path: root/gettext-tools/doc/msgmerge.texi

@pindex msgmerge
@cindex @code{msgmerge} program, usage
@example
msgmerge [@var{option}] @var{def}.po @var{ref}.pot
@end example

The @code{msgmerge} program merges two Uniforum style .po files together.
The @var{def}.po file is an existing PO file with translations which will
be taken over to the newly created file as long as they still match;
comments will be preserved, but extracted comments and file positions will
be discarded.  The @var{ref}.pot file is the last created PO file with
up-to-date source references but old translations, or a PO Template file
(generally created by @code{xgettext}); any translations or comments
in the file will be discarded, however dot comments and file positions
will be preserved.  Where an exact match cannot be found, fuzzy matching
is used to produce better results.

@subsection Input file location

@table @samp
@item @var{def}.po
Translations referring to old sources.

@item @var{ref}.pot
References to the new sources.

@item -D @var{directory}
@itemx --directory=@var{directory}
@opindex -D@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
@opindex --directory@r{, @code{msgmerge} 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.

@item -C @var{file}
@itemx --compendium=@var{file}
@opindex -C@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
@opindex --compendium@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
Specify an additional library of message translations.  @xref{Compendium}.
This option may be specified more than once.

@end table

@subsection Operation mode

@table @samp
@item -U
@itemx --update
@opindex -U@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
@opindex --update@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
Update @var{def}.po.  Do nothing if @var{def}.po is already up to date.

@end table

@subsection Output file location

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

@end table

@cindex standard output, and @code{msgmerge} program
The results are written to standard output if no output file is specified
or if it is @samp{-}.

@subsection Output file location in update mode

The result is written back to @var{def}.po.

@table @samp
@item --backup=@var{control}
@opindex --backup@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
@cindex backup old file, and @code{msgmerge} program
Make a backup of @var{def}.po

@item --suffix=@var{suffix}
@opindex --suffix@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
Override the usual backup suffix.

@end table

@cindex version control for backup files, @code{msgmerge}
The version control method may be selected via the @code{--backup} option
or through the @code{VERSION_CONTROL} environment variable.  Here are the
values:

@table @samp
@item none
@itemx off
Never make backups (even if @code{--backup} is given).

@item numbered
@itemx t
Make numbered backups.

@item existing
@itemx nil
Make numbered backups if numbered backups for this file already exist,
otherwise make simple backups.

@item simple
@itemx never
Always make simple backups.

@end table

The backup suffix is @samp{~}, unless set with @code{--suffix} or the
@code{SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX} environment variable.

@subsection Operation modifiers

@table @samp
@item -m
@itemx --multi-domain
@opindex -m@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
@opindex --multi-domain@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
Apply @var{ref}.pot to each of the domains in @var{def}.po.

@item -N
@itemx --no-fuzzy-matching
@opindex -N@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
@opindex --no-fuzzy-matching@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
Do not use fuzzy matching when an exact match is not found.  This may speed
up the operation considerably.

@item --previous
@opindex --previous@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
Keep the previous msgids of translated messages, marked with @samp{#|}, when
adding the fuzzy marker to such messages.
@end table

@subsection Input file syntax

@table @samp
@item -P
@itemx --properties-input
@opindex -P@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
@opindex --properties-input@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
Assume the input files are Java ResourceBundles in Java @code{.properties}
syntax, not in PO file syntax.

@item --stringtable-input
@opindex --stringtable-input@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
Assume the input files are NeXTstep/GNUstep localized resource files 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 --lang=@var{catalogname}
@opindex --lang@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
Specify the @samp{Language} field to be used in the header entry.  See
@ref{Header Entry} for the meaning of this field.  Note: The
@samp{Language-Team} and @samp{Plural-Forms} fields are left unchanged.
If this option is not specified, the @samp{Language} field is inferred, as
best as possible, from the @samp{Language-Team} field.

@item --color
@itemx --color=@var{when}
@opindex --color@r{, @code{msgmerge} 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{msgmerge} 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{msgmerge} option}
Always write an output file even if it contains no message.

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

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

@item -n
@itemx --add-location=@var{type}
@opindex --add-location@r{, @code{msgmerge} 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{msgmerge} 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{msgmerge} option}
@opindex --properties-output@r{, @code{msgmerge} 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{msgmerge} 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{msgmerge} option}
@opindex --width@r{, @code{msgmerge} 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{msgmerge} 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{msgmerge} option}
@opindex --sort-output@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
@cindex sorting @code{msgmerge} output
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{msgmerge} option}
@opindex --sort-by-file@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
Sort output by file location.

@end table

@subsection Informative output

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

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

@item -v
@itemx --verbose
@opindex -v@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
@opindex --verbose@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
Increase verbosity level.

@item -q
@itemx --quiet
@itemx --silent
@opindex -q@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
@opindex --quiet@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
@opindex --silent@r{, @code{msgmerge} option}
Suppress progress indicators.

@end table