Name

gencat − generate a formatted message catalog

Syntax

gencat catalog_file [source_file ...]

Description

The gencat command takes one or more message source files and either creates a new catalog or merges new message text into an existing catalog. You should use the extension .msf for message text files (for example, msgfile.msf ) and the extension .cat for catalogs (for example, catfile.cat ) to process files with the gencat command.

In some cases, a formatted message catalog exists that has the same name the one that gencat is creating.  When this occurs, gencat merges the messages from the source message catalogs into this existing formatted message catalog.  The command merges the source message catalogs into the formatted message catalog in the same manner as it merges a group of source message catalogs.  If a source message catalog contains the same set number or message number as a set or message in the formatted message catalog, the source message catalog set or message has precedence. For example, if both the source and formatted message catalogs contain a message number 25, the message text for message 25 in the source message catalog replaces the message text in the formatted message catalog.  Thus, when source message catalogs are merged with formatted message catalogs, the formatted catalogs are updated.

If you do not specify a source file, the gencat command accepts message source data from standard input.

Numeric message source files are portable between X/Open systems. 

For information on the source format for messages files, see the Guide to Developing International Software. 

Restrictions

The gencat command does not accept mnemonic identifiers. You must run the mkcatdefs command if you want to use mnemonic identifiers.

See Also

extract(1int), mkcatdefs(1int), trans(1int), catgets(3int), catopen(3int), intro(3int), environ(5int)
Guide to Developing International Software