mkmsgs(1)                USER COMMANDS                  mkmsgs(1)



NAME
     mkmsgs - create message files for use by gettxt

SYNOPSIS
     mkmsgs [-o] [-i locale] inputstrings msgfile

DESCRIPTION
     The mkmsgs utility is used to create a file of text  strings
     that  can  be  accessed  using the text retrieval tools (see
     gettxt(1), srchtxt(1), exstr(1), and gettxt(3C)).   It  will
     take  as  input a file of text strings for a particular geo-
     graphic locale (see setlocale(3C)) and create a file of text
     strings  in a format that can be retrieved by both gettxt(1)
     and gettxt(3C).  By using the -i option, you can install the
     created  file  under  the /usr/lib/locale/locale/LCMESSAGES
     directory (locale corresponds to the language in  which  the
     text strings are written).

     inputstrings
                 the name of the file that contains the  original
                 text strings.

     msgfile     the name of the output file where mkmsgs  writes
                 the  strings  in  a  format  that is readable by
                 gettxt(1) and gettxt(3C).  The name  of  msgfile
                 can  be  up  to 14 characters in length, but may
                 not contain either \0 (null) or the  ASCII  code
                 for / (slash) or :  (colon).

     -i       locale   install       msgfile        in        the
                 /usr/lib/locale/locale/LCMESSAGES    directory.
                 Only someone who is super-user or  a  member  of
                 group  bin can create or overwrite files in this
                 directory.   Directories  under  /usr/lib/locale
                 will be created if they don't exist.

     -o          overwrite msgfile, if it exists.  The input file
                 contains  a set of text strings for the particu-
                 lar  geographic  locale.    Text   strings   are
                 separated  by  a new-line character.  Nongraphic
                 characters must  be  represented  as  alphabetic
                 escape  sequences.  Messages are transformed and
                 copied   sequentially   from   inputstrings   to
                 msgfile.    To  generate  an  empty  message  in
                 msgfile, leave an  empty  line  at  the  correct
                 place  in  inputstrings.  Strings can be changed
                 simply by editing the  file  inputstrings.   New
                 strings  must  be  added  only at the end of the
                 file; then a new msgfile file  must  be  created
                 and  installed  in  the  correct place.  If this
                 procedure is not followed, the  retrieval  func-
                 tion will retrieve the wrong string and software



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mkmsgs(1)                USER COMMANDS                  mkmsgs(1)



                 compatibility will be broken.

EXAMPLES
     The following example shows an  input  message  source  file
     C.str:
          File %s:\t cannot be opened\n
          %s: Bad directory\n
               .
               .
               .
          write error\n
               .
               .
     The following command uses the input strings from  C.str  to
     create text strings in the appropriate format in the file UX
     in the current directory:
          mkmsgs C.str UX
     The following command uses the input strings from FR.str  to
     create text strings in the appropriate format in the file UX
     in the directory /usr/lib/locale/french/LCMESSAGES/UX.
          mkmsgs -i french FR.str UX

     These text strings would be accessed  if  you  had  set  the
     environment variable LCMESSAGES=french and then invoked one
     of the text retrieval tools listed at the beginning  of  the
     DESCRIPTION section.

FILES
     /usr/lib/locale/locale/LCMESSAGES/*   message files created
                                            by mkmsgs(1M)

SEE ALSO
     exstr(1), gettxt(1), srchtxt(1).
     gettxt(3C),  setlocale(3C)  in  the  Programmer's  Reference
     Manual.




















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