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Generalize the gettext advice about substituting parts of a sentence.

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Richard M. Stallman 1996-09-09 22:42:53 +00:00
parent ed14553838
commit 128ce94e4b
2 changed files with 76 additions and 22 deletions
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49
doc/standards.texi
View File

@ -2321,13 +2321,18 @@ translations for this package from the translations for other packages.
Normally, the text domain name should be the same as the name of the
package---for example, @samp{fileutils} for the GNU file utilities.
To enable gettext to work, avoid writing code that makes assumptions
about the structure of words. Don't construct words from parts. Here
is an example of what not to do:
To enable gettext to work well, avoid writing code that makes
assumptions about the structure of words or sentences. When you want
the precise text of a sentence to vary depending on the data, use two or
more alternative string constants each containing a complete sentences,
rather than inserting conditionalized words or phrases into a single
sentence framework.
Here is an example of what not to do:
@example
printf ("%d file%s processed", nfiles,
nfiles != 1 ? "s" : "");
nfiles != 1 ? "s" : "");
@end example
@noindent
@ -2336,7 +2341,7 @@ by adding `s'. If you apply gettext to the format string, like this,
@example
printf (gettext ("%d file%s processed"), nfiles,
nfiles != 1 ? "s" : "");
nfiles != 1 ? "s" : "");
@end example
@noindent
@ -2345,8 +2350,8 @@ the message can use different words, but it will still be forced to use
@example
printf ((nfiles != 1 ? "%d files processed"
: "%d file processed"),
nfiles);
: "%d file processed"),
nfiles);
@end example
@noindent
@ -2355,13 +2360,35 @@ independently:
@example
printf ((nfiles != 1 ? gettext ("%d files processed")
: gettext ("%d file processed")),
nfiles);
: gettext ("%d file processed")),
nfiles);
@end example
@noindent
This can handle any language, no matter how it forms the plural of the
word for ``file''.
This can any method of forming the plural of the word for ``file'', and
also handles languages that require agreement in the word for
``processed''.
A similar problem appears at the level of sentence structure with this
code:
@example
printf ("# Implicit rule search has%s been done.\n",
f->tried_implicit ? "" : " not");
@end example
@noindent
Adding @code{gettext} calls to this code cannot give correct results for
all languages, because negation in some languages requires adding words
at more than one place in the sentence. By contrast, adding
@code{gettext} calls does the job straightfowardly if the code starts
out like this:
@example
printf (f->tried_implicit
? "# Implicit rule search has been done.\n",
: "# Implicit rule search has not been done.\n");
@end example
@node Documentation
@chapter Documenting Programs

49
standards.texi
View File

@ -2321,13 +2321,18 @@ translations for this package from the translations for other packages.
Normally, the text domain name should be the same as the name of the
package---for example, @samp{fileutils} for the GNU file utilities.
To enable gettext to work, avoid writing code that makes assumptions
about the structure of words. Don't construct words from parts. Here
is an example of what not to do:
To enable gettext to work well, avoid writing code that makes
assumptions about the structure of words or sentences. When you want
the precise text of a sentence to vary depending on the data, use two or
more alternative string constants each containing a complete sentences,
rather than inserting conditionalized words or phrases into a single
sentence framework.
Here is an example of what not to do:
@example
printf ("%d file%s processed", nfiles,
nfiles != 1 ? "s" : "");
nfiles != 1 ? "s" : "");
@end example
@noindent
@ -2336,7 +2341,7 @@ by adding `s'. If you apply gettext to the format string, like this,
@example
printf (gettext ("%d file%s processed"), nfiles,
nfiles != 1 ? "s" : "");
nfiles != 1 ? "s" : "");
@end example
@noindent
@ -2345,8 +2350,8 @@ the message can use different words, but it will still be forced to use
@example
printf ((nfiles != 1 ? "%d files processed"
: "%d file processed"),
nfiles);
: "%d file processed"),
nfiles);
@end example
@noindent
@ -2355,13 +2360,35 @@ independently:
@example
printf ((nfiles != 1 ? gettext ("%d files processed")
: gettext ("%d file processed")),
nfiles);
: gettext ("%d file processed")),
nfiles);
@end example
@noindent
This can handle any language, no matter how it forms the plural of the
word for ``file''.
This can any method of forming the plural of the word for ``file'', and
also handles languages that require agreement in the word for
``processed''.
A similar problem appears at the level of sentence structure with this
code:
@example
printf ("# Implicit rule search has%s been done.\n",
f->tried_implicit ? "" : " not");
@end example
@noindent
Adding @code{gettext} calls to this code cannot give correct results for
all languages, because negation in some languages requires adding words
at more than one place in the sentence. By contrast, adding
@code{gettext} calls does the job straightfowardly if the code starts
out like this:
@example
printf (f->tried_implicit
? "# Implicit rule search has been done.\n",
: "# Implicit rule search has not been done.\n");
@end example
@node Documentation
@chapter Documenting Programs