msginit

creates a new PO file from a POT file

TLDR

Create PO file from POT

$ msginit -i [messages.pot] -o [de.po] -l [de_DE]

Create with specific locale

$ msginit --input=[template.pot] --locale=[fr_FR.UTF-8]

Create without translator info

$ msginit -i [messages.pot] -o [es.po] -l [es] --no-translator

Specify output directory

$ msginit -i [messages.pot] -l [ja] -o [locale/ja/messages.po]

msginit creates a new PO (Portable Object) file from a POT (PO Template) file. It initializes the PO file with proper headers for the specified locale.This is typically the first step when starting a new translation.

PARAMETERS

-i, --input file

Input POT file.

-o, --output-file file

Output PO file.

-l, --locale locale

Target locale.

--no-translator

Don't prompt for translator info.

--no-wrap

Don't wrap long lines.

-w NUMBER

Set output page width (default: 79).

--properties-output

Write a Java ResourceBundle in .properties format.

WORKFLOW

$ 1. xgettext → messages.pot
2. msginit → de.po (new translation)
3. (translate strings)
4. msgfmt → messages.mo

EXAMPLE

$ # Create German translation
msginit -i messages.pot -o de.po -l de_DE.UTF-8

# Headers set automatically:
# Language: de
# Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

INSTALL

sudo apt install gettext

sudo dnf install gettext

sudo pacman -S gettext

sudo apk add gettext

brew install gettext

nix profile install nixpkgs#gettext

CAVEATS

POT file must exist first (typically created by xgettext). Locale must be a valid system locale. By default, msginit prompts for the translator's email address; use --no-translator to skip in automated scripts. The output PO file contains all strings marked as untranslated (empty msgstr).

HISTORY

msginit is part of GNU gettext, the internationalization framework used by most open-source software for translation management.