debconf-gettextize(1)
NAME
debconf-gettextize - extract translations of debconf templates into PO files
SYNOPSIS
debconf-gettextize [-v] [-h] [--podir=DIR] [--choices] [--merge] master [master ...]
DESCRIPTION
The /var/lib/dpkg/info/*.templates files read by debconf contain
English text and translations in the same file. But in source
packages, translations are managed in separate files to help
translators. In the initial implementation, a master templates file
contained only English text, and templates.xx files contained both
original and translated strings for the language xx. The debconf-
mergetemplate program was merging master and translated templates
files.
The new implementation with "po-debconf" is based on "gettext".
Maintainers mark translatable fields by prepending them with an
underscore, English strings are automatically extracted into a POT
file, translators work on normal PO files, and po2debconf generates a
merged templates file with the same structure.
The debconf-gettextize program was initially designed to help migrating
to the new implementation.
* It reads a list of master files and their associated translations,
and generates po/*.po files for each language containing translated
strings.
* Each input file receives an ".old" suffix, and a new master file
overwrites the old one; it is identical to the previous master file
except that an underscore is prepended to translatable fields.
Developers can then choose which fields translators have to work on
and which ones are skipped because their values are not locale-
dependent.
* A po/POTFILES.in file is also created, it contains the list of
templates files debconf-updatepo has to process.
Typically the debconf-gettextize program must be run only once when
transforming from the first implementation to the "po-debconf" format,
but it can also be used afterwards to transform a "_Choices" field into
"__Choices" (or vice-versa) without losing translations, when using the
"--merge" flag (alongside with "--choices" or not). The desired
template containing the "_Choices" or "__Choices" fields to modify has
to be copied into a temporary template file, which is passed to
debconf-gettextize as an argument. Then the following steps are
performed:
1. po2debconf is run on this template file to generate a translated
templates file.
2. This translated templates file is processed as described above and
PO files are generated.
3. Newly created PO files are merged with existing ones.
When PO files are merged, "_Choices" fields have to be replaced by
"__Choices" (or vice-versa) in the original templates file before
running debconf-updatepo, otherwise new translations will be fuzzy.
OPTIONS
-h, --help
Display a usage summary for the program and exit.
-v, --verbose
Process in verbose mode.
--podir=DIR
Set directory for PO files. Default is to search for PO files in
the po subdirectory below the location of the first master file.
--choices
By default, debconf-gettextize replaces "Choices" fields by
"_Choices". With this flag, "__Choices" fields are written
instead.
--merge
When this flag is set, the strings are merged with existing PO
files. The templates files and po/POTFILES.in are not modified.
CAVEATS
The "Default" field is special when template type is "Select" or "Multiselect", because a value has to be chosen amongst the English list of choices, even for localized values. Normally this field must not be changed, but in rare circumstances localized values are meaningful (e.g. to choose the default language of an application). In order to let translators know that this localized "Default" field is special, you must by convention call it "_DefaultChoice" instead of "_Default".
SEE ALSO
debconf-updatepo(1), po2debconf(1), debconf-devel(7), po-debconf(7).
AUTHORS
Denis Barbier <barbier@linuxfr.org>
Martin Quinson <martin.quinson@ens-lyon.fr>
2016-10-01 DEBCONF-GETTEXTIZE(1)
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