency values.
pcsprecedes 1 if the currency symbol precedes the currency value
for nonnegative values, 0 if it follows.
psepbyspace 1 if a space is inserted between the currency symbol
and the currency value for nonnegative values, 0 oth-
erwise.
ncsprecedes Like pcsprecedes but for negative values.
nsepbyspace Like psepbyspace but for negative values.
psignposn The location of the positivesign with respect to a
nonnegative quantity and the currencysymbol, coded as
follows:
0 Parentheses around the entire string.
1 Before the string.
2 After the string.
3 Just before currencysymbol.
4 Just after currencysymbol.
nsignposn Like psignposn but for negative currency values.
Unless mentioned above, an empty string as a value for a field indicates
a zero length result or a value that is not in the current locale. A
CHAR_MAX result similarly denotes an unavailable value.
RETURN VALUES
The setlocale() function returns NULL and fails to change the locale if
the given combination of category and locale makes no sense. The
localeconv() function returns a pointer to a static object which may be
altered by later calls to setlocale() or localeconv().
SEE ALSO
multibyte(3), strcoll(3), strxfrm(3)
STANDARDS
The setlocale() and localeconv() functions conform to ANSI C3.159-1989
(``ANSI C'').
HISTORY
The setlocale() and localeconv() functions are currently under develop-
ment.
BUGS
The current implementation supports only the "C" locale. Categories and
environment variables are ignored.
In spite of the gnarly currency support in localeconv(), the standards
don't include any functions for generalized currency formatting.
BSDI BSD/386 March 26, 1993 3