MESTBL(M)                                  UNIX System V



     Name
          mestbl - create a messages locale table


     Syntax
          mestbl [ specfile ]


     Description
          The utility mestbl is provided to allow LC_MESSAGES
          locales to be defined. It reads in a specification file
          (or standard input if specfile is not defined), containing
          a  definition for  a  particular locale's  response strings to
          yes/no queries, and produces a concise format  table  file, to
          be read by setlocale(S).

          The response strings may  be  specified  as  a  string  held
          within  double quotes or as a series of characters which are
          specified in  one  of  six  different  ways  (the  following
          examples all specify the ASCII character 'A'):

                      65      - decimal
                      0101    - octal
                      0x41    - hexadecimal
                      'A'     - quoted character
                      '\101'  - quoted octal
                      '\x41'  - quoted hexadecimal

          or a combination of both methods, for example:

                      'y' "es"

          is identical to:

                      "yes"

          To  specify  the  response   strings,   the   above   string
          definitions  must  be  preceded  by  the keyword YESSTR= for
          affirmative responses, and NOSTR= for negative responses.

          All characters following the hash character are treated as a
          comment  and  ignored  up to the end of the line, unless the
          hash is within a quoted string.

          The concise format locale table is placed in  a  file  named
          messages  in  the  current  directory.  This  file should be
          copied or moved to the correct  place  in  the  setlocale(S)
          file tree (see locale(M)).  To prevent accidental corruption
          of the output data,  the  file  is  created  with  no  write
          permission;  if  the  mestbl  utility  is run in a directory
          containing a write-protected ``messages'' file, the  utility
          will  ask  if  the  existing  file  should be replaced - any
          response other than ``yes'' or ``y'' will  cause  mestbl  to
          terminate without overwriting the existing file.


     See Also
          chrtbl(M),  montbl(M),  coltbl(M),   locale(M),   numtbl(M),
          timtbl(M), setlocale(S)


     Diagnostics
          All error messages printed are self explanatory.


     Value Added
          mestbl is an extension of AT&T  System  V  provided  by  the
          Santa Cruz Operation.


     (printed 8/23/89)                                  MESTBL(M)