mkmsgs(1)							   User Commands							 mkmsgs(1)

NAME

       mkmsgs - create message files for use by gettxt

SYNOPSIS

       mkmsgs [-o] [-i locale] inputstrings msgfile

DESCRIPTION

       The mkmsgs utility is used to create a file of text strings that can be accessed using the text retrieval tools (see gettxt(1), srchtxt(1),
       exstr(1), and gettxt(3C)). It will take as input a file of text strings for a particular geographic locale (see setlocale(3C)) and create a
       file  of  text strings in a format that can be retrieved by both gettxt(1) and gettxt(3C). By using the -i option, you can install the cre-
       ated file under the /usr/lib/locale/locale/LC_MESSAGES  directory (locale corresponds to the language in which the text strings	are  writ-
       ten).

       inputstrings  is  the  name of the file that contains the original text strings. msgfile is the name of the output file where mkmsgs writes
       the strings in a format that is readable by gettxt(1) and gettxt(3C). The name of msgfile can be up to 14 characters in length, but may not
       contain either  (null) or the ASCII code for / (slash) or : (colon).

       The input file contains a set of text strings for the particular geographic locale. Text strings are separated by a newline character. Non-
       graphic characters must be represented as alphabetic escape sequences. Messages are transformed and copied sequentially	from  inputstrings
       to msgfile. To generate an empty message in msgfile, leave an empty line at the correct place in inputstrings.

       Strings	can  be changed simply by editing the file inputstrings. New strings must be added only at the end of the file; then a new msgfile
       file must be created and installed in the correct place. If this procedure is not followed, the retrieval function will retrieve the  wrong
       string and software compatibility will be broken.

OPTIONS

       The following options are supported:

       -o	     Overwrite msgfile, if it exists.

       -i locale     Install msgfile in the /usr/lib/locale/locale/LC_MESSAGES	directory. Only someone who is super user or a member of group bin
		     can create or overwrite files in this directory. Directories under /usr/lib/locale will be created if they do not exist.

EXAMPLES

       Example 1 Using the mkmsgs command.

       The following example shows an input message source file C.str:

	 File %s:	 cannot be opened

	 %s: Bad directory

	      .
	      .
	      .
	 write error

	      .
	      .

       Example 2 Using Input Strings From C.str to Create Text Strings in a File

       The following command uses the input strings from C.str to create text strings in the appropriate format in the	file  UX  in  the  current
       directory:

	 example% mkmsgs C.str UX

       Example 3 Using Input Strings From FR.str to Create Text Strings in a File

       The  following  command uses the input strings from FR.str to create text strings in the appropriate format in the file UX in the directory
       /usr/lib/locale/fr/LC_MESSAGES:

	 example% mkmsgs -i fr FR.str UX

       These text strings would be accessed if you had set the environment variable LC_MESSAGES=fr and then invoked  one  of  the  text  retrieval
       tools listed at the beginning of the DESCRIPTION section.

FILES

       /usr/lib/locale/locale/LC_MESSAGES/*

	   message files created by mkmsgs

ATTRIBUTES

       See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:

       +-----------------------------------------------------------+
       |ATTRIBUTE TYPE		      ATTRIBUTE VALUE		   |
       |Availability		      SUNWloc			   |
       +-----------------------------------------------------------+

SEE ALSO

       exstr(1), gettxt(1), srchtxt(1), gettxt(3C), setlocale(3C), attributes(5)

SunOS 5.11							    26 Jul 1994 							 mkmsgs(1)