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.TH "UPDATE-LOCALE-CONFIG" "8" "2004-10-20" "update-locale-config" "Debian GNU/Linux User's Manual"
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update\-locale\-config \- Update differnt programs' language settings
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.B update\-locale\-config
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.\"[\fI\--verbose|-v\fR]
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.\" ********************************************************************
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.B update\-locale\-config
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is a script that automatically updates the language settings
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of different programs based on the language code passed as parameter.
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throughout the Debian installation process so that the user language
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selection is made visible to packages and thus preventing debconf
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interfaces from asking questions related to language settings and
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adjusting packages' system-wide configuration files to the user selection.
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.B update\-locale\-config
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can run in two modes, pre-inst or post-inst (the default). Pre-inst mode
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will run all scripts under /usr/lib/localization\-config with a
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suffix, most of these scripts will do
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preseeding and will run before packages are actually installed. The
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postinst mode (default) will run all scripts under the same directory with a
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suffix, most of these will modify configuration files that are available
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once the package has been installed on the system.
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System administrators should not need to run
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.B update\-locale\-config
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by hand, although this option is available. Notice, however, that running
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.B update\-locale\-config
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in pre-inst mode will not affect the system unless the packages whose
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debconf configuration has changed are reconfigured
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(with \fBdpkg-reconfigure PACKAGE\fR).
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.B update\-locale\-config
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as all the changes this script makes are systemwide.
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If a user wants to change \fRhis\fI
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locale configuration and adjust the language configuration of his own
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(available in the \fBlanguage-env\fR package) should be used instead.
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.\" ********************************************************************
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List supported locales.
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Run the pre-install scripts instead of the (default) postinst scripts.
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specify your favorite native language.
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Here are some of the supported languages:
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Greek (Greece, UTF-8 mode)
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.B nb_NO or no_NO (depricated)
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Dutch (The Netherlands)
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.\" ********************************************************************
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Support for new packages is based on scripts present in
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/usr/lib/localization\-config. These scripts must analyse the official
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locale language code (\fBlanguage[_territory][.codeset][@modifier]\fR)
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and modify the package as appropiate. Since language modifications
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might vary between different package versions, the scripts in that
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directory should just check the package version and call scripts
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in per-distribution subdirectories (\fBsarge\fR, \fBwoody\fR, etc.).
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These scripts take as input the locale language code and should do
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whatever modifications are need in order to configure the package.
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Possible modifications include:
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.I debconf-preseeding
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If the package asks to the user through \fBdebconf\fR settings that
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might depend on the language and charset, and if an accurate guess
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can be made based on the users locale language code then the
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script should preseed the debconf values so that the user will not
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have to answer the questions himself upon package installation.
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Debconf preseeding is usually done in the \fIpreinst\fR phase.
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.I configuration file modification
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If the package has configuration files that can be modified to
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adjust for the user's selection of locale language code, the
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script should make any reasonable changes in order to help the user
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configure the package. \fBConffiles\fR (see Debian policy) should
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be treated with extreme care (to avoid prompts of configuration file
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changes by dpkg when upgrading).
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All changes done by the scripts should be idempotent.
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Language support is embedded in the scripts available at
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/usr/lib/localization\-config. These scripts hold the \fIknowledge\fR
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on how to transform a given language code into a package's modification.
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Adding support for a new language (or variant) should be done by
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modifying these scripts. The code presently available that provides
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support for some languages could be used as a basis for new language
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support. In many scripts, adding support for a new language is just
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a matter of defining it and the values that need to be changed for it
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in a \fBdatabase\fR of languages and changes (actually implemented
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in most cases as hash array in Perl)
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.I "/usr/lib/localization\-config"
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Location of the scripts that adjust programs to use the user configured locale.
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Recommended reading also includes
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.I Debian GNU/Linux - Install manual
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(available at \fBhttp://www.debian.org/releases/stable/installmanual\fR)
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which descirbes how language and country selection works in the debian installer
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.I Introduction to i18n
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(available at \fBhttp://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/intro-i18n/\fr)
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which describes i18n (and locale) to developers.
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Bugs regarding this software should be sent against the
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.B localization-config
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package, preferably using the
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This software and a first version of the manpage was written by
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Dagfinn Ilmari Manns�ker <ilmari@ping.uio.no> for the Skolelinux
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distribution. This manpage was later modified for the Debian GNU/Linux by
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Javier Fernandez-Sanguino. Minor changes by Konstantinos Margaritis
added
removed
update-locale-config.1
