@pindex msgen
@cindex @code{msgen} program, usage
@example
msgen [@var{option}] @var{inputfile}
@end example

@cindex generate translation catalog in English
The @code{msgen} program creates an English translation catalog.  The
input file is the last created English PO file, or a PO Template file
(generally created by xgettext).  Untranslated entries are assigned a
translation that is identical to the msgid, and are marked fuzzy.

Note: @samp{msginit --no-translator --locale=en} performs a very similar
task. The main difference is that @code{msginit} cares specially about
the header entry, whereas @code{msgen} doesn't.

@subsection Input file location

@table @samp
@item @var{inputfile}
Input PO or POT file.

@item -D @var{directory}
@itemx --directory=@var{directory}
@opindex -D@r{, @code{msgen} option}
@opindex --directory@r{, @code{msgen} 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 @var{inputfile} 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{msgen} option}
@opindex --output-file@r{, @code{msgen} 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 Output details

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

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

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

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

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

@item --strict
@opindex --strict@r{, @code{msgen} 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 -w @var{number}
@itemx --width=@var{number}
@opindex -w@r{, @code{msgen} option}
@opindex --width@r{, @code{msgen} 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 -s
@itemx --sort-output
@opindex -s@r{, @code{msgen} option}
@opindex --sort-output@r{, @code{msgen} 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{msgen} option}
@opindex --sort-by-file@r{, @code{msgen} option}
Sort output by file location.

@end table

@subsection Informative output

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

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

@end table