po4a-gettextize is a command-line tool that is used for converting a file to a PO (Portable Object) file format. PO files are used for internationalization and localization of software applications, and they contain human-readable translations of text strings that are displayed to users.
The po4a-gettextize tool is part of the po4a package, which is a set of tools for maintaining and translating documentation and other text-based files in different formats.
The po4a-gettextize tool works by analyzing the input file and extracting any translatable text strings that are marked with special markers, such as gettext or xgettext. It then generates a PO file that contains the extracted text strings along with metadata such as the source file location and translation status.
The generated PO file can be edited by translators using specialized tools such as Poedit or Lokalize. Translators can add translations for each text string and save the PO file. The translated PO file can then be compiled into a binary file format such as .mo using the msgfmt tool.
The po4a-gettextize tool supports a wide range of input file formats, including plain text files, HTML files, LaTeX documents, and various types of configuration files. It also provides a range of options for customizing the output format, handling markup tags, and selecting the source language.
po4a-gettextize Command Examples
1. Convert a text file to PO file:
# po4a-gettextize --format text --master path/to/master.txt --po path/to/result.po
2. Get a list of available formats:
# po4a-gettextize --help-format
3. Convert a text file along with a translated document to a PO file (`-l` option can be provided multiple times):
# po4a-gettextize --format text --master path/to/master.txt --localized path/to/translated.txt --po path/to/result.po
Summary
Overall, po4a-gettextize is a powerful tool that can help developers and translators to efficiently manage the translation process for software applications and other text-based files.