# Gettext > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gettext > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gettext.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettext > Source revision: 1323850607 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|GNU internationalization and localization software}} {{multiple issues| {{More citations needed|date=August 2008}} {{how-to|date=January 2025}} }} {{lowercase title}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}} {{Infobox software | name = gettext | logo = | author = [Sun Microsystems](/source/Sun_Microsystems){{cite web |url=https://www.gnu.org/savannah-checkouts/gnu/gettext/manual/html_node/gettext.html |title=About gettext |website=gnu.org |access-date=2024-05-09}} | developer = various | released = {{start date and age|1990}}{{cite web|url=http://compgroups.net/comp.unix.solaris/History-of-gettext-et-al |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323032211/http://compgroups.net/comp.unix.solaris/History-of-gettext-et-al |url-status=usurped |archive-date=23 March 2012 |title=History of gettext() et al? - comp.unix.solaris |website=Compgroups.net |access-date=2016-04-03}} | discontinued = | latest release version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q937302|P348|P548=Q2804309}} | latest release date = {{start date and age|{{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q937302|P348|P548=Q2804309|P577}}}} | programming language = | operating system = [Cross-platform](/source/Cross-platform) | platform = | size = | language = | language count = | language footnote = | genre = [Internationalization and localization](/source/Internationalization_and_localization) | license = Various [free software license](/source/free_software_license)s | alexa = | repo = various based on OpenSolaris and GNU gettext }} In [computing](/source/computing), '''gettext''' is an [internationalization and localization](/source/internationalization_and_localization) (i18n and l10n) system commonly used for writing multilingual programs on [Unix-like](/source/Unix-like) computer [operating system](/source/operating_system)s. One of the main benefits of gettext is that it separates programming from translating.{{Cite web|url=https://www.linuxjournal.com/article/5966|title=Bridging the Digital Divide in South Africa {{!}} Linux Journal|last=Martindale|first=Linda|date=2002-11-01|website=linuxjournal.com|publisher=[Linux Journal](/source/Linux_Journal)|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190917015344/https://www.linuxjournal.com/article/5966|archive-date=17 September 2019|access-date=2019-09-17}} The most commonly used implementation of gettext is '''GNU gettext''',{{Cite web|url=https://www.linuxjournal.com/article/6176|title=Introduction to Internationalization Programming {{!}} Linux Journal|last=Tykhomyrov|first=Olexiy Ye|date=2002-11-01|website=linuxjournal.com|publisher=[Linux Journal](/source/Linux_Journal)|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190917020307/https://www.linuxjournal.com/article/6176|archive-date=17 September 2019|access-date=2019-09-17}} released by the [GNU Project](/source/GNU_Project) in 1995. The runtime library is '''libintl'''. gettext provides an option to use different strings for any number of [plural form](/source/plural_form)s of nouns, but this feature has no support for [grammatical gender](/source/grammatical_gender). The main [filename extension](/source/filename_extension)s used by this system are [.POT](/source/.POT) (Portable Object Template), [.PO](/source/Portable_object_(computing)) (Portable Object) and .MO (Machine Object). ==History== Initially, POSIX provided no means of localizing messages. Two proposals were raised in the late 1980s, the 1988 Uniforum gettext and the 1989 X/Open catgets (XPG-3 § 5). [Sun Microsystems](/source/Sun_Microsystems) implemented the first gettext in 1993. The Unix and POSIX developers never really agreed on what kind of interface to use (the other option is the X/Open catgets), so many [C libraries](/source/C_library), including [glibc](/source/glibc), implemented both.{{cite web |title=Message Translation |url=https://www.gnu.org/software/libc/manual/html_node/Message-Translation.html |website=The GNU C Library}} {{As of|2019|08}}, whether gettext should be part of POSIX was still a point of debate in the [Austin Group](/source/Austin_Group), despite the fact that its old foe has already fallen out of use. Concerns cited included its dependence on the system-set locale (a [global variable](/source/global_variable) subject to multithreading problems) and its support for newer C-language extensions involving wide strings.{{cite web |title=0001122: POSIX should include gettext() and friends - Austin Group Defect Tracker |url=http://austingroupbugs.net/view.php?id=1122 |website=Austin Group Defect Tracker}} The [GNU Project](/source/GNU_Project) decided that the message-as-key approach of gettext is simpler and more friendly. (Most other systems, including catgets, requires the developer to come up with "key" names for every string.){{cite web |title=The Programmer's View |url=http://ftp.gnu.org/old-gnu/Manuals/gettext-0.10.35/html_chapter/gettext_8.html |website=gettext 0.10.35| date=30 April 1998}} They released GNU gettext, a [free software](/source/free_software) implementation of the system in 1995. Gettext, GNU or not, has since been ported to many programming languages.{{cite web |title=GNU gettext utilities: List of Programming Languages |url=https://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/manual/html_node/List-of-Programming-Languages.html#List-of-Programming-Languages}} The simplicity of po and widespread editor support even led to its adoption in non-program contexts for text documents or as an intermediate between other localization formats, with converters like po4a (po for anything) and Translate Toolkit emerging to provide such a bridge.{{cite web |title=po4a |url=https://po4a.org/index.php.en |website=po4a.org}}{{cite web |title=The essential toolkit for localization engineers |url=https://toolkit.translatehouse.org/ |website=Translate Toolkit}} ==Operation== ===Programming=== thumb|Typical gettext workflow. The de.po instance on the left shows a "renewing" of translations via msgmerge. The basic interface of gettext is the {{code|gettext(const char*)}} function, which accepts a [string](/source/string_(computer_science)) that the user will see in the original language, usually English. To save typing time and reduce code clutter, this function is commonly [aliased](/source/aliasing_(computing)) to _:{{Cite web |date= |title=GNU gettext utilities: How Marks Appear in Sources |url=https://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/manual/gettext.html#How-Marks-Appear-in-Sources |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240325095308/https://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/manual/gettext.html#How-Marks-Appear-in-Sources |archive-date=2024-03-25 |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=www.gnu.org}} printf(gettext("My name is %s.\n"), my_name); printf(_("My name is %s.\n"), my_name); // same, but shorter gettext() then uses the supplied strings as keys for looking up translations, and will return the original string when no translation is available. This is in contrast to [POSIX](/source/POSIX) catgets(),{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/manual/html_node/catgets.html |website=gnu.org |title=About catgets |access-date=2017-10-24}} [AmigaOS](/source/AmigaOS) GetString(),{{Cite web |title=AmigaOS Manual: Python Modules and Packages - AmigaOS Documentation Wiki |url=https://wiki.amigaos.net/wiki/AmigaOS_Manual:_Python_Modules_and_Packages#GetString.28.29 |access-date=2023-07-09 |website=wiki.amigaos.net}} or [Microsoft Windows](/source/Microsoft_Windows) LoadString() where a programmatic ID (often an integer) is used. To handle the case where the same original-language text can have different meanings, gettext has functions like cgettext() that accept an additional "context" string. xgettext is run on the sources to produce a .pot (Portable Object Template) file, which contains a list of all the translatable strings extracted from the sources. Comments starting with /// are used to give translators hints, although other prefixes are also configurable to further limit the scope. One such common prefix is TRANSLATORS:. For example, an input file with a comment might look like: /// TRANSLATORS: %s contains the user's name as specified in Preferences printf(_("My name is %s.\n"), my_name); xgettext is run using the command: xgettext -c / The resultant .pot file looks like this with the comment (note that xgettext recognizes the string as a [C](/source/C_(programming_language))-language [printf](/source/printf) format string): #. TRANSLATORS: %s contains the user's name as specified in Preferences #, c-format #: src/name.c:36 msgid "My name is %s.\n" msgstr "" In POSIX [shell script](/source/shell_script), gettext provides a gettext.sh library one can include that provides the many same functions gettext provides in similar languages.{{cite web |title=GNU gettext utilities: sh |url=https://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/manual/html_node/sh.html}} [GNU bash](/source/GNU_bash) also has a simplified construct $"msgid" for the simple gettext function, although it depends on the C library to provide a gettext() function.{{cite web |title=GNU gettext utilities: bash |url=https://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/manual/html_node/bash.html}} ===Translating=== The translator derives a .po (Portable Object) file from the template using the msginit program, then fills out the translations.{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/savannah-checkouts/gnu/gettext/manual/html_node/PO-Files.html |title=GNU gettext utilities: PO Files |website=Gnu.org |access-date=2016-04-03}} msginit initializes the translations so, for instance, for a French language translation, the command to run would be:{{cite web|url=http://www.icanlocalize.com/site/tutorials/how-to-translate-with-gettext-po-and-pot-files/ |title=How to Translate With GetText PO and POT Files |website=Icanlocalize.com |access-date=2016-04-03}} msginit --locale=fr --input=name.pot This will create fr.po. The translator then edits the resultant file, either by hand or with a translation tool like [Poedit](/source/Poedit), or [Emacs](/source/Emacs) with its editing mode for .po files. An edited entry will look like: #: src/name.c:36 msgid "My name is %s.\n" msgstr "Je m'appelle %s.\n" Finally, the .po files are compiled with msgfmt into binary .mo (Machine Object) files. GNU gettext may use its own file name extension .gmo on systems with another gettext implementation.{{cite web | url=https://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/manual/html_node/Files.html | title=Files Conveying Translations|website=Gnu.org | access-date=2014-04-22}} These are now ready for distribution with the software package. GNU msgfmt can also perform some checks relevant to the [format string](/source/format_string) used by the programming language. It also allows for outputting to language-specific formats other than MO;{{cite web |title=msgfmt Invocation |url=https://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/manual/html_node/msgfmt-Invocation.html |website=GNU gettext utilities}} the [X/Open](/source/X%2FOpen) equivalent is gencat. In later phases of the developmental workflow, msgmerge can be used to "update" an old translation to a newer template. There is also msgunfmt for reverse-compiling .mo files, and many other utilities for batch processing. ===Running=== The user, on [Unix](/source/Unix)-type systems, sets the [environment variable](/source/environment_variable) LC_MESSAGES, and the program will display strings in the selected language, if there is an .mo file for it. Users on [GNU variants](/source/GNU_variants) can also use the environment variable LANGUAGE instead. Its main difference from the Unix variable is that it supports multiple languages, separated with a colon, for fallback.{{cite web|url=https://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/manual/html_node/Locale-Environment-Variables.html#Locale-Environment-Variables |title=GNU gettext utilities: Locale Environment Variables |website=Gnu.org |access-date=2016-04-03}} == Plural form == The ngettext() interface accounts for the count of a noun in the string. As with the convention of gettext(), it is often aliased to N_ in practical use. Consider the code sample: // parameters: english singular, english plural, integer count printf(ngettext("%d translated message", "%d translated messages", n), n); A header in the "" (empty string) entry of the PO file stores some metadata, one of which is the plural form that the language uses, usually specified using a C-style [ternary operator](/source/%3F%3A). Suppose we want to translate for the [Slovene language](/source/Slovene_language): msgid "" msgstr "" "..." "Language: sl\n" "Plural-Forms: nplurals=4; plural=(n%100==1 ? 1 : n%100==2 ? 2 : n%100==3 || n%100==4 ? 3 : 0);\n" Since now there are four plural forms, the final po would look like: #: src/msgfmt.c:876 #, c-format msgid "%d translated message" msgid_plural "%d translated messages" msgstr[0] "%d prevedenih sporočil" msgstr[1] "%d prevedeno sporočilo" msgstr[2] "%d prevedeni sporočili" msgstr[3] "%d prevedena sporočila" Reference plural rules for languages are provided by the [Unicode consortium](/source/Unicode_consortium).{{cite web |title=Language Plural Rules |url=https://unicode.org/cldr/charts/latest/supplemental/language_plural_rules.html |website=unicode.org}} msginit also prefills the appropriate rule when creating a file for one specific language. ==Implementations== In addition to [C](/source/C_(programming_language)), gettext has the following implementations: [C#](/source/C_Sharp_(programming_language)) for both [ASP.NET](/source/ASP.NET){{cite web|url=https://code.google.com/p/gettext-cs-utils/ |title=Google Code Archive - Long-term storage for Google Code Project Hosting |website=Code.google.com |access-date=2016-04-03}}{{cite web|url=https://github.com/turquoiseowl/i18n |title=turquoiseowl/i18n: Smart internationalization for ASP.NET |website=GitHub.com |access-date=2016-04-03}} and for [WPF](/source/Windows_Presentation_Foundation),{{cite web|url=https://github.com/robert-j-engdahl/ngettext-wpf |title=NGettext.Wpf - Proper internationalization support for WPF (via NGettext)|website=[GitHub](/source/GitHub)|date=16 August 2019}} [Perl](/source/Perl),{{cite web|url=https://github.com/gflohr/libintl-perl |title=libintl-perl - An Internationalization Library for Perl That Aims To Be Compatible With the Uniforum Message Translations System as Implemented For Example in GNU Gettext |website=github.com |access-date=2017-09-14}} [PHP](/source/PHP),{{cite web|url=https://secure.php.net/manual/en/book.gettext.php |title=Gettext |website=php.net |access-date=2017-10-24}} [Python](/source/Python_(programming_language)),{{cite web|url=https://docs.python.org/library/gettext.html|title=gettext – Multilingual internationalization services – Python 3.7.0 documentation|website=docs.python.org|access-date=2018-09-21}} [R](/source/R_(programming_language)),{{Cite web|title=gettext: Translate Text Messages|url=https://rdrr.io/r/base/gettext.html|access-date=2021-11-13|website=rdrr.io|language=en}} [Scala](/source/Scala_(programming_language)),{{cite web|url=https://github.com/makkarpov/scalingua|title=makkarpov/scalingua: A simple gettext-like internationalization library for Scala|website=github.com|access-date=2016-04-28}} and [Node.js](/source/Node.js).{{cite web|url=https://github.com/DanielBaulig/node-gettext |title=DanielBaulig/node-gettext: An adaption of Joshua I. Miller's Javascript Gettext library for node.js |website=GitHub.com |access-date=2016-04-03}} GNU gettext has native support for Objective-C, but there is no support for the [Swift programming language](/source/Swift_programming_language) yet. A commonly used gettext implementation on these Cocoa platforms is POLocalizedString.{{cite web |title=hulab/POLocalizedString: gettext for iOS/OS X/watchOS/tvOS |url=https://github.com/hulab/POLocalizedString |website=GitHub |publisher=hulab |date=19 September 2019}} The Microsoft Outlook for iOS team also provides a LocalizedStringsKit library with a gettext-like API.{{cite web |title=microsoft/LocalizedStringKit: Generate .strings files directly from your code |url=https://github.com/microsoft/LocalizedStringKit |website=GitHub |publisher=Microsoft |date=12 February 2020}} ==See also== {{Commons category|GNU gettext}} {{Portal|Free and open-source software}} * [gtranslator](/source/gtranslator) * [Poedit](/source/Poedit) * [Translate Toolkit](/source/Translate_Toolkit) * [Virtaal](/source/Virtaal) * [Weblate](/source/Weblate) ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * {{official website|https://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/gettext.html|Official GNU gettext site}} Category:GNU Project software Category:Internationalization and localization Category:Software-localization tools --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gettext](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettext) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettext?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.