gencat(1) gencat(1)
NAME
gencat - generate a formatted message catalog
SYNOPSIS
gencat [-mXlf 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 NL_SETD [see nl_types(5)] is assumed. If msgfile is
not specified, gencat will read from stdin.
The -l option lists messages to standard output. The -X
option is the same as -m.
The -f option allows different format message catalogs to be
generated. Arguments that can be used with this option are:
SVR4 Produce the System V Release 4 format catalog. (This
is the default if -f or -m are not specified.)
m This is equivalent to the -m option.
SCO Produce message catalogs suitable for use with SCO
UNIX/XENIX applications. If the -m or -f options are
not used, the format of an existing message catalog
will be retained. The -f option can be used to change
the format of a catalog.
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
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
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gencat(1) gencat(1)
(1-{NL_SETMAX}). 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 NL_SETD.
$delset n comment
Delete message set n from an existing message catalog.
Any string following the set number is treated as a
comment. (If n is not a valid set it is ignored.)
$ 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-{NL_MSGMAX}). The message-text
is stored in the message catalog 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
catalog. 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 catalog. Message identifiers need
not be contiguous. The length of message-text must be
in the range (0-{NL_TEXTMAX}).
$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:
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gencat(1) gencat(1)
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
which is equivalent to:
1 This line continues to the next line
NOTICES
This version of gencat is built on the mkmsgs utility. The
gencat database comprises two files: catfile.m, which is a
catalog in mkmsgs format and the file catfile, which contains
the information required to translate a set and message number
into a simple message number which can be used in a call to
gettxt.
Using gettxt constrains the catalogs to be located in a
subdirectory under /usr/lib/locale. This restriction is
lifted by placing only a symbolic link to the catalog in the
directory /usr/lib/locale/Xopen/LC_MESSAGES when the catalog
is opened. It is this link that gettxt uses when attempting
to access the catalog. The link is removed when the catalog
is closed, but occasionally as applications exit abnormally
without closing catalogs redundant symbolic links will be left
in the directory.
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gencat(1) gencat(1)
For compatibility with previous version of gencat released in
a number of specialized internationalization products, the -m
option is supplied. This option causes gencat to build a
single file catfile that is compatible with the format
catalogs produced by the earlier versions. The retrieval
routines detect the type of catalog they are using and act
appropriately.
FILES
/usr/lib/locale/locale/LC_MESSAGES/uxmesg
language-specific message file [See LANG on environ(5).]
REFERENCES
catgets(3C), catopen(3C), gettxt(3C), mkmsgs(1), nl_types(5)
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 4