cmlenz@4: .. -*- mode: rst; encoding: utf-8 -*-
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4: =============================
cmlenz@4: Working with Message Catalogs
cmlenz@4: =============================
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4: .. contents:: Contents
cmlenz@252:    :depth: 3
cmlenz@4: .. sectnum::
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4: Introduction
cmlenz@4: ============
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4: The ``gettext`` translation system enables you to mark any strings used in your
cmlenz@4: application as subject to localization, by wrapping them in functions such as
cmlenz@4: ``gettext(str)`` and ``ngettext(singular, plural, num)``. For brevity, the
cmlenz@42: ``gettext`` function is often aliased to ``_(str)``, so you can write:
cmlenz@42: 
cmlenz@42: .. code-block:: python
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4:     print _("Hello")
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@42: instead of just:
cmlenz@42: 
cmlenz@42: .. code-block:: python
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4:     print "Hello"
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4: to make the string "Hello" localizable.
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4: Message catalogs are collections of translations for such localizable messages
cmlenz@4: used in an application. They are commonly stored in PO (Portable Object) and MO
cmlenz@4: (Machine Object) files, the formats of which are defined by the GNU `gettext`_
cmlenz@4: tools and the GNU `translation project`_.
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4:  .. _`gettext`: http://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/
cmlenz@4:  .. _`translation project`: http://sourceforge.net/projects/translation
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4: The general procedure for building message catalogs looks something like this:
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4:  * use a tool (such as ``xgettext``) to extract localizable strings from the
cmlenz@4:    code base and write them to a POT (PO Template) file.
cmlenz@4:  * make a copy of the POT file for a specific locale (for example, "en_US")
cmlenz@4:    and start translating the messages
cmlenz@4:  * use a tool such as ``msgfmt`` to compile the locale PO file into an binary
cmlenz@4:    MO file
cmlenz@4:  * later, when code changes make it necessary to update the translations, you
cmlenz@4:    regenerate the POT file and merge the changes into the various
cmlenz@4:    locale-specific PO files, for example using ``msgmerge``
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4: Python provides the `gettext module`_ as part of the standard library, which
cmlenz@4: enables applications to work with appropriately generated MO files.
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4:  .. _`gettext module`: http://docs.python.org/lib/module-gettext.html
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4: As ``gettext`` provides a solid and well supported foundation for translating
cmlenz@4: application messages, Babel does not reinvent the wheel, but rather reuses this
cmlenz@4: infrastructure, and makes it easier to build message catalogs for Python
cmlenz@4: applications.
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4: Message Extraction
cmlenz@4: ==================
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4: Babel provides functionality similar to that of the ``xgettext`` program,
cmlenz@4: except that only extraction from Python source files is built-in, while support
cmlenz@4: for other file formats can be added using a simple extension mechanism.
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@50: Unlike ``xgettext``, which is usually invoked once for every file, the routines
cmlenz@50: for message extraction in Babel operate on directories. While the per-file
cmlenz@50: approach of ``xgettext`` works nicely with projects using a ``Makefile``,
cmlenz@50: Python projects rarely use ``make``, and thus a different mechanism is needed
cmlenz@50: for extracting messages from the heterogeneous collection of source files that
cmlenz@50: many Python projects are composed of.
cmlenz@50: 
cmlenz@50: When message extraction is based on directories instead of individual files,
cmlenz@50: there needs to be a way to configure which files should be treated in which
cmlenz@50: manner. For example, while many projects may contain ``.html`` files, some of
cmlenz@50: those files may be static HTML files that don't contain localizable message,
cmlenz@50: while others may be `Django`_ templates, and still others may contain `Genshi`_
cmlenz@50: markup templates. Some projects may even mix HTML files for different templates
cmlenz@50: languages (for whatever reason). Therefore the way in which messages are
cmlenz@50: extracted from source files can not only depend on the file extension, but
cmlenz@50: needs to be controllable in a precise manner.
cmlenz@50: 
cmlenz@50: .. _`Django`: http://www.djangoproject.com/
cmlenz@50: .. _`Genshi`: http://genshi.edgewall.org/
cmlenz@50: 
cmlenz@50: Babel accepts a configuration file to specify this mapping of files to
cmlenz@50: extraction methods, which is described below.
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@252: .. _`frontends`:
cmlenz@252: 
cmlenz@252: ----------
cmlenz@252: Front-Ends
cmlenz@252: ----------
cmlenz@252: 
cmlenz@252: Babel provides two different front-ends to access its functionality for working
cmlenz@252: with message catalogs:
cmlenz@252: 
cmlenz@252:  * A `Command-line interface <cmdline.html>`_, and
cmlenz@252:  * `Integration with distutils/setuptools <setup.html>`_
cmlenz@252: 
cmlenz@252: Which one you choose depends on the nature of your project. For most modern
cmlenz@252: Python projects, the distutils/setuptools integration is probably more
cmlenz@252: convenient.
cmlenz@252: 
cmlenz@252: 
cmlenz@50: .. _`mapping`:
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@50: -------------------------------------------
cmlenz@50: Extraction Method Mapping and Configuration
cmlenz@50: -------------------------------------------
cmlenz@50: 
cmlenz@50: The mapping of extraction methods to files in Babel is done via a configuration
cmlenz@50: file. This file maps extended glob patterns to the names of the extraction
cmlenz@50: methods, and can also set various options for each pattern (which options are
cmlenz@50: available depends on the specific extraction method).
cmlenz@50: 
cmlenz@50: For example, the following configuration adds extraction of messages from both
cmlenz@50: Genshi markup templates and text templates:
cmlenz@50: 
cmlenz@50: .. code-block:: ini
cmlenz@50: 
cmlenz@50:     # Extraction from Python source files
cmlenz@50:     
cmlenz@252:     [python: **.py]
cmlenz@50:     
cmlenz@50:     # Extraction from Genshi HTML and text templates
cmlenz@50:     
cmlenz@252:     [genshi: **/templates/**.html]
cmlenz@50:     ignore_tags = script,style
cmlenz@50:     include_attrs = alt title summary
cmlenz@50:     
cmlenz@252:     [genshi: **/templates/**.txt]
cmlenz@146:     template_class = genshi.template:TextTemplate
cmlenz@50:     encoding = ISO-8819-15
cmlenz@50: 
cmlenz@50: The configuration file syntax is based on the format commonly found in ``.INI``
cmlenz@50: files on Windows systems, and as supported by the ``ConfigParser`` module in
cmlenz@252: the Python standard library. Section names (the strings enclosed in square
cmlenz@50: brackets) specify both the name of the extraction method, and the extended glob
cmlenz@50: pattern to specify the files that this extraction method should be used for,
cmlenz@50: separated by a colon. The options in the sections are passed to the extraction
cmlenz@50: method. Which options are available is specific to the extraction method used.
cmlenz@50: 
cmlenz@50: The extended glob patterns used in this configuration are similar to the glob
cmlenz@50: patterns provided by most shells. A single asterisk (``*``) is a wildcard for
cmlenz@50: any number of characters (except for the pathname component separator "/"),
cmlenz@50: while a question mark (``?``) only matches a single character. In addition,
cmlenz@50: two subsequent asterisk characters (``**``) can be used to make the wildcard
cmlenz@50: match any directory level, so the pattern ``**.txt`` matches any file with the
cmlenz@50: extension ``.txt`` in any directory.
cmlenz@50: 
cmlenz@50: Lines that start with a ``#`` or ``;`` character are ignored and can be used
cmlenz@252: for comments. Empty lines are ignored, too.
cmlenz@50: 
cmlenz@51: .. note:: if you're performing message extraction using the command Babel
cmlenz@252:           provides for integration into ``setup.py`` scripts, you can also 
cmlenz@252:           provide this configuration in a different way, namely as a keyword 
cmlenz@252:           argument to the ``setup()`` function. See `Distutils/Setuptools 
cmlenz@252:           Integration`_ for more information.
cmlenz@252: 
cmlenz@252: .. _`distutils/setuptools integration`: setup.html
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@252: Default Extraction Methods
cmlenz@252: --------------------------
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@252: Babel comes with only two builtin extractors: ``python`` (which extracts 
cmlenz@252: messages from Python source files) and ``ignore`` (which extracts nothing).
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@252: The ``python`` extractor is by default mapped to the glob pattern ``**.py``,
cmlenz@252: meaning it'll be applied to all files with the ``.py`` extension in any 
cmlenz@252: directory. If you specify your own mapping configuration, this default mapping
cmlenz@270: is discarded, so you need to explicitly add it to your mapping (as shown in the
cmlenz@270: example above.)
cmlenz@51: 
cmlenz@252: 
cmlenz@252: .. _`referencing extraction methods`:
cmlenz@252: 
cmlenz@252: Referencing Extraction Methods
cmlenz@252: ------------------------------
cmlenz@252: 
cmlenz@252: To be able to use short extraction method names such as “genshi”, you need to 
cmlenz@252: have `pkg_resources`_ installed, and the package implementing that extraction
cmlenz@252: method needs to have been installed with its meta data (the `egg-info`_).
cmlenz@252: 
cmlenz@252: If this is not possible for some reason, you need to map the short names to 
cmlenz@252: fully qualified function names in an extract section in the mapping 
cmlenz@252: configuration. For example:
cmlenz@252: 
cmlenz@252: .. code-block:: ini
cmlenz@252: 
cmlenz@252:     # Some custom extraction method
cmlenz@252:     
cmlenz@252:     [extractors]
cmlenz@252:     custom = mypackage.module:extract_custom
cmlenz@252:     
cmlenz@252:     [custom: **.ctm]
cmlenz@252:     some_option = foo
cmlenz@252: 
cmlenz@252: Note that the builtin extraction methods ``python`` and ``ignore`` are available
cmlenz@252: by default, even if `pkg_resources`_ is not installed. You should never need to
cmlenz@252: explicitly define them in the ``[extractors]`` section.
cmlenz@252: 
cmlenz@252: .. _`egg-info`: http://peak.telecommunity.com/DevCenter/PythonEggs
cmlenz@252: .. _`pkg_resources`: http://peak.telecommunity.com/DevCenter/PkgResources
cmlenz@51: 
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@50: --------------------------
cmlenz@50: Writing Extraction Methods
cmlenz@50: --------------------------
cmlenz@50: 
cmlenz@75: Adding new methods for extracting localizable methods is easy. First, you'll
cmlenz@75: need to implement a function that complies with the following interface:
cmlenz@4: 
cmlenz@42: .. code-block:: python
cmlenz@42: 
cmlenz@86:     def extract_xxx(fileobj, keywords, comment_tags, options):
cmlenz@75:         """Extract messages from XXX files.
cmlenz@75:         
cmlenz@75:         :param fileobj: the file-like object the messages should be extracted
cmlenz@75:                         from
cmlenz@75:         :param keywords: a list of keywords (i.e. function names) that should
cmlenz@75:                          be recognized as translation functions
cmlenz@86:         :param comment_tags: a list of translator tags to search for and
cmlenz@86:                              include in the results
cmlenz@75:         :param options: a dictionary of additional options (optional)
palgarvio@83:         :return: an iterator over ``(lineno, funcname, message, comments)``
palgarvio@83:                  tuples
cmlenz@75:         :rtype: ``iterator``
cmlenz@75:         """
cmlenz@75: 
cmlenz@85: .. note:: Any strings in the tuples produced by this function must be either
cmlenz@85:           ``unicode`` objects, or ``str`` objects using plain ASCII characters.
cmlenz@85:           That means that if sources contain strings using other encodings, it
cmlenz@85:           is the job of the extractor implementation to do the decoding to
cmlenz@85:           ``unicode`` objects.
cmlenz@85: 
cmlenz@75: Next, you should register that function as an entry point. This requires your
cmlenz@75: ``setup.py`` script to use `setuptools`_, and your package to be installed with
cmlenz@75: the necessary metadata. If that's taken care of, add something like the
cmlenz@75: following to your ``setup.py`` script:
cmlenz@75: 
cmlenz@75: .. code-block:: python
cmlenz@75: 
cmlenz@75:     def setup(...
cmlenz@75: 
cmlenz@75:         entry_points = """
cmlenz@75:         [babel.extractors]
cmlenz@75:         xxx = your.package:extract_xxx
cmlenz@75:         """,
cmlenz@75: 
cmlenz@75: That is, add your extraction method to the entry point group
cmlenz@75: ``babel.extractors``, where the name of the entry point is the name that people
cmlenz@75: will use to reference the extraction method, and the value being the module and
cmlenz@75: the name of the function (separated by a colon) implementing the actual
cmlenz@75: extraction.
cmlenz@75: 
cmlenz@252: .. note:: As shown in `Referencing Extraction Methods`_, declaring an entry
cmlenz@252:           point is not  strictly required, as users can still reference the
cmlenz@252:           extraction  function directly. But whenever possible, the entry point
cmlenz@252:           should be  declared to make configuration more convenient.
cmlenz@252: 
cmlenz@75: .. _`setuptools`: http://peak.telecommunity.com/DevCenter/setuptools
palgarvio@83: 
cmlenz@252: 
cmlenz@252: -------------------
cmlenz@252: Translator Comments
cmlenz@252: -------------------
palgarvio@83: 
palgarvio@83: First of all what are comments tags. Comments tags are excerpts of text to
palgarvio@83: search for in comments, only comments, right before the `python gettext`_
palgarvio@83: calls, as shown on the following example:
palgarvio@83: 
palgarvio@83:  .. _`python gettext`: http://docs.python.org/lib/module-gettext.html
palgarvio@83: 
palgarvio@83: .. code-block:: python
palgarvio@83: 
palgarvio@83:     # NOTE: This is a comment about `Foo Bar`
palgarvio@83:     _('Foo Bar')
palgarvio@83: 
palgarvio@83: The comments tag for the above example would be ``NOTE:``, and the translator
palgarvio@83: comment for that tag would be ``This is a comment about `Foo Bar```.
palgarvio@83: 
palgarvio@83: The resulting output in the catalog template would be something like::
palgarvio@83: 
pjenvey@111:     #. This is a comment about `Foo Bar`
palgarvio@83:     #: main.py:2
palgarvio@83:     msgid "Foo Bar"
palgarvio@83:     msgstr ""
palgarvio@83: 
palgarvio@83: Now, you might ask, why would I need that?
palgarvio@83: 
cmlenz@252: Consider this simple case; you have a menu item called “manual”. You know what
palgarvio@83: it means, but when the translator sees this they will wonder did you mean:
palgarvio@83: 
palgarvio@83: 1. a document or help manual, or
palgarvio@83: 2. a manual process?
palgarvio@83: 
palgarvio@83: This is the simplest case where a translation comment such as
palgarvio@83: “The installation manual” helps to clarify the situation and makes a translator
palgarvio@83: more productive.
palgarvio@83: 
cmlenz@252: .. note:: Whether translator comments can be extracted depends on the extraction
cmlenz@252:           method in use. The Python extractor provided by Babel does implement
cmlenz@252:           this feature, but others may not.