gencat(1) UNIX System V gencat(1)
NAME
gencat - generate a formatted message catalogue
SYNOPSIS
gencat [-m] [-f format] catfile msgfile ...
DESCRIPTION
The gencat utility merges the message text source file(s) msgfile into a
formatted message database catfile. The database catfile will be created
if it does not already exist. If catfile does exist its messages will be
included in the new catfile. If set and message numbers collide, the new
message-text defined in msgfile will replace the old message text
currently contained in catfile. The message text source file (or set of
files) input to gencat can contain either set and message numbers or
simply message numbers, in which case the set NLSETD [see nltypes(5)]
is assumed.
The -f option allows different format message catalogues to be generated.
Arguments that can be used with this option are:
SVR4 Produces the System V Release 4 format catalogue. (This is the
default if -f or -m are not specified.)
m This is equivalent to the -m option.
XENIX Produces message catalogues suitable for use with SCO UNIX/XENIX
applications.
If the -m or -f options are not used, the format of an existing message
catalogue will be retained. The -f option can be used to change the
format of a catalogue.
The format of a message text source file is defined as follows. Note
that the fields of a message text source line are separated by a single
ASCII space or tab character. Any other ASCII spaces or tabs are
considered as being part of the subsequent field.
$set n comment
Where n specifies the set identifier of the following messages until
the next $set, $delset or end-of-file appears. n must be a number
in the range (1-{NLSETMAX}). Set identifiers within a single source
file need not be contiguous. Any string following the set identifier
is treated as a comment. If no $set directive is specified in a
message text source file, all messages will be located in the
default message set NLSETD.
$delset n comment
Deletes message set n from an existing message catalogue. Any
string following the set number is treated as a comment.
(Note: if n is not a valid set it is ignored.)
10/89 Page 1
gencat(1) UNIX System V gencat(1)
$ comment
A line beginning with a dollar symbol $ followed by an ASCII space
or tab character is treated as a comment.
m message-text
The m denotes the message identifier, which is a number in the range
(1-{NLMSGMAX}). The message-text is stored in the message catalogue
with the set identifier specified by the last $set directive, and
with message identifier m. If the message-text is empty, and an
ASCII space or tab field separator is present, an empty string is
stored in the message catalogue. If a message source line has a
message number, but neither a field separator nor message-text , the
existing message with that number (if any) is deleted from the
catalogue. Message identifiers need not be contiguous. The length
of message-text must be in the range (0-{NLTEXTMAX}).
$quote c
This line specifies an optional quote character c, which can be used
to surround message-text so that trailing spaces or null (empty)
messages are visible in a message source line. By default, or if an
empty $quote directive is supplied, no quoting of message-text will
be recognized.
Empty lines in a message text source file are ignored.
Text strings can contain the special characters and escape sequences
defined in the following table:
___________________________________________
| Description Symbol Sequence |
|__________________________________________|
| newline NL(LF) \n |
| horizontal tab HT \t |
| vertical tab VT \v |
| backspace BS \b |
| carriage return CR \r |
| form feed FF \f |
| backslash \ \\ |
| bit pattern ddd \ddd |
|__________________________________________|
The escape sequence \ddd consists of backslash followed by 1, 2 or 3
octal digits, which are taken to specify the value of the desired
character. If the character following a backslash is not one of those
specified, the backslash is ignored.
Backslash followed by an ASCII newline character is also used to continue
a string on the following line. Thus, the following two lines describe a
single message string:
1 This line continues \
to the next line
Page 2 10/89
gencat(1) UNIX System V gencat(1)
which is equivalent to:
1 This line continues to the next line
NOTES
This version of gencat is built upon the mkmsgs utility. The gencat
database comprises of two files catfile.m which is an mkmsgs format
catalogue and the file catfile which contains the information required to
translate an set and message number into a simple message number which
can be used in a call to gettxt.
Using gettxt constrains the catalogues to be located in a subdirectory
under /usr/lib/locale. This restriction is lifted by placing only a
symbolic link to the catalogue in the directory
/usr/lib/locale/Xopen/LCMESSAGES when the catalogue is opened. It is
this link that gettxt uses when attempting to access the catalogue. The
link is removed when the catalogue is closed but occasionally as
applications exit abnormally without closing catalogues redundant
symbolic links will be left in the directory.
For compatibility with previous version of gencat released in a number of
specialized internationalization products, the -m option is supplied.
This option will cause gencat to build a single file catfile which is
compatible with the format catalogues produced by the earlier versions.
The retrieval routines detect the type of catalogue they are using and
will act appropriately.
SEE ALSO
mkmsgs(1)
catopen(3C), catgets(3C), catclose(3C), gettxt(3C), nltypes(5) in the
Programmer's Reference Manual.
10/89 Page 3