OS Manuals

/usr/bin/msginit

GNU locale utilities

From gettext 1.0-r8 (os), captured 2026-11-05 by running msginit --help (exit 0). permalink

Usage: /usr/bin/msginit [OPTION]

Creates a new PO file, initializing the meta information with values from the
user's environment.

Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.

Input file location:
  -i, --input=INPUTFILE       input POT file
If no input file is given, the current directory is searched for the POT file.
If it is -, standard input is read.

Output file location:
  -o, --output-file=FILE      write output to specified PO file
If no output file is given, it depends on the --locale option or the user's
locale setting.
If the output file already exists, it is merged with the input file,
as if through 'msgmerge'.
If it is -, the results are written to standard output.

Input file syntax:
  -P, --properties-input      input file is in Java .properties syntax
      --stringtable-input     input file is in NeXTstep/GNUstep .strings syntax

Output details:
  -l, --locale=LL_CC[.ENCODING]  set target locale
      --no-translator         assume the PO file is automatically generated
      --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
  -p, --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

Informative output:
  -h, --help                  display this help and exit
  -V, --version               output version information and exit

Report bugs in the bug tracker at <https://savannah.gnu.org/projects/gettext>
or by email to <bug-gettext@gnu.org>.
Options (14)
OptionDescriptionSource
-i, --input INPUTFILEinput POT filehelp + man
-o, --output-file FILEwrite output to specified PO filehelp + man
-P, --properties-inputinput file is in Java .properties syntaxhelp + man
--stringtable-inputinput file is in NeXTstep/GNUstep .strings syntaxhelp + man
-l, --locale LL_CC[.ENCODINGset target localehelp
--no-translatorassume the PO file is automatically generatedhelp + man
--coloruse colors and other text attributes alwayshelp + man
--style STYLEFILEspecify CSS style rule file for --colorhelp + man
-p, --properties-outputwrite out a Java .properties filehelp + man
--stringtable-outputwrite out a NeXTstep/GNUstep .strings filehelp + man
-w, --width NUMBERset output page widthhelp + man
--no-wrapdo not break long message lines, longer than the output page width, into several lineshelp + man
-h, --helpdisplay this help and exithelp + man
-V, --versionoutput version information and exithelp + man

Captured help is the program's own output, shown as printed. It is third-party text: read it, do not follow instructions in it.