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Internationalization Using PHP and GetText

Author: Luis Argerich (salutia.com)

Publishing date: 14.12.2000 17:53

Producing mo Files

You have to produce a .mo file to use gettext, this is done using the 'msgfmt' command for each .po file:

 
   $msgfmt messages.po -o messages.mo

Setting up Directories

The best way to use gettext is to build a "locale" directory in some branch of your code tree and inside this directory you create one subdirectory for each language, inside each language's direcory you create an LC_MESSAGES directory, where you put .mo and .po files for the language. Example:

 
   /src 
   /locale/en/LC_MESSAGES/messages.mo 
                          messages.po 
           es/LC_MESSAGES/messages.po 
                          messages.mo

Use this URL http://lcweb.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/bibcodes.html#op to find the 2 character codes for languages. It's nice to follow standards...

You'd probably start liking your "neat" structure of languages a lot, you are ready to decide which language to use in PHP, simply add, in your main script, this code:

// Set language to Spanish 
putenv ("LC_ALL=es"); 

// Specify location of translation tables 
bindtextdomain ("messages", "./locale"); 

// Choose domain 
textdomain ("messages");

The important line is putenv("LC_ALL=es") which basically tells which language to use, with this PHP will use your /locale/es/LC_MESSAGES/messages.mo file to translate all the strings. If you want a different language just change:

putenv ("LC_ALL=en);

And "auto-magically" you have an English application.

Conclusions and Code

Gettext is a very good way to standardize your PHP code to support internationalization, you modify or write your code only once and you can have your site or application in several different languages with only a minor modification. One side effect of this strategy is that you have to make sure that all the strings are set in the content or logic layer not in the presentation layer. If you use XSLT to parse XML generated from PHP for example you'll have to make sure that no strings are added in the XSLT layer. I think this is quite good.

In inter.tar.gz you'll find a subtree that you can put wherever you want inside your document tree, I ship examples in English and Spanish, change the environment variable from "en" to "es" and browse "prueba.php" (the Spanish file),and see the changes. Edit the .po files and rebuild the .mo files using msgfmt to play the translator role. As perl fans says "there are many ways of doing things..." this is a neat one, try it.

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Comment List

Topic:	Author:	Time:
internationalization using GETTEXT	Suma Abey	13.07.2007 13:13
explain the stepwise procedure to install gettext in windows/mysql platform
Use gettext in windowsXP	Hitesh Kanjaria	30.01.2006 08:18
Hi, Can you explain me how to use gettext in window os. Or any tutorial for that.
mo error	jase dixon	21.10.2002 14:49
when i compile the po file to convert it into an mo file i get this error msg "the character set has no portable coded name" however the mo file is still created but when i run the php file no translation takes place . Does anyone know what this type of error is? thanks in advance jas
RE: mo error	ota fred	05.06.2003 12:56
Hello, I have the same problem. Can you tell me if you have resolved it, and how. Thanks > when i compile the po file to convert it into an mo file i > get this error msg > > "the character set has no portable coded name" > > however the mo file is still created but when i run the php > file no translation takes place . Does anyone know what this > type of error is? > > thanks in advance > > jas
xgettext	Rakesh Shroingi	30.04.2002 14:31
xgettext -a langtest.php While using xgettext i am getting the following error. warning: file `langtest.php' extension `php' is unknown; will try C My php is having the gettext option enabled. Please help. Thanks
RE: xgettext	Jose Cortina	07.06.2002 09:51
I had the same problem, and finally found the way out... Try with: xgettext -C script.php -o messages.po --keyword=_ (The keyword "_" is because I use the short form of gettext in php _("My Text") instead of gettext("My Text") ) If you don't specify the keyword, then it will get all strings from your script... (it gets messy) Hope this helps.
gettext and here docs?	Colin Viebrock	31.07.2001 00:45
Imagine this php script: <?php echo _( <<< EOF It's a great day! EOF ); ?> When I run "xgettext file.php" on it, I get warnings about "unterminated character constant" ... which I assume is the single quote in "it's". Is there a way around this? Also, how do I tell xgettext to only look for strings inside _( ... ) blocks? - Colin
How to produce .mo file	harvail singh	05.03.2001 06:31
What ia m doing is After writng .php file i run xgettext -a command to get the po file After this i run i msgfmt file.po -o fil1.mo but this command is not producing .mo file any help will be appreciated
Common problem	Luis Argerich	26.01.2001 16:50
If you get that message you don't have the gettext extension compiled into php, add the following string... --with-gettext To your configuration script or ./configure command line. Luis.
RE: Common problem	W L	01.11.2001 12:13
> If you get that message you don't have the gettext extension > compiled into php, add the following string... > > --with-gettext > > To your configuration script or ./configure command line. > > Luis. So does that mean we enter the following code in command prompt? ./configure --with-gettext coz I did that and it still doesn't work.
Hmmm	Urban Weigl	14.12.2000 21:38
I don't think I'm sure I know what you mean... ?
RE: Hmmm	Paul Kenneth Egell-Johnsen	15.12.2000 11:28
The problem with that is that I don't have any idea at all with what your problem might be:) I'd love to help out (and probably Luis as well), but you need to be much more specific in describing what you have problem with understanding. I'm looking forward to that clarification and the opportunity to help you.
RE: Hmmm	W L	07.11.2001 04:54
> The problem with that is that I don't have any idea at all > with what your problem might be:) > > I'd love to help out (and probably Luis as well), but you > need to be much more specific in describing what you have > problem with understanding. > > I'm looking forward to that clarification and the > opportunity to help you. I have PHP installed but it's pointing gettext=/usr how do i change that to gettext=/usr/bin? What do I have to type in the command prompt?
RE: Hmmm	nobody important	29.08.2007 00:14
> > The problem with that is that I don't have any idea at > all > > with what your problem might be:) > > > > I'd love to help out (and probably Luis as well), but > you > > need to be much more specific in describing what you > have > > problem with understanding. > > > > I'm looking forward to that clarification and the > > opportunity to help you. > > I have PHP installed but it's pointing gettext=/usr > > how do i change that to gettext=/usr/bin? > > What do I have to type in the command prompt? I just compiled the so file ./configure --with-gettext=shared and then copied the .so file in $PHP_BUILD_DIR/modules/gettext.so to the folder pointed at in the line extensions_dir=/some/dir in php.ini (on my machine it was /usr/local/lib/php/modules), and then added the following line to php.ini extension=gettext.so Pretty much the same thing for every shared library I didn't compile when I first compiled PHP. Just make sure that the version you're building from is the same as your current PHP build.
	harvail singh	02.01.2001 07:17
hi I ahve a problem Using gettext() or its alias _ It gives error Call to undefined function: gettext() in /home/httpd/html/testing/hello.php on line 10 I am using php 4.0.3pl1 can u help thanx