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12 The Maintainer's View

The maintainer of a package has many responsibilities. One of them is ensuring that the package will install easily on many platforms, and that the magic we described earlier (see section 9 The User's View) will work for installers and end users.

Of course, there are many possible ways by which GNU gettext might be integrated in a distribution, and this chapter does not cover them in all generality. Instead, it details one possible approach which is especially adequate for many free software distributions following GNU standards, or even better, Gnits standards, because GNU gettext is purposely for helping the internationalization of the whole GNU project, and as many other good free packages as possible. So, the maintainer's view presented here presumes that the package already has a `configure.in´ file and uses GNU Autoconf.

Nevertheless, GNU gettext may surely be useful for free packages not following GNU standards and conventions, but the maintainers of such packages might have to show imagination and initiative in organizing their distributions so gettext work for them in all situations. There are surely many, out there.

Even if gettext methods are now stabilizing, slight adjustments might be needed between successive gettext versions, so you should ideally revise this chapter in subsequent releases, looking for changes.

12.1 Flat or Non-Flat Directory Structures

Some free software packages are distributed as tar files which unpack in a single directory, these are said to be flat distributions. Other free software packages have a one level hierarchy of subdirectories, using for example a subdirectory named `doc/´ for the Texinfo manual and man pages, another called `lib/´ for holding functions meant to replace or complement C libraries, and a subdirectory `src/´ for holding the proper sources for the package. These other distributions are said to be non-flat.

We cannot say much about flat distributions. A flat directory structure has the disadvantage of increasing the difficulty of updating to a new version of GNU gettext. Also, if you have many PO files, this could somewhat pollute your single directory. Also, GNU gettext's libintl sources consist of C sources, shell scripts, sed scripts and complicated Makefile rules, which don't fit well into an existing flat structure. For these reasons, we recommend to use non-flat approach in this case as well.

Maybe because GNU gettext itself has a non-flat structure, we have more experience with this approach, and this is what will be described in the remaining of this chapter. Some maintainers might use this as an opportunity to unflatten their package structure.

12.2 Prerequisite Works

There are some works which are required for using GNU gettext in one of your package. These works have some kind of generality that escape the point by point descriptions used in the remainder of this chapter. So, we describe them here.

It is worth adding here a few words about how the maintainer should ideally behave with PO files submissions. As a maintainer, your role is to authenticate the origin of the submission as being the representative of the appropriate translating teams of the Translation Project (forward the submission to `translation@iro.umontreal.ca´ in case of doubt), to ensure that the PO file format is not severely broken and does not prevent successful installation, and for the rest, to merely put these PO files in `po/´ for distribution.

As a maintainer, you do not have to take on your shoulders the responsibility of checking if the translations are adequate or complete, and should avoid diving into linguistic matters. Translation teams drive themselves and are fully responsible of their linguistic choices for the Translation Project. Keep in mind that translator teams are not driven by maintainers. You can help by carefully redirecting all communications and reports from users about linguistic matters to the appropriate translation team, or explain users how to reach or join their team. The simplest might be to send them the `ABOUT-NLS´ file.

Maintainers should never ever apply PO file bug reports themselves, short-cutting translation teams. If some translator has difficulty to get some of her points through her team, it should not be an option for her to directly negotiate translations with maintainers. Teams ought to settle their problems themselves, if any. If you, as a maintainer, ever think there is a real problem with a team, please never try to solve a team's problem on your own.

12.3 Invoking the gettextize Program

Some files are consistently and identically needed in every package internationalized through GNU gettext. As a matter of convenience, the gettextize program puts all these files right in your package. This program has the following synopsis:

gettextize [ option... ] [ directory ]

and accepts the following options:

`-c´
`--copy´
Copy the needed files instead of making symbolic links. Using links would allow the package to always use the latest gettext code available on the system, but it might disturb some mechanism the maintainer is used to apply to the sources. Because running gettextize is easy there shouldn't be problems with using copies.
`-f´
`--force´
Force replacement of files which already exist.
`--intl´
Install the libintl sources in a subdirectory named `intl/´. This libintl will be used to provide internationalization on systems that don't have GNU libintl installed. If this option is omitted, the call to AM_GNU_GETTEXT in `configure.in´ should read: `AM_GNU_GETTEXT([external])´, and internationalization will not be enabled on systems lacking GNU gettext.
`--no-changelog´
Don't update or create ChangeLog files. By default, gettextize logs all changes (file additions, modifications ans removals) in a file called `ChangeLog´ in each affected directory.
`--help´
Display this help and exit.
`--version´
Output version information and exit.

If directory is given, this is the top level directory of a package to prepare for using GNU gettext. If not given, it is assumed that the current directory is the top level directory of such a package.

The program gettextize provides the following files. However, no existing file will be replaced unless the option --force (-f) is specified.

  1. The `ABOUT-NLS´ file is copied in the main directory of your package, the one being at the top level. This file gives the main indications about how to install and use the Native Language Support features of your program. You might elect to use a more recent copy of this `ABOUT-NLS´ file than the one provided through gettextize, if you have one handy. You may also fetch a more recent copy of file `ABOUT-NLS´ from Translation Project sites, and from most GNU archive sites.
  2. A `po/´ directory is created for eventually holding all translation files, but initially only containing the file `po/Makefile.in.in´ from the GNU gettext distribution. (beware the double `.in´ in the file name) and a few auxiliary files. If the `po/´ directory already exists, it will be preserved along with the files it contains, and only `Makefile.in.in´ and the auxiliary files will be overwritten.
  3. Only if `--intl´ has been specified: A `intl/´ directory is created and filled with most of the files originally in the `intl/´ directory of the GNU gettext distribution. Also, if option --force (-f) is given, the `intl/´ directory is emptied first.
  4. The `config.rpath´ file is copied into the directory containing configuration support files. It is needed by the AM_GNU_GETTEXT autoconf macro.

If your site support symbolic links, gettextize will not actually copy the files into your package, but establish symbolic links instead. This avoids duplicating the disk space needed in all packages. Merely using the `-h´ option while creating the tar archive of your distribution will resolve each link by an actual copy in the distribution archive. So, to insist, you really should use `-h´ option with tar within your dist goal of your main `Makefile.in´.

It is interesting to understand that most new files for supporting GNU gettext facilities in one package go in `intl/´ and `po/´ subdirectories. One distinction between these two directories is that `intl/´ is meant to be completely identical in all packages using GNU gettext, while all newly created files, which have to be different, go into `po/´. There is a common `Makefile.in.in´ in `po/´, because the `po/´ directory needs its own `Makefile´, and it has been designed so it can be identical in all packages.

12.4 Files You Must Create or Alter

Besides files which are automatically added through gettextize, there are many files needing revision for properly interacting with GNU gettext. If you are closely following GNU standards for Makefile engineering and auto-configuration, the adaptations should be easier to achieve. Here is a point by point description of the changes needed in each.

So, here comes a list of files, each one followed by a description of all alterations it needs. Many examples are taken out from the GNU gettext 0.11.2 distribution itself, or from the GNU hello distribution (http://www.franken.de/users/gnu/ke/hello or http://www.gnu.franken.de/ke/hello/) You may indeed refer to the source code of the GNU gettext and GNU hello packages, as they are intended to be good examples for using GNU gettext functionality.

12.4.1 `POTFILES.in´ in `po/´

The `po/´ directory should receive a file named `POTFILES.in´. This file tells which files, among all program sources, have marked strings needing translation. Here is an example of such a file:

# List of source files containing translatable strings.
# Copyright (C) 1995 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

# Common library files
lib/error.c
lib/getopt.c
lib/xmalloc.c

# Package source files
src/gettext.c
src/msgfmt.c
src/xgettext.c

Hash-marked comments and white lines are ignored. All other lines list those source files containing strings marked for translation (see section 3.3 How Marks Appear in Sources), in a notation relative to the top level of your whole distribution, rather than the location of the `POTFILES.in´ file itself.

When a C file is automatically generated by a tool, like flex or bison, that doesn't introduce translatable strings by itself, it is recommended to list in `po/POTFILES.in´ the real source file (ending in `.l´ in the case of flex, or in `.y´ in the case of bison), not the generated C file.

12.4.2 `LINGUAS´ in `po/´

The `po/´ directory should also receive a file named `LINGUAS´. This file contains the list of available translations. It is a whitespace separated list. Hash-marked comments and white lines are ignored. Here is an example file:

# Set of available languages.
de fr

This example means that German and French PO files are available, so that these languages are currently supported by your package. If you want to further restrict, at installation time, the set of installed languages, this should not be done by modifying the `LINGUAS´ file, but rather by using the LINGUAS environment variable (see section 9.2 Magic for Installers).

12.4.3 `Makefile´ pieces in `po/´

The `po/´ directory also has a file named `Makevars´. It can be left unmodified if your package has a single message domain and, accordingly, a single `po/´ directory. Only packages which have multiple `po/´ directories at different locations need to adjust the three variables defined in `Makevars´.

`po/Makevars´ gets inserted into the `po/Makefile´ when the latter is created. At the same time, all files called `Rules-*´ in the `po/´ directory get appended to the `po/Makefile´. They present an opportunity to add rules for special PO files to the Makefile, without needing to mess with `po/Makefile.in.in´.

GNU gettext comes with a `Rules-quot´ file, containing rules for building catalogs `en@quot.po´ and `en@boldquot.po´. The effect of `en@quot.po´ is that people who set their LANGUAGE environment variable to `en@quot´ will get messages with proper looking symmetric Unicode quotation marks instead of abusing the ASCII grave accent and the ASCII apostrophe for indicating quotations. To enable this catalog, simply add en@quot to the `po/LINGUAS´ file. The effect of `en@boldquot.po´ is that people who set LANGUAGE to `en@boldquot´ will get not only proper quotation marks, but also the quoted text will be shown in a bold font on terminals and consoles. This catalog is useful only for command-line programs, not GUI programs. To enable it, similarly add en@boldquot to the `po/LINGUAS´ file.

12.4.4 `configure.in´ at top level

`configure.in´ or `configure.ac´ - this is the source from which autoconf generates the `configure´ script.

  1. Declare the package and version. This is done by a set of lines like these:
    PACKAGE=gettext
    VERSION=0.11.2
    AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(PACKAGE, "$PACKAGE")
    AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(VERSION, "$VERSION")
    AC_SUBST(PACKAGE)
    AC_SUBST(VERSION)
    
    or, if you are using GNU automake, by a line like this:
    AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE(gettext, 0.11.2)
    
    Of course, you replace `gettext´ with the name of your package, and `0.11.2´ by its version numbers, exactly as they should appear in the packaged tar file name of your distribution (`gettext-0.11.2.tar.gz´, here).
  2. Check for internationalization support. Here is the main m4 macro for triggering internationalization support. Just add this line to `configure.in´:
    AM_GNU_GETTEXT
    
    This call is purposely simple, even if it generates a lot of configure time checking and actions. If you have suppressed the `intl/´ subdirectory by calling gettextize without `--intl´ option, this call should read
    AM_GNU_GETTEXT([external])
    
  3. Have output files created. The AC_OUTPUT directive, at the end of your `configure.in´ file, needs to be modified in two ways:
    AC_OUTPUT([existing configuration files intl/Makefile po/Makefile.in],
    [existing additional actions])
    
    The modification to the first argument to AC_OUTPUT asks for substitution in the `intl/´ and `po/´ directories. Note the `.in´ suffix used for `po/´ only. This is because the distributed file is really `po/Makefile.in.in´. If you have suppressed the `intl/´ subdirectory by calling gettextize without `--intl´ option, then you don't need to add intl/Makefile to the AC_OUTPUT line.

12.4.5 `config.guess´, `config.sub´ at top level

If you haven't suppressed the `intl/´ subdirectory, you need to add the GNU `config.guess´ and `config.sub´ files to your distribution. They are needed because the `intl/´ directory has platform dependent support for determining the locale's character encoding and therefore needs to identify the platform.

You can obtain the newest version of `config.guess´ and `config.sub´ from `ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/config/´. Less recent versions are also contained in the GNU automake and GNU libtool packages.

Normally, `config.guess´ and `config.sub´ are put at the top level of a distribution. But it is also possible to put them in a subdirectory, altogether with other configuration support files like `install-sh´, `ltconfig´, `ltmain.sh´, `mkinstalldirs´ or `missing´. All you need to do, other than moving the files, is to add the following line to your `configure.in´.

AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR([subdir])

12.4.6 `aclocal.m4´ at top level

If you do not have an `aclocal.m4´ file in your distribution, the simplest is to concatenate the files `codeset.m4´, `gettext.m4´, `glibc21.m4´, `iconv.m4´, `isc-posix.m4´, `lcmessage.m4´, `lib-ld.m4´, `lib-link.m4´, `lib-prefix.m4´, `progtest.m4´ from GNU gettext's `m4/´ directory into a single file. If you have suppressed the `intl/´ directory, only `gettext.m4´, `iconv.m4´, `lib-ld.m4´, `lib-link.m4´, `lib-prefix.m4´, `progtest.m4´ need to be concatenated.

If you already have an `aclocal.m4´ file, then you will have to merge the said macro files into your `aclocal.m4´. Note that if you are upgrading from a previous release of GNU gettext, you should most probably replace the macros (AM_GNU_GETTEXT, etc.), as they usually change a little from one release of GNU gettext to the next. Their contents may vary as we get more experience with strange systems out there.

If you are using GNU automake 1.5 or newer, it is enough to put these macro files into a subdirectory named `m4/´ and add the line

ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS = -I m4

to your top level `Makefile.am´.

These macros check for the internationalization support functions and related informations. Hopefully, once stabilized, these macros might be integrated in the standard Autoconf set, because this piece of m4 code will be the same for all projects using GNU gettext.

12.4.7 `acconfig.h´ at top level

Earlier GNU gettext releases required to put definitions for ENABLE_NLS, HAVE_GETTEXT and HAVE_LC_MESSAGES, HAVE_STPCPY, PACKAGE and VERSION into an `acconfig.h´ file. This is not needed any more; you can remove them from your `acconfig.h´ file unless your package uses them independently from the `intl/´ directory.

12.4.8 `Makefile.in´ at top level

Here are a few modifications you need to make to your main, top-level `Makefile.in´ file.

  1. Add the following lines near the beginning of your `Makefile.in´, so the `dist:´ goal will work properly (as explained further down):
    PACKAGE = @PACKAGE@
    VERSION = @VERSION@
    
  2. Add file `ABOUT-NLS´ to the DISTFILES definition, so the file gets distributed.
  3. Wherever you process subdirectories in your `Makefile.in´, be sure you also process dir subdirectories `intl´ and `po´. Special rules in the `Makefiles´ take care for the case where no internationalization is wanted. If you are using Makefiles, either generated by automake, or hand-written so they carefully follow the GNU coding standards, the effected goals for which the new subdirectories must be handled include `installdirs´, `install´, `uninstall´, `clean´, `distclean´. Here is an example of a canonical order of processing. In this example, we also define SUBDIRS in Makefile.in for it to be further used in the `dist:´ goal.
    SUBDIRS = doc intl lib src po
    
    Note that you must arrange for `make´ to descend into the intl directory before descending into other directories containing code which make use of the libintl.h header file. For this reason, here we mention intl before lib and src.
  4. A delicate point is the `dist:´ goal, as both `intl/Makefile´ and `po/Makefile´ will later assume that the proper directory has been set up from the main `Makefile´. Here is an example at what the `dist:´ goal might look like:
    distdir = $(PACKAGE)-$(VERSION)
    dist: Makefile
    	rm -fr $(distdir)
    	mkdir $(distdir)
    	chmod 777 $(distdir)
    	for file in $(DISTFILES); do \
    	  ln $$file $(distdir) 2>/dev/null || cp -p $$file $(distdir); \
    	done
    	for subdir in $(SUBDIRS); do \
    	  mkdir $(distdir)/$$subdir || exit 1; \
    	  chmod 777 $(distdir)/$$subdir; \
    	  (cd $$subdir && $(MAKE) $@) || exit 1; \
    	done
    	tar chozf $(distdir).tar.gz $(distdir)
    	rm -fr $(distdir)
    

Note that if you are using GNU automake, `Makefile.in´ is automatically generated from `Makefile.am´, and all needed changes to `Makefile.am´ are already made by running `gettextize´.

12.4.9 `Makefile.in´ in `src/´

Some of the modifications made in the main `Makefile.in´ will also be needed in the `Makefile.in´ from your package sources, which we assume here to be in the `src/´ subdirectory. Here are all the modifications needed in `src/Makefile.in´:

  1. In view of the `dist:´ goal, you should have these lines near the beginning of `src/Makefile.in´:
    PACKAGE = @PACKAGE@
    VERSION = @VERSION@
    
  2. If not done already, you should guarantee that top_srcdir gets defined. This will serve for cpp include files. Just add the line:
    top_srcdir = @top_srcdir@
    
  3. You might also want to define subdir as `src´, later allowing for almost uniform `dist:´ goals in all your `Makefile.in´. At list, the `dist:´ goal below assume that you used:
    subdir = src
    
  4. The main function of your program will normally call bindtextdomain (see see section 3.1 Triggering gettext Operations), like this:
    bindtextdomain (PACKAGE, LOCALEDIR);
    
    To make LOCALEDIR known to the program, add the following lines to Makefile.in:
    datadir = @datadir@
    localedir = $(datadir)/locale
    DEFS = -DLOCALEDIR=\"$(localedir)\" @DEFS@
    
    Note that @datadir@ defaults to `$(prefix)/share´, thus $(localedir) defaults to `$(prefix)/share/locale´.
  5. You should ensure that the final linking will use @LIBINTL@ or @LTLIBINTL@ as a library. @LIBINTL@ is for use without libtool, @LTLIBINTL@ is for use with libtool. An easy way to achieve this is to manage that it gets into LIBS, like this:
    LIBS = @LIBINTL@ @LIBS@
    
    In most packages internationalized with GNU gettext, one will find a directory `lib/´ in which a library containing some helper functions will be build. (You need at least the few functions which the GNU gettext Library itself needs.) However some of the functions in the `lib/´ also give messages to the user which of course should be translated, too. Taking care of this, the support library (say `libsupport.a´) should be placed before @LIBINTL@ and @LIBS@ in the above example. So one has to write this:
    LIBS = ../lib/libsupport.a @LIBINTL@ @LIBS@
    
  6. You should also ensure that directory `intl/´ will be searched for C preprocessor include files in all circumstances. So, you have to manage so both `-I../intl´ and `-I$(top_srcdir)/intl´ will be given to the C compiler.
  7. Your `dist:´ goal has to conform with others. Here is a reasonable definition for it:
    distdir = ../$(PACKAGE)-$(VERSION)/$(subdir)
    dist: Makefile $(DISTFILES)
    	for file in $(DISTFILES); do \
    	  ln $$file $(distdir) 2>/dev/null || cp -p $$file $(distdir); \
    	done
    

12.4.10 `gettext.h´ in `lib/´

Internationalization of packages, as provided by GNU gettext, is optional. It can be turned off in two situations:

A C preprocessor macro can be used to detect these two cases. Usually, when libintl.h was found and not explicitly disabled, the ENABLE_NLS macro will be defined to 1 in the autoconf generated configuration file (usually called `config.h´). In the two negative situations, however, this macro will not be defined, thus it will evaluate to 0 in C preprocessor expressions.

`gettext.h´ is a convenience header file for conditional use of `<libintl.h>´, depending on the ENABLE_NLS macro. If ENABLE_NLS is set, it includes `<libintl.h>´; otherwise it defines no-op substitutes for the libintl.h functions. We recommend the use of "gettext.h" over direct use of `<libintl.h>´, so that portability to older systems is guaranteed and installers can turn off internationalization if they want to. In the C code, you will then write

#include "gettext.h"

instead of

#include <libintl.h>

The location of gettext.h is usually in a directory containing auxiliary include files. In many GNU packages, there is a directory `lib/´ containing helper functions; `gettext.h´ fits there. In other packages, it can go into the `src´ directory.

Do not install the gettext.h file in public locations. Every package that needs it should contain a copy of it on its own.

12.5 Autoconf macros for use in `configure.in´

GNU gettext installs macros for use in a package's `configure.in´ or `configure.ac´. See section `Introduction' in The Autoconf Manual. The primary macro is, of course, AM_GNU_GETTEXT.

12.5.1 AM_GNU_GETTEXT in `gettext.m4´

The AM_GNU_GETTEXT macro tests for the presence of the GNU gettext function family in either the C library or a separate libintl library (shared or static libraries are both supported) or in the package's `intl/´ directory.

AM_GNU_GETTEXT accepts up to three optional arguments. The general syntax is

AM_GNU_GETTEXT([intlsymbol], [needsymbol], [intldir])

intlsymbol can be one of `external´, `no-libtool´, `use-libtool´. The default (if it is not specified or empty) is `no-libtool´. intlsymbol should be `external´ for packages with no `intl/´ directory, and `no-libtool´ or `use-libtool´ for packages with an `intl/´ directory. If intlsymbol is `use-libtool´, then a libtool library $(top_builddir)/intl/libintl.la will be created (shared and/or static, depending on --{enable,disable}-{shared,static} and on the presence of AM_DISABLE_SHARED). If intlsymbol is `no-libtool´, a static library $(top_builddir)/intl/libintl.a will be created.

If needsymbol is specified and is `need-ngettext´, then GNU gettext implementations (in libc or libintl) without the ngettext() function will be ignored.

intldir is used to find the intl libraries. If empty, the value `$(top_builddir)/intl/´ is used.

The AM_GNU_GETTEXT macro determines whether GNU gettext is available and should be used. If so, it sets the USE_NLS variable to `yes´; it defines ENABLE_NLS to 1 in the autoconf generated configuration file (usually called `config.h´); it sets the variables LIBINTL and LTLIBINTL to the linker options for use in a Makefile (LIBINTL for use without libtool, LTLIBINTL for use with libtool); it adds an `-I´ option to CPPFLAGS if necessary. In the negative case, it sets USE_NLS to `no´; it sets LIBINTL and LTLIBINTL to empty and doesn't change CPPFLAGS.

The complexities that AM_GNU_GETTEXT deals with are the following:

12.5.2 AM_ICONV in `iconv.m4´

The AM_ICONV macro tests for the presence of the POSIX iconv function family in either the C library or a separate libiconv library. If found, it sets the am_cv_func_iconv variable to `yes´; it defines HAVE_ICONV to 1 in the autoconf generated configuration file (usually called `config.h´); it defines ICONV_CONST to `const´ or to empty, depending on whether the second argument of iconv() is of type `const char **´ or `char **´; it sets the variables LIBICONV and LTLIBICONV to the linker options for use in a Makefile (LIBICONV for use without libtool, LTLIBICONV for use with libtool); it adds an `-I´ option to CPPFLAGS if necessary. If not found, it sets LIBICONV and LTLIBICONV to empty and doesn't change CPPFLAGS.

The complexities that AM_ICONV deals with are the following:

`iconv.m4´ is distributed with the GNU gettext package because `gettext.m4´ relies on it.


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