XGETTEXT

Section: User Commands (1)
Updated: July 2020
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NAME

xgettext - extract gettext strings from source

SYNOPSIS

xgettext [,OPTION/] [,INPUTFILE/]...

DESCRIPTION

Extract translatable strings from given input files.

Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too. Similarly for optional arguments.

Input file location:

INPUTFILE ...: input files
-f, --files-from=,FILE/: get list of input files from FILE
-D, --directory=,DIRECTORY/: add DIRECTORY to list for input files search

If input file is -, standard input is read.

Output file location:

-d, --default-domain=,NAME/: use NAME.po for output (instead of messages.po)
-o, --output=,FILE/: write output to specified file
-p, --output-dir=,DIR/: output files will be placed in directory DIR

If output file is -, output is written to standard output.

Choice of input file language:

-L, --language=,NAME/: recognise the specified language (C, C++, ObjectiveC, PO, Shell, Python, Lisp, EmacsLisp, librep, Scheme, Smalltalk, Java, JavaProperties, C#, awk, YCP, Tcl, Perl, PHP, Ruby, GCC-source, NXStringTable, RST, RSJ, Glade, Lua, JavaScript, Vala, Desktop)
-C, --c++: shorthand for --language=,C/++

By default the language is guessed depending on the input file name extension.

Input file interpretation:

--from-code=,NAME/: encoding of input files (except for Python, Tcl, Glade)

By default the input files are assumed to be in ASCII.

Operation mode:

-j, --join-existing: join messages with existing file
-x, --exclude-file=,FILE/.po: entries from FILE.po are not extracted
-cTAG, --add-comments=,TAG/: place comment blocks starting with TAG and preceding keyword lines in output file
-c, --add-comments: place all comment blocks preceding keyword lines in output file
--check=,NAME/: perform syntax check on messages (ellipsis-unicode, space-ellipsis,
: quote-unicode, bullet-unicode)
--sentence-end=,TYPE/: type describing the end of sentence (single-space, which is the default,
: or double-space)

Language specific options:

-a, --extract-all: extract all strings (only languages C, C++, ObjectiveC, Shell, Python, Lisp, EmacsLisp, librep, Scheme, Java, C#, awk, Tcl, Perl, PHP, GCC-source, Glade, Lua, JavaScript, Vala)
-kWORD, --keyword=,WORD/: look for WORD as an additional keyword
-k, --keyword: do not to use default keywords (only languages C, C++, ObjectiveC, Shell, Python, Lisp, EmacsLisp, librep, Scheme, Java, C#, awk, Tcl, Perl, PHP, GCC-source, Glade, Lua, JavaScript, Vala, Desktop)
--flag=,WORD/:ARG:FLAG: additional flag for strings inside the argument number ARG of keyword WORD
(only languages C, C++, ObjectiveC, Shell,: Python, Lisp, EmacsLisp, librep, Scheme, Java, C#, awk, YCP, Tcl, Perl, PHP, GCC-source, Lua, JavaScript, Vala)
-T, --trigraphs: understand ANSI C trigraphs for input (only languages C, C++, ObjectiveC)
--its=,FILE/: apply ITS rules from FILE (only XML based languages)
--qt: recognize Qt format strings (only language C++)
--kde: recognize KDE 4 format strings (only language C++)
--boost: recognize Boost format strings (only language C++)
--debug: more detailed formatstring recognition result

Output details:

--color: use colors and other text attributes always
--color=,WHEN/: use colors and other text attributes if WHEN. WHEN may be 'always', 'never', 'auto', or 'html'.
--style=,STYLEFILE/: specify CSS style rule file for --color
-e, --no-escape: do not use C escapes in output (default)
-E, --escape: use C escapes in output, no extended chars
--force-po: write PO file even if empty
-i, --indent: write the .po file using indented style
--no-location: do not write '#: filename:line' lines
-n, --add-location: generate '#: filename:line' lines (default)
--strict: write out strict Uniforum conforming .po file
--properties-output: write out a Java .properties file
--stringtable-output: write out a NeXTstep/GNUstep .strings file
--itstool: write out itstool comments
-w, --width=,NUMBER/: set output page width
--no-wrap: do not break long message lines, longer than the output page width, into several lines
-s, --sort-output: generate sorted output
-F, --sort-by-file: sort output by file location
--omit-header: don't write header with 'msgid ""' entry
--copyright-holder=,STRING/: set copyright holder in output
--foreign-user: omit FSF copyright in output for foreign user
--package-name=,PACKAGE/: set package name in output
--package-version=,VERSION/: set package version in output
--msgid-bugs-address=,EMAIL/@ADDRESS: set report address for msgid bugs
-m[STRING], --msgstr-prefix[=,STRING/]: use STRING or "" as prefix for msgstr values
-M[STRING], --msgstr-suffix[=,STRING/]: use STRING or "" as suffix for msgstr values

Informative output:

-h, --help: display this help and exit
-V, --version: output version information and exit
-v, --verbose: increase verbosity level

AUTHOR

Written by Ulrich Drepper.

REPORTING BUGS

Report bugs in the bug tracker at <https://savannah.gnu.org/projects/gettext> or by email to <bug-gettext@gnu.org>.

COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 1995-2020 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.