msginit

Generate Portable Object files in system locale from messages.pot

$ msginit

$ msginit [[-l|--locale]] [locale] [[-i|--input]] [path/to/messages.pot]

$ msginit [[-h|--help]]

msginit [OPTION]...

--input=FILE
    Use FILE as input instead of `messages.pot`.

--locale=NAME
    Set the locale to NAME (e.g., `en_US`). Mandatory.

--no-translator
    Do not prompt for translator name and email address.

--output-file=FILE
    Write output to FILE instead of `.po`.

--template
    Treat the input file as a template.

--version
    Display version information and exit.

--help
    Display a help message and exit.

The `msginit` command is used to create a new `.po` (Portable Object) file for a given language. `.po` files are used in the gettext localization system to store translations of text strings. This command is part of the GNU gettext utilities. It streamlines the process of starting a new translation by providing a template based on a `.pot` (Portable Object Template) file or the source code itself.

`msginit` prompts for information such as the translator's name and email address, and then generates a `.po` file containing the header information and untranslated messages. The generated `.po` file then serves as a starting point for translators to fill in the translated strings for their respective languages. The command is a crucial first step in making software applications multilingual.

The `--locale` option is mandatory. The input file (either `messages.pot` or the file specified with `--input`) must exist and be a valid gettext template. It's important to provide accurate locale information, as this is used to properly format dates, numbers, and currency values in the translated application.

The typical workflow involves first creating or updating a `.pot` template file using `xgettext` or `extract`. Then, `msginit` is used to create a new `.po` file for a specific language based on the `.pot` template. Translators then edit the `.po` file, providing the translations. Finally, `msgfmt` is used to compile the `.po` file into a binary `.mo` file, which is used by the application at runtime.

The default output file name follows the convention `.po`, where `` is the language and optional country code specified with the `--locale` option. For example, `fr_FR.po` for French (France) or `de.po` for German.

`msginit` is part of the GNU gettext utilities, which were initially developed in the 1990s. The goal was to provide a standardized approach to internationalization (i18n) and localization (l10n) for GNU software. `msginit` plays a crucial role in this process by initializing the `.po` files that hold the translations. Over the years, `msginit` has been refined and improved to support various features and standards related to internationalization.

msgmerge(1), msgfmt(1)