MSGCAT(1)

NAME
msgcat - combines several message catalogs

SYNOPSIS
msgcat [OPTION] [INPUTFILE]...

DESCRIPTION

Concatenates and merges the specified PO files. Find messages which are common to two or more of the specified PO files. By using the --more-than option, greater commonality may be requested before messages are printed. Conversely, the --less-than option may be used to specify less commonality before messages are printed (i.e. --less-than=2 will only print the unique messages). Translations, comments, extracted comments, and file positions will be cumulated, except that if --use-first is specified, they will be taken from the first PO file to define them.

Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.

  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:

-o, --output-file=FILE
    write output to specified file

The results are written to standard output if no output file is specified or if it is -.

  Message selection:

-<, --less-than=NUMBER
    print messages with less than this many definitions, defaults to infinite if not set

->, --more-than=NUMBER
    print messages with more than this many definitions, defaults to 0 if not set

-u, --unique
    shorthand for --less-than=2, requests that only unique messages be printed

  Input file syntax:

-P, --properties-input
    input files are in Java .properties syntax

--stringtable-input
    input files are in NeXTstep/GNUstep .strings syntax

  Output details:

-t, --to-code=NAME
    encoding for output

--use-first
    use first available translation for each message, don't merge several translations

--lang=CATALOGNAME
    set 'Language' field in the header entry

--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

-p, --properties-output
    write out a Java .properties file

--stringtable-output
    write out a NeXTstep/GNUstep .strings file

-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

-F, --sort-by-file
    sort output by file location

  Informative output:

-h, --help
    display this help and exit

-V, --version
    output version information and exit

AUTHOR
Written by Bruno Haible.

REPORTING BUGS
Report bugs in the bug tracker at <https://savannah.gnu.org/projects/gettext> or by email to <bug-gettext@gnu.org>.

COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2001-2026 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 msgcat is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and msgcat programs are properly installed at your site, the command

    info msgcat

should give you access to the complete manual.