INTLTOOL-MERGE(8)

✨ intltool-merge ✨

okay so bestie, this is a page from the System Manager's Manual — it's intltool-merge(8), and it's literally the tool that smooshes your translated strings into whatever kind of file you need. no cap. 💖

🌸 NAME 🌸

intltool-merge — merge translated strings into various types of file 🦋

💅 SYNOPSIS 💅

intltool-merge [option]... PO_DIRECTORY FILENAME OUTPUT_FILE

👑 DESCRIPTION 👑

so here's the vibe: it takes the translated strings chilling in the po files inside PO_DIRECTORY, merges them with the original application file FILENAME, and spits out OUTPUT_FILE — which contains both the original strings and the localized ones. both. at once. iconic behavior honestly. ✨

and if FILENAME is an XML file? then OUTPUT_FILE is gonna have repeated xml nodes, where each node holds one of the localized strings, tagged up with an xml:lang attribute. so like, every language gets its own little node. it's giving organized. 🎀

🌈 OPTIONS 🌈

🧚 Mode of operation

• -b, --ba-style — merges files in bonobo-activation style, which is the style used for bonobo servers. (iykyk 🫶)
• -d, --desktop-style — merges files in desktop style, which is basically the same vibe as the Windows .ini file format.
• -k, --keys-style — merges files in keys style, the one used for metadata.
• -o, --oaf-style — (OBSOLETE) literally the same thing as -b/--ba-style. like, identical. don't come for me, I'm just the messenger. 💀
• -r, --rfc822deb-style — merges files in RFC 822 style, which is usually what Debian configuration files use.
• --quoted-style — merges files in quoted string style, which just translates any strings sitting inside "". simple. clean. slay.
• -x, --xml-style — merges files in standard XML style, both as attributes and as raw pcdata. double duty, main character energy. 👑

💜 Other options

• -u, --utf8 — converts all strings to UTF-8 before merging.
• -p, --pass-through — uses strings as-is in the .po files, no conversion at all. > STRONGLY unrecommended with -x — like, genuinely, don't do it. 🚨
• -c, --cache — (TBD). yeah bestie, that's all the manpage says. mystery behavior. 🙈
• -q, --quiet — be quiet while running. shhh. 🤫
• -v, --version — shows version information.
• -h, --help — shows usage and basic help information.

🍓 FILES 🍓

• po/.intltool-merge-cache — the cache file that intltool-merge generates. it holds all strings in all po files, separated by \01. yes, an actual control character as a separator. unhinged but we respect it. 💅

😭 REPORTING BUGS 😭

found a bug? report it over at http://bugs.launchpad.net/intltool — they wanna hear about it, fr fr.

⭐ AUTHOR ⭐

• Darin Adler <darin@bentspoon.com>
• Kenneth Christiansen <kenneth@gnu.org>
• Maciej Stachowiak <mjs@eazel.com>

absolute legends, all three of them. 👑

💖 SEE ALSO 💖

iconv(1), intltoolize(8), intltool-prepare(8), intltool-extract(8), intltool-update(8)

go read those next, bestie, the whole intltool cinematic universe is waiting. 🌈

and that's the whole page!! this one's from the intltool package, dated 2003-08-02 — yes, it's been serving looks since 2003, and it still eats. 🫶✨💖