# 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, 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

## AUTHOR

Written by Ulrich Drepper.

## REPORTING BUGS

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

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 1995-1998, 2000-2016 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.