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XGETTEXT(1) User Commands XGETTEXT(1) NAME xgettext - extract gettext strings from source SYNOPSIS xgettext [OPTION] [INPUTFILE]... DESCRIPTION Extract translatable strings from given input files. Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too. Similarly for optional arguments. Input file location: INPUTFILE ... input files -f, --files-from=FILE get list of input files from FILE -D, --directory=DIRECTORY add DIRECTORY to list for input files search If input file is -, standard input is read. Output file location: -d, --default-domain=NAME use NAME.po for output (instead of messages.po) -o, --output=FILE write output to specified file -p, --output-dir=DIR output files will be placed in directory DIR If output file is -, output is written to standard output. Choice of input file language: -L, --language=NAME recognise the specified language (C, C++, ObjectiveC, PO, Python, Java, JavaProperties, C#, JavaScript, TypeScript, TSX, Scheme, Guile, Lisp, EmacsLisp, librep, Rust, Go, Ruby, Shell, awk, Lua, Modula-2, D, OCaml, Smalltalk, Vala, Tcl, Perl, PHP, GCC-source, YCP, NXStringTable, RST, RSJ, Glade, GSettings, Desktop) -C, --c++ shorthand for --language=C++ By default the language is guessed depending on the input file name exten- sion. Input file interpretation: --from-code=NAME encoding of input files (except for Python, Tcl, Glade) By default the input files are assumed to be in ASCII. Operation mode: -j, --join-existing join messages with existing file -x, --exclude-file=FILE.po entries from FILE.po are not extracted -cTAG, --add-comments=TAG place comment blocks starting with TAG and preceding keyword lines in output file -c, --add-comments place all comment blocks preceding keyword lines in output file --check=NAME perform syntax check on messages (ellipsis-unicode, space-ellipsis, quote-unicode, bullet-unicode) --no-check=NAME don't perform syntax check on messages (url, email) --sentence-end=TYPE type describing the end of sentence (single-space, which is the de- fault, or double-space) Language specific options: -a, --extract-all extract all strings (only languages C, C++, ObjectiveC, Python, Java, C#, JavaScript, TypeScript, TSX, Scheme, Guile, Lisp, Emac- sLisp, librep, Rust, Go, Shell, awk, Lua, Modula-2, D, OCaml, Vala, Tcl, Perl, PHP, GCC-source, Glade, GSettings) -kWORD, --keyword=WORD look for WORD as an additional keyword -k, --keyword do not to use default keywords (only languages C, C++, ObjectiveC, Python, Java, C#, JavaScript, TypeScript, TSX, Scheme, Guile, Lisp, EmacsLisp, librep, Rust, Go, Shell, awk, Lua, Modula-2, D, OCaml, Vala, Tcl, Perl, PHP, GCC-source, Glade, GSettings, Desktop) --flag=WORD:ARG:FLAG additional flag for strings inside the argument number ARG of key- word WORD (only languages C, C++, ObjectiveC, Python, Java, C#, JavaScript, TypeScript, TSX, Scheme, Guile, Lisp, Emac- sLisp, librep, Rust, Go, Shell, awk, Lua, Modula-2, D, OCaml, Vala, Tcl, Perl, PHP, GCC-source, YCP) --tag=WORD:FORMAT defines the behaviour of tagged template literals with tag WORD (only language JavaScript) -T, --trigraphs understand ANSI C trigraphs for input (deprecated; only languages C, C++, ObjectiveC) --its=FILE apply ITS rules from FILE (only XML based languages) --qt recognize Qt format strings (only language C++) --kde recognize KDE 4 format strings (only language C++) --boost recognize Boost format strings (only language C++) --debug more detailed formatstring recognition result Output details: --color use colors and other text attributes always --color=WHEN use colors and other text attributes if WHEN. WHEN may be 'always', 'never', 'auto', or 'html'. --style=STYLEFILE specify CSS style rule file for --color -e, --no-escape do not use C escapes in output (default) -E, --escape use C escapes in output, no extended chars --force-po write PO file even if empty -i, --indent write the .po file using indented style --no-location do not write '#: filename:line' lines -n, --add-location generate '#: filename:line' lines (default) --strict write out strict Uniforum conforming .po file --properties-output write out a Java .properties file --stringtable-output write out a NeXTstep/GNUstep .strings file --itstool write out itstool comments -w, --width=NUMBER set output page width --no-wrap do not break long message lines, longer than the output page width, into several lines -s, --sort-output generate sorted output (deprecated) -F, --sort-by-file sort output by file location --omit-header don't write header with 'msgid ""' entry --no-git don't use the git program to produce a reproducible 'POT-Cre- ation-Date' field in the output. --copyright-holder=STRING set copyright holder in output --foreign-user omit FSF copyright in output for foreign user --package-name=PACKAGE set package name in output --package-version=VERSION set package version in output --msgid-bugs-address=EMAIL@ADDRESS set report address for msgid bugs --generated=FILE Declares that the given FILE is generated and therefore should not have an influence on the 'POT-Creation-Date' field in the output. --reference=FILE Declares that the output depends on the contents of the given FILE. This has an influence on the 'POT-Creation-Date' field in the out- put. -m[STRING], --msgstr-prefix[=STRING] use STRING or "" as prefix for msgstr values -M[STRING], --msgstr-suffix[=STRING] use STRING or "" as suffix for msgstr values Informative output: -h, --help display this help and exit -V, --version output version information and exit -v, --verbose increase verbosity level AUTHOR Written by Ulrich Drepper and Bruno Haible. REPORTING BUGS Report bugs in the bug tracker at <https://savannah.gnu.org/projects/get- text> or by email to <bug-gettext@gnu.org>. COPYRIGHT Copyright (C) 1995-2026 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html> This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. SEE ALSO The full documentation for xgettext is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and xgettext programs are properly installed at your site, the command info xgettext should give you access to the complete manual. GNU gettext-tools 1.0 January 2026 XGETTEXT(1)
NAME | SYNOPSIS | DESCRIPTION | AUTHOR | REPORTING BUGS | COPYRIGHT | SEE ALSO
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