[Kbabel] Full Gettext support in KBabel

[Nicolas Goutte]

On Thursday 20 October 2005 21:23, Chusslove Illich wrote:
> > [: Nicolas Goutte :]
> > Well, even KDE 4.1 is not sure, as you would need to keep binary
> > compatibility for KDE programs compiled under KDE 4.0. (That is why we
> > are still using the stupid/buggy hash for KDE3.)
>
> I thought about code for handling POs being buried under the public
> interfaces, but forgot that compatibility with .mo files must also be
> preserved. Just great. 

> Then the only alternative is switching to standard
> Gettext PO in 4.0 already.

That is more or less what I always meant (and hinted in threads in 
kde-core-devel and kdee-i18n-doc .)

Anything else is for KDE5 (so in 3 or 4 years).

>
> To keep 3.5 KBabel in the game, we could have a script which converts
> standard Gettext POT to KDE's current custom POT for mergings and
> translations, and then the translated custom PO back to standard PO for
> installation.

You have still a problem.

A third party application made for KDE 4.0 which you try to compile on KDE 
4.1. How would you handle the PO files?

(I think we should avoid mixed models during KDE4.)

> That way, translators get to use 3.5 KBabel, and only those
> familiar with compilation have this extra step of conversion. And
> everything is dropped upon the appearance of 4.0 KBabel.

A possible path would be to adapt the current load/save code to do a hack 
similar to the one described in the forwarded email.

The problem in that case remains that you cannot check a PO files with Gettext 
contexts with an old version of msgfmt. So either the translators would have 
to run without a msgfmt check (relying completely on Scripty's 
check_po_files) or we need to create such a check script (which tests only 
one file, probably the Perl code of check_po_files could be used to create 
it.)

>
> And yes, we shoot in public any developer who puts a newline into context

> or plural form in the meantime.

For plural forms, it should be less a problem, if the Gettext plural support 
is working (as Stanislas has written).

Have a nice day!