Re: [Boost-users] [program_options] Translating messages to another language

From: Jens Seidel (jensseidel_at_[hidden])
Date: 2007-10-24 05:46:31

On Wed, Oct 24, 2007 at 01:31:46PM +0400, Vladimir Prus wrote:
> Jens Seidel wrote:
> > On Wed, Oct 24, 2007 at 11:12:28AM +0400, Vladimir Prus wrote:
> > But a gettext approach uses nearly always macros such as _("") and
> > N_(""). If Boost would at least mark all translatable texts using _() or
> > N_() a user who wishs i18n support could define these macros (e.g. by
> > including first a new boost/i18n.h file) and have messages translatable.
> > 
> > but Boost could at least provide PO 
> > files containing translations so that users can merge these with own
> > files.
> 
> That's what I have in mind. It's not particularly hard, either,
> since Boost.Build has support for gettext already. The question is
> whether the will be objections to using tool that is mostly
> only available on Linux. And, the model of _("") is somewhat

Only available on Linux? Probably you refer to the gettext system call
in glibc but isn't/wasn't there also a external library of gettext.
(I think a separate copy of gettext is part of many packages using
autotools.)

> specific to Linux, I think on windows one has to make integer
> ids.

Not if a const char* gettext(const char*) function is used there too
(or are there license issues which make this not possible?).
 
> Actually, .mo might be of use, too, assuming _("") expands to
> 
>         dgettext("boost", ...)
> 
> as opposed to
> 
>         gettext(...)
> 
> which is a good idea anyway. Of course, the main application
> will be responsible for install .mo files and hooking them in.
> And given that, .mo is indeed little advantage over translated
> .po.

I'm not sure whether an application can use multiple message
catalogs ...

PS: I could provide the German translation if wanted.

Jens