summaryrefslogtreecommitdiffstats
path: root/doc/msgcat.n
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'doc/msgcat.n')
-rw-r--r--doc/msgcat.n183
1 files changed, 137 insertions, 46 deletions
diff --git a/doc/msgcat.n b/doc/msgcat.n
index 6fdc31a..57fbb78 100644
--- a/doc/msgcat.n
+++ b/doc/msgcat.n
@@ -5,15 +5,15 @@
'\" of this file, and for a DISCLAIMER OF ALL WARRANTIES.
'\"
.so man.macros
-.TH "msgcat" n 1.3 msgcat "Tcl Bundled Packages"
+.TH "msgcat" n 1.5 msgcat "Tcl Bundled Packages"
.BS
'\" Note: do not modify the .SH NAME line immediately below!
.SH NAME
msgcat \- Tcl message catalog
.SH SYNOPSIS
-\fBpackage require Tcl 8.2\fR
+\fBpackage require Tcl 8.5\fR
.sp
-\fBpackage require msgcat 1.3.5\fR
+\fBpackage require msgcat 1.5.0\fR
.sp
\fB::msgcat::mc \fIsrc-string\fR ?\fIarg arg ...\fR?
.sp
@@ -29,15 +29,21 @@ msgcat \- Tcl message catalog
.sp
\fB::msgcat::mcmset \fIlocale src-trans-list\fR
.sp
+.VS "TIP 404"
+\fB::msgcat::mcflset \fIsrc-string \fR?\fItranslate-string\fR?
+.sp
+\fB::msgcat::mcflmset \fIsrc-trans-list\fR
+.VE "TIP 404"
+.sp
\fB::msgcat::mcunknown \fIlocale src-string\fR
.BE
-
.SH DESCRIPTION
.PP
The \fBmsgcat\fR package provides a set of functions
that can be used to manage multi-lingual user interfaces.
-Text strings are defined in a ``message catalog'' which
-is independent from the application, and
+Text strings are defined in a
+.QW "message catalog"
+which is independent from the application, and
which can be edited or localized without modifying
the application source code. New languages
or locales are provided by adding a new file to
@@ -49,10 +55,12 @@ wishes to be enabled for multi-lingual applications.
.SH COMMANDS
.TP
\fB::msgcat::mc \fIsrc-string\fR ?\fIarg arg ...\fR?
+.
Returns a translation of \fIsrc-string\fR according to the
user's current locale. If additional arguments past \fIsrc-string\fR
are given, the \fBformat\fR command is used to substitute the
additional arguments in the translation of \fIsrc-string\fR.
+.RS
.PP
\fB::msgcat::mc\fR will search the messages defined
in the current namespace for a translation of \fIsrc-string\fR; if
@@ -67,14 +75,17 @@ application can pass the English string through \fB::msgcat::mc\fR and
use the result. If an application is written for a single language in
this fashion, then it is easy to add support for additional languages
later simply by defining new message catalog entries.
+.RE
.TP
\fB::msgcat::mcmax ?\fIsrc-string src-string ...\fR?
+.
Given several source strings, \fB::msgcat::mcmax\fR returns the length
of the longest translated string. This is useful when designing
localized GUIs, which may require that all buttons, for example, be a
fixed width (which will be the width of the widest button).
.TP
-\fB::msgcat::mclocale \fR?\fInewLocale\fR?
+\fB::msgcat::mclocale \fR?\fInewLocale\fR?
+.
This function sets the locale to \fInewLocale\fR. If \fInewLocale\fR
is omitted, the current locale is returned, otherwise the current locale
is set to \fInewLocale\fR. msgcat stores and compares the locale in a
@@ -84,6 +95,7 @@ the user's environment. See \fBLOCALE SPECIFICATION\fR
below for a description of the locale string format.
.TP
\fB::msgcat::mcpreferences\fR
+.
Returns an ordered list of the locales preferred by
the user, based on the user's language specification.
The list is ordered from most specific to least
@@ -91,13 +103,15 @@ preference. The list is derived from the current
locale set in msgcat by \fB::msgcat::mclocale\fR, and
cannot be set independently. For example, if the
current locale is en_US_funky, then \fB::msgcat::mcpreferences\fR
-returns \fB{en_US_funky en_US en}\fR.
+returns \fB{en_US_funky en_US en {}}\fR.
.TP
\fB::msgcat::mcload \fIdirname\fR
+.
Searches the specified directory for files that match
the language specifications returned by \fB::msgcat::mcpreferences\fR
-(note that these are all lowercase), extended by the file
-extension ``.msg''. Each matching file is
+(note that these are all lowercase), extended by the file extension
+.QW .msg .
+Each matching file is
read in order, assuming a UTF-8 encoding. The file contents are
then evaluated as a Tcl script. This means that Unicode characters
may be present in the message file either directly in their UTF-8
@@ -106,12 +120,14 @@ evaluation. The number of message files which matched the specification
and were loaded is returned.
.TP
\fB::msgcat::mcset \fIlocale src-string \fR?\fItranslate-string\fR?
+.
Sets the translation for \fIsrc-string\fR to \fItranslate-string\fR
in the specified \fIlocale\fR and the current namespace. If
\fItranslate-string\fR is not specified, \fIsrc-string\fR is used
for both. The function returns \fItranslate-string\fR.
.TP
\fB::msgcat::mcmset \fIlocale src-trans-list\fR
+.
Sets the translation for multiple source strings in
\fIsrc-trans-list\fR in the specified \fIlocale\fR and the current
namespace.
@@ -121,7 +137,28 @@ translate-string ...\fR?} \fB::msgcat::mcmset\fR can be significantly
faster than multiple invocations of \fB::msgcat::mcset\fR. The function
returns the number of translations set.
.TP
+\fB::msgcat::mcflset \fIsrc-string \fR?\fItranslate-string\fR?
+.VS "TIP 404"
+Sets the translation for \fIsrc-string\fR to \fItranslate-string\fR in the
+current namespace for the locale implied by the name of the message catalog
+being loaded via \fB::msgcat::mcload\fR. If \fItranslate-string\fR is not
+specified, \fIsrc-string\fR is used for both. The function returns
+\fItranslate-string\fR.
+.VE "TIP 404"
+.TP
+\fB::msgcat::mcflmset \fIsrc-trans-list\fR
+.VS "TIP 404"
+Sets the translation for multiple source strings in \fIsrc-trans-list\fR in
+the current namespace for the locale implied by the name of the message
+catalog being loaded via \fB::msgcat::mcload\fR. \fIsrc-trans-list\fR must
+have an even number of elements and is in the form {\fIsrc-string
+translate-string\fR ?\fIsrc-string translate-string ...\fR?}
+\fB::msgcat::mcflmset\fR can be significantly faster than multiple invocations
+of \fB::msgcat::mcflset\fR. The function returns the number of translations set.
+.VE "TIP 404"
+.TP
\fB::msgcat::mcunknown \fIlocale src-string\fR
+.
This routine is called by \fB::msgcat::mc\fR in the case when
a translation for \fIsrc-string\fR is not defined in the
current locale. The default action is to return
@@ -137,36 +174,57 @@ The locale is specified to \fBmsgcat\fR by a locale string
passed to \fB::msgcat::mclocale\fR.
The locale string consists of
a language code, an optional country code, and an optional
-system-specific code, each separated by ``_''. The country and language
+system-specific code, each separated by
+.QW _ .
+The country and language
codes are specified in standards ISO-639 and ISO-3166.
-For example, the locale ``en'' specifies English and ``en_US'' specifies
-U.S. English.
+For example, the locale
+.QW en
+specifies English and
+.QW en_US
+specifies U.S. English.
.PP
When the msgcat package is first loaded, the locale is initialized
according to the user's environment. The variables \fBenv(LC_ALL)\fR,
\fBenv(LC_MESSAGES)\fR, and \fBenv(LANG)\fR are examined in order.
The first of them to have a non-empty value is used to determine the
initial locale. The value is parsed according to the XPG4 pattern
+.PP
.CS
language[_country][.codeset][@modifier]
.CE
+.PP
to extract its parts. The initial locale is then set by calling
\fB::msgcat::mclocale\fR with the argument
+.PP
.CS
language[_country][_modifier]
.CE
-On Windows, if none of those environment variables is set, msgcat will
-attempt to extract locale information from the
-registry. If all these attempts to discover an initial locale
-from the user's environment fail, msgcat defaults to an initial
-locale of ``C''.
-.PP
-When a locale is specified by the user, a ``best match'' search is
-performed during string translation. For example, if a user specifies
-en_GB_Funky, the locales ``en_GB_Funky'', ``en_GB'', and ``en'' are
-searched in order until a matching translation string is found. If no
-translation string is available, then \fB::msgcat::mcunknown\fR is
-called.
+.PP
+On Windows and Cygwin, if none of those environment variables is set,
+msgcat will attempt to extract locale information from the registry.
+From Windows Vista on, the RFC4747 locale name "lang-script-country-options"
+is transformed to the locale as "lang_country_script" (Example:
+sr-Latn-CS -> sr_cs_latin). For Windows XP, the language id is
+transformed analoguously (Example: 0c1a -> sr_yu_cyrillic).
+If all these attempts to discover an initial locale from the user's
+environment fail, msgcat defaults to an initial locale of
+.QW C .
+.PP
+When a locale is specified by the user, a
+.QW "best match"
+search is performed during string translation. For example, if a user
+specifies
+en_GB_Funky, the locales
+.QW en_GB_Funky ,
+.QW en_GB ,
+.QW en
+and
+.MT
+(the empty string)
+are searched in order until a matching translation
+string is found. If no translation string is available, then
+\fB::msgcat::mcunknown\fR is called.
.SH "NAMESPACES AND MESSAGE CATALOGS"
.PP
Strings stored in the message catalog are stored relative
@@ -177,15 +235,18 @@ source string to be shorter and less prone to typographical
error.
.PP
For example, executing the code
+.PP
.CS
\fB::msgcat::mcset\fR en hello "hello from ::"
namespace eval foo {
- \fB::msgcat::mcset\fR en hello "hello from ::foo"
+ \fB::msgcat::mcset\fR en hello "hello from ::foo"
}
puts [\fB::msgcat::mc\fR hello]
namespace eval foo {puts [\fB::msgcat::mc\fR hello]}
.CE
+.PP
will print
+.PP
.CS
hello from ::
hello from ::foo
@@ -194,27 +255,33 @@ hello from ::foo
When searching for a translation of a message, the
message catalog will search first the current namespace,
then the parent of the current namespace, and so on until
-the global namespace is reached. This allows child namespaces
-to "inherit" messages from their parent namespace.
+the global namespace is reached. This allows child namespaces to
+.QW inherit
+messages from their parent namespace.
+.PP
+For example, executing (in the
+.QW en
+locale) the code
.PP
-For example, executing (in the ``en'' locale) the code
.CS
\fB::msgcat::mcset\fR en m1 ":: message1"
\fB::msgcat::mcset\fR en m2 ":: message2"
\fB::msgcat::mcset\fR en m3 ":: message3"
namespace eval ::foo {
- \fB::msgcat::mcset\fR en m2 "::foo message2"
- \fB::msgcat::mcset\fR en m3 "::foo message3"
+ \fB::msgcat::mcset\fR en m2 "::foo message2"
+ \fB::msgcat::mcset\fR en m3 "::foo message3"
}
namespace eval ::foo::bar {
- \fB::msgcat::mcset\fR en m3 "::foo::bar message3"
+ \fB::msgcat::mcset\fR en m3 "::foo::bar message3"
}
namespace import \fB::msgcat::mc\fR
puts "[\fBmc\fR m1]; [\fBmc\fR m2]; [\fBmc\fR m3]"
namespace eval ::foo {puts "[\fBmc\fR m1]; [\fBmc\fR m2]; [\fBmc\fR m3]"}
namespace eval ::foo::bar {puts "[\fBmc\fR m1]; [\fBmc\fR m2]; [\fBmc\fR m3]"}
.CE
+.PP
will print
+.PP
.CS
:: message1; :: message2; :: message3
:: message1; ::foo message2; ::foo message3
@@ -227,21 +294,33 @@ to the following conditions:
.IP [1]
All message files for a package are in the same directory.
.IP [2]
-The message file name is a msgcat locale specifier (all lowercase)
-followed by ``.msg''. For example:
+The message file name is a msgcat locale specifier (all lowercase) followed by
+.QW .msg .
+For example:
+.PP
.CS
-es.msg -- spanish
-en_gb.msg -- United Kingdom English
+es.msg \(em spanish
+en_gb.msg \(em United Kingdom English
.CE
+.PP
+\fIException:\fR The message file for the root locale
+.MT
+is called
+.QW \fBROOT.msg\fR .
+This exception is made so as not to
+cause peculiar behavior, such as marking the message file as
+.QW hidden
+on Unix file systems.
.IP [3]
-The file contains a series of calls to \fBmcset\fR and
-\fBmcmset\fR, setting the necessary translation strings
+The file contains a series of calls to \fBmcflset\fR and
+\fBmcflmset\fR, setting the necessary translation strings
for the language, likely enclosed in a \fBnamespace eval\fR
so that all source strings are tied to the namespace of
the package. For example, a short \fBes.msg\fR might contain:
+.PP
.CS
namespace eval ::mypackage {
- \fB::msgcat::mcset\fR es "Free Beer!" "Cerveza Gracias!"
+ \fB::msgcat::mcflset\fR "Free Beer!" "Cerveza Gracias!"
}
.CE
.SH "RECOMMENDED MESSAGE SETUP FOR PACKAGES"
@@ -255,8 +334,8 @@ During package installation, create a subdirectory
.IP [2]
Copy your *.msg files into that directory.
.IP [3]
- Add the following command to your package
-initialization script:
+Add the following command to your package initialization script:
+.PP
.CS
# load language files, stored in msgs subdirectory
\fB::msgcat::mcload\fR [file join [file dirname [info script]] msgs]
@@ -268,6 +347,7 @@ to \fBformat\fR might have positionally dependent parameters that
might need to be repositioned. For example, it might be
syntactically desirable to rearrange the sentence structure
while translating.
+.PP
.CS
format "We produced %d units in location %s" $num $city
format "In location %s we produced %d units" $city $num
@@ -275,19 +355,30 @@ format "In location %s we produced %d units" $city $num
.PP
This can be handled by using the positional
parameters:
+.PP
.CS
-format "We produced %1\\$d units in location %2\\$s" $num $city
-format "In location %2\\$s we produced %1\\$d units" $num $city
+format "We produced %1\e$d units in location %2\e$s" $num $city
+format "In location %2\e$s we produced %1\e$d units" $num $city
.CE
.PP
Similarly, positional parameters can be used with \fBscan\fR to
-extract values from internationalized strings.
+extract values from internationalized strings. Note that it is not
+necessary to pass the output of \fB::msgcat::mc\fR to \fBformat\fR
+directly; by passing the values to substitute in as arguments, the
+formatting substitution is done directly.
+.PP
+.CS
+\fBmsgcat::mc\fR {Produced %1$d at %2$s} $num $city
+# ... where that key is mapped to one of the
+# human-oriented versions by \fBmsgcat::mcset\fR
+.CE
.SH CREDITS
.PP
The message catalog code was developed by Mark Harrison.
-
.SH "SEE ALSO"
format(n), scan(n), namespace(n), package(n)
-
.SH KEYWORDS
internationalization, i18n, localization, l10n, message, text, translation
+.\" Local Variables:
+.\" mode: nroff
+.\" End: