2 @cindex @code{msgmerge} program, usage
4 msgmerge [@var{option}] @var{def}.po @var{ref}.pot
7 The @code{msgmerge} program merges two Uniforum style .po files together.
8 The @var{def}.po file is an existing PO file with translations which will
9 be taken over to the newly created file as long as they still match;
10 comments will be preserved, but extracted comments and file positions will
11 be discarded. The @var{ref}.pot file is the last created PO file with
12 up-to-date source references but old translations, or a PO Template file
13 (generally created by @code{xgettext}); any translations or comments
14 in the file will be discarded, however dot comments and file positions
15 will be preserved. Where an exact match cannot be found, fuzzy matching
16 is used to produce better results.
18 @subsection Input file location
22 Translations referring to old sources.
25 References to the new sources.
27 @item -D @var{directory}
28 @itemx --directory=@var{directory}
29 @opindex -D@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
30 @opindex --directory@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
31 Add @var{directory} to the list of directories. Source files are
32 searched relative to this list of directories. The resulting @file{.po}
33 file will be written relative to the current directory, though.
36 @itemx --compendium=@var{file}
37 @opindex -C@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
38 @opindex --compendium@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
39 Specify an additional library of message translations. @xref{Compendium}.
40 This option may be specified more than once.
44 @subsection Operation mode
49 @opindex -U@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
50 @opindex --update@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
51 Update @var{def}.po. Do nothing if @var{def}.po is already up to date.
55 @subsection Output file location
59 @itemx --output-file=@var{file}
60 @opindex -o@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
61 @opindex --output-file@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
62 Write output to specified file.
66 @cindex standard output, and @code{msgmerge} program
67 The results are written to standard output if no output file is specified
70 @subsection Output file location in update mode
72 The result is written back to @var{def}.po.
75 @item --backup=@var{control}
76 @opindex --backup@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
77 @cindex backup old file, and @code{msgmerge} program
78 Make a backup of @var{def}.po
80 @item --suffix=@var{suffix}
81 @opindex --suffix@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
82 Override the usual backup suffix.
86 @cindex version control for backup files, @code{msgmerge}
87 The version control method may be selected via the @code{--backup} option
88 or through the @code{VERSION_CONTROL} environment variable. Here are the
94 Never make backups (even if @code{--backup} is given).
98 Make numbered backups.
102 Make numbered backups if numbered backups for this file already exist,
103 otherwise make simple backups.
107 Always make simple backups.
111 The backup suffix is @samp{~}, unless set with @code{--suffix} or the
112 @code{SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX} environment variable.
114 @subsection Operation modifiers
118 @itemx --multi-domain
119 @opindex -m@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
120 @opindex --multi-domain@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
121 Apply @var{ref}.pot to each of the domains in @var{def}.po.
124 @itemx --no-fuzzy-matching
125 @opindex -N@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
126 @opindex --no-fuzzy-matching@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
127 Do not use fuzzy matching when an exact match is not found. This may speed
128 up the operation considerably.
131 @opindex --previous@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
132 Keep the previous msgids of translated messages, marked with @samp{#|}, when
133 adding the fuzzy marker to such messages.
136 @subsection Input file syntax
140 @itemx --properties-input
141 @opindex -P@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
142 @opindex --properties-input@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
143 Assume the input files are Java ResourceBundles in Java @code{.properties}
144 syntax, not in PO file syntax.
146 @item --stringtable-input
147 @opindex --stringtable-input@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
148 Assume the input files are NeXTstep/GNUstep localized resource files in
149 @code{.strings} syntax, not in PO file syntax.
153 @subsection Output details
155 @c --no-escape and --escape omitted on purpose. They are not useful.
158 @item --lang=@var{catalogname}
159 @opindex --lang@r{, @code{msgcat} option}
160 Specify the @samp{Language} field to be used in the header entry. See
161 @ref{Header Entry} for the meaning of this field. Note: The
162 @samp{Language-Team} and @samp{Plural-Forms} fields are left unchanged.
163 If this option is not specified, the @samp{Language} field is inferred, as
164 best as possible, from the @samp{Language-Team} field.
167 @itemx --color=@var{when}
168 @opindex --color@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
169 Specify whether or when to use colors and other text attributes.
170 See @ref{The --color option} for details.
172 @item --style=@var{style_file}
173 @opindex --style@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
174 Specify the CSS style rule file to use for @code{--color}.
175 See @ref{The --style option} for details.
178 @opindex --force-po@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
179 Always write an output file even if it contains no message.
183 @opindex -i@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
184 @opindex --indent@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
185 Write the .po file using indented style.
188 @opindex --no-location@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
189 Do not write @samp{#: @var{filename}:@var{line}} lines.
192 @opindex --add-location@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
193 Generate @samp{#: @var{filename}:@var{line}} lines (default).
196 @opindex --strict@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
197 Write out a strict Uniforum conforming PO file. Note that this
198 Uniforum format should be avoided because it doesn't support the
202 @itemx --properties-output
203 @opindex -p@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
204 @opindex --properties-output@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
205 Write out a Java ResourceBundle in Java @code{.properties} syntax. Note
206 that this file format doesn't support plural forms and silently drops
209 @item --stringtable-output
210 @opindex --stringtable-output@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
211 Write out a NeXTstep/GNUstep localized resource file in @code{.strings} syntax.
212 Note that this file format doesn't support plural forms.
214 @item -w @var{number}
215 @itemx --width=@var{number}
216 @opindex -w@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
217 @opindex --width@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
218 Set the output page width. Long strings in the output files will be
219 split across multiple lines in order to ensure that each line's width
220 (= number of screen columns) is less or equal to the given @var{number}.
223 @opindex --no-wrap@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
224 Do not break long message lines. Message lines whose width exceeds the
225 output page width will not be split into several lines. Only file reference
226 lines which are wider than the output page width will be split.
230 @opindex -s@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
231 @opindex --sort-output@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
232 @cindex sorting @code{msgmerge} output
233 Generate sorted output. Note that using this option makes it much harder
234 for the translator to understand each message's context.
237 @itemx --sort-by-file
238 @opindex -F@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
239 @opindex --sort-by-file@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
240 Sort output by file location.
244 @subsection Informative output
249 @opindex -h@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
250 @opindex --help@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
251 Display this help and exit.
255 @opindex -V@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
256 @opindex --version@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
257 Output version information and exit.
261 @opindex -v@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
262 @opindex --verbose@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
263 Increase verbosity level.
268 @opindex -q@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
269 @opindex --quiet@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
270 @opindex --silent@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
271 Suppress progress indicators.