gettext-tools/doc/msgfilter.texi

@c This file is part of the GNU gettext manual.
@c Copyright (C) 1995-2019 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@c See the file gettext.texi for copying conditions.

@pindex msgfilter
@cindex @code{msgfilter} program, usage
@example
msgfilter [@var{option}] @var{filter} [@var{filter-option}]
@end example

@cindex apply a filter to translations
The @code{msgfilter} program applies a filter to all translations of a
translation catalog.

@vindex MSGFILTER_MSGCTXT@r{, environment variable}
@vindex MSGFILTER_MSGID@r{, environment variable}
@vindex MSGFILTER_MSGID_PLURAL@r{, environment variable}
@vindex MSGFILTER_LOCATION@r{, environment variable}
@vindex MSGFILTER_PLURAL_FORM@r{, environment variable}
@vindex MSGFILTER_PREV_MSGCTXT@r{, environment variable}
@vindex MSGFILTER_PREV_MSGID@r{, environment variable}
@vindex MSGFILTER_PREV_MSGID_PLURAL@r{, environment variable}
During each @var{filter} invocation, the environment variable
@code{MSGFILTER_MSGID} is bound to the message's msgid, and the environment
variable @code{MSGFILTER_LOCATION} is bound to the location in the PO file
of the message.  If the message has a context, the environment variable
@code{MSGFILTER_MSGCTXT} is bound to the message's msgctxt, otherwise it is
unbound.  If the message has a plural form, environment variable
@code{MSGFILTER_MSGID_PLURAL} is bound to the message's msgid_plural and
@code{MSGFILTER_PLURAL_FORM} is bound to the order number of the plural
actually processed (starting with 0), otherwise both are unbound.
If the message has a previous msgid (added by @code{msgmerge}),
environment variable @code{MSGFILTER_PREV_MSGCTXT} is bound to the
message's previous msgctxt, @code{MSGFILTER_PREV_MSGID} is bound to
the previous msgid, and @code{MSGFILTER_PREV_MSGID_PLURAL} is bound to
the previous msgid_plural.

@subsection Input file location

@table @samp
@item -i @var{inputfile}
@itemx --input=@var{inputfile}
@opindex -i@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
@opindex --input@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Input PO file.

@item -D @var{directory}
@itemx --directory=@var{directory}
@opindex -D@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
@opindex --directory@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Add @var{directory} to the list of directories.  Source files are
searched relative to this list of directories.  The resulting @file{.po}
file will be written relative to the current directory, though.

@end table

If no @var{inputfile} is given or if it is @samp{-}, standard input is read.

@subsection Output file location

@table @samp
@item -o @var{file}
@itemx --output-file=@var{file}
@opindex -o@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
@opindex --output-file@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Write output to specified file.

@end table

The results are written to standard output if no output file is specified
or if it is @samp{-}.

@subsection The filter

The @var{filter} can be any program that reads a translation from standard
input and writes a modified translation to standard output.  A frequently
used filter is @samp{sed}.  A few particular built-in filters are also
recognized.

@table @samp
@item --newline
@opindex --newline@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Add newline at the end of each input line and also strip the ending
newline from the output line.

@end table

@cindex @code{msgfilter} filter and catalog encoding
Note: If the filter is not a built-in filter, you have to care about encodings:
It is your responsibility to ensure that the @var{filter} can cope
with input encoded in the translation catalog's encoding.  If the
@var{filter} wants input in a particular encoding, you can in a first step
convert the translation catalog to that encoding using the @samp{msgconv}
program, before invoking @samp{msgfilter}.  If the @var{filter} wants input
in the locale's encoding, but you want to avoid the locale's encoding, then
you can first convert the translation catalog to UTF-8 using the
@samp{msgconv} program and then make @samp{msgfilter} work in an UTF-8
locale, by using the @code{LC_ALL} environment variable.

@cindex portability problems with @code{sed}
Note: Most translations in a translation catalog don't end with a
newline character.  For this reason, unless the @code{--newline}
option is used, it is important that the @var{filter} recognizes its
last input line even if it ends without a newline, and that it doesn't
add an undesired trailing newline at the end.  The @samp{sed} program on
some platforms is known to ignore the last line of input if it is not
terminated with a newline.  You can use GNU @code{sed} instead; it does
not have this limitation.

@subsection Useful @var{filter-option}s when the @var{filter} is @samp{sed}

@table @samp
@item -e @var{script}
@itemx --expression=@var{script}
@opindex -e@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
@opindex --expression@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Add @var{script} to the commands to be executed.

@item -f @var{scriptfile}
@itemx --file=@var{scriptfile}
@opindex -f@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
@opindex --file@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Add the contents of @var{scriptfile} to the commands to be executed.

@item -n
@itemx --quiet
@itemx --silent
@opindex -n@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
@opindex --quiet@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
@opindex --silent@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Suppress automatic printing of pattern space.

@end table

@subsection Built-in @var{filter}s

@pindex recode-sr-latin
@cindex @code{recode-sr-latin} program
The filter @samp{recode-sr-latin} is recognized as a built-in filter.
The command @samp{recode-sr-latin} converts Serbian text, written in the
Cyrillic script, to the Latin script.
The command @samp{msgfilter recode-sr-latin} applies this conversion to the
translations of a PO file.  Thus, it can be used to convert an @file{sr.po}
file to an @file{sr@@latin.po} file.

@pindex quot
The filter @samp{quot} is recognized as a built-in filter.
The command @samp{msgfilter quot} converts any quotations surrounded
by a pair of @samp{"}, @samp{'}, and @samp{`}.

@pindex boldquot
The filter @samp{boldquot} is recognized as a built-in filter.
The command @samp{msgfilter boldquot} converts any quotations
surrounded by a pair of @samp{"}, @samp{'}, and @samp{`}, also adding the
VT100 escape sequences to the text to decorate it as bold.

The use of built-in filters is not sensitive to the current locale's encoding.
Moreover, when used with a built-in filter, @samp{msgfilter} can automatically
convert the message catalog to the UTF-8 encoding when needed.

@subsection Input file syntax

@table @samp
@item -P
@itemx --properties-input
@opindex -P@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
@opindex --properties-input@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Assume the input file is a Java ResourceBundle in Java @code{.properties}
syntax, not in PO file syntax.

@item --stringtable-input
@opindex --stringtable-input@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Assume the input file is a NeXTstep/GNUstep localized resource file in
@code{.strings} syntax, not in PO file syntax.

@end table

@subsection Output details

@c --no-escape and --escape omitted on purpose.  They are not useful.

@table @samp
@item --color
@itemx --color=@var{when}
@opindex --color@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Specify whether or when to use colors and other text attributes.
See @ref{The --color option} for details.

@item --style=@var{style_file}
@opindex --style@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Specify the CSS style rule file to use for @code{--color}.
See @ref{The --style option} for details.

@item --force-po
@opindex --force-po@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Always write an output file even if it contains no message.

@item --indent
@opindex --indent@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Write the .po file using indented style.

@item --keep-header
@opindex --keep-header@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Keep the header entry, i.e.@: the message with @samp{msgid ""}, unmodified,
instead of filtering it.  By default, the header entry is subject to
filtering like any other message.

@item --no-location
@opindex --no-location@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Do not write @samp{#: @var{filename}:@var{line}} lines.

@item -n
@itemx --add-location=@var{type}
@opindex --add-location@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Generate @samp{#: @var{filename}:@var{line}} lines (default).

The optional @var{type} can be either @samp{full}, @samp{file}, or
@samp{never}.  If it is not given or @samp{full}, it generates the
lines with both file name and line number.  If it is @samp{file}, the
line number part is omitted.  If it is @samp{never}, it completely
suppresses the lines (same as @code{--no-location}).

@item --strict
@opindex --strict@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Write out a strict Uniforum conforming PO file.  Note that this
Uniforum format should be avoided because it doesn't support the
GNU extensions.

@item -p
@itemx --properties-output
@opindex -p@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
@opindex --properties-output@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Write out a Java ResourceBundle in Java @code{.properties} syntax.  Note
that this file format doesn't support plural forms and silently drops
obsolete messages.

@item --stringtable-output
@opindex --stringtable-output@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Write out a NeXTstep/GNUstep localized resource file in @code{.strings} syntax.
Note that this file format doesn't support plural forms.

@item -w @var{number}
@itemx --width=@var{number}
@opindex -w@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
@opindex --width@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Set the output page width.  Long strings in the output files will be
split across multiple lines in order to ensure that each line's width
(= number of screen columns) is less or equal to the given @var{number}.

@item --no-wrap
@opindex --no-wrap@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Do not break long message lines.  Message lines whose width exceeds the
output page width will not be split into several lines.  Only file reference
lines which are wider than the output page width will be split.

@item -s
@itemx --sort-output
@opindex -s@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
@opindex --sort-output@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Generate sorted output.  Note that using this option makes it much harder
for the translator to understand each message's context.

@item -F
@itemx --sort-by-file
@opindex -F@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
@opindex --sort-by-file@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Sort output by file location.

@end table

@subsection Informative output

@table @samp
@item -h
@itemx --help
@opindex -h@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
@opindex --help@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Display this help and exit.

@item -V
@itemx --version
@opindex -V@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
@opindex --version@r{, @code{msgfilter} option}
Output version information and exit.

@end table

@subsection Examples

To convert German translations to Swiss orthography (in an UTF-8 locale):

@smallexample
msgconv -t UTF-8 de.po | msgfilter sed -e 's/@ss{}/ss/g'
@end smallexample

To convert Serbian translations in Cyrillic script to Latin script:

@smallexample
msgfilter recode-sr-latin < sr.po
@end smallexample