# XGETTEXT

NAME
SYNOPSIS
DESCRIPTION
AUTHOR
REPORTING BUGS
COPYRIGHT
SEE ALSO

## 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, GCC-source, NXStringTable, RST, Glade)

| −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

| 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)

| −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)

| −−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)

| −T, −−trigraphs

| understand ANSI C trigraphs for input (only languages C, C++, ObjectiveC)

| −−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

| −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

## AUTHOR

| Written by Ulrich Drepper.

## REPORTING BUGS

| Report bugs to <bug-gnu-gettext@gnu.org>.

## COPYRIGHT

| Copyright © 1995-1998, 2000-2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://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.

## SEE ALSO

| The full documentation for xgettext is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and xgettext programs are properly installed at your site, the command

| info xgettext

| should give you access to the complete manual.