NAME
locale - Describes a locale definition file
DESCRIPTION The locale definition files contains all the
information that the localedef(1) command needs to convert
it into the binary locale database.
The definition files consist of sections which each describe
a locale category in detail.
SYNTAX
The locale definition file starts with a header, that may
consist of the following keywords:
<escape_char>
is followed by a character that should be used as the
escape-character for the rest of the file to mark char-
acters that should be interpreted in a special way. It
defaults to the backslash ( \ ).
<comment_char>
is followed by a character that will be used as the
comment-character for the rest of the file. It defaults
to the number sign ( # ).
The locale definitions is divided it one part for each
locale category. Each part can be copied from another exist-
ing locale or can be defined from scratch. If the category
should be copied, the only valid keyword in the definition
is copy followed by the name of the locale which should be
copied.
LC_CTYPE
LC_CTYPE category starts with the string LC_CTYPE in the
first column.
There are the following keywords allowed:
upper
followed by a list of uppercase letters. The letters A
trough Z are included automatically. Characters also
specified as cntrl, digit, punct, or space are not
allowed.
lower
followed by a list of lowercase letters. The letters a
trough z are included automatically. Characters also
specified as cntrl, digit, punct, or space are not
allowed.
alpha
followed by a list of letters. All character specified
as either upper or lower are automatically included.
Characters also specified as cntrl, digit, punct, or
space are not allowed.
digit
followed by the characters classified as numeric
digits. Only the digits 0 trough 9 are allowed. They
are included by default in this class.
space
followed by a list of characters defined as white-space
characters. Characters also specified as upper, lower,
alpha, digit, graph, or xdigit are not allowed. The
characters <space>, <form-feed>, <newline>, <carriage-
return>, <tab>, and <vertical-tab> are automatically
included.
cntrl
followed by a list of control characters. Characters
also specified as upper, lower, alpha, digit, punct,
graph, or xdigit are not allowed.
punct
followed by a list of punctuation characters. Charac-
ters also specified as upper, lower, alpha, digit,
cntrl, xdigit or the <space> character are not allowed.
graph
followed by a list of printable characters, not includ-
ing the <space> character. The characters defined as
upper, lower, alpha, digit, xdigit and punct are
automatically included. Characters also specified as
cntrl are not allowed.
print
followed by a list of printable characters, including
the <space> character. The characters defined as upper,
lower, alpha, digit, xdigit, punct and the <space>
character are automatically included. Characters also
specified as cntrl are not allowed.
xdigit
followed by a list of characters classified as hexade-
cimal digits. The decimal digits must be included fol-
lowed by one or more set of six characters in ascending
order. The following characters are included by
default: 0 trough 9, a trough f, A trough F.
blank
followed by a list of characters classified as blank.
The characters <space> and <tab> are automatically
included.
toupper
followed by a list of mappings from lowercase to upper-
case letters. Each mapping is a pair of a lowercase and
an uppercase letter separated with a , and enclosed in
parentheses. The members of the list are separated with
semicolons.
tolower
followed by a list of mappings from uppercase to lower-
case letters. If the keyword tolower is not present,
the reverse of the toupper list is used.
The LC_CTYPE definition ends with the string END LC_CYTPE.
LC_COLLATE
The LC_COLLATE category defines the rules for collating
characters. Due to limitations of libc not all POSIX-options
are implemented.
The definition starts with the string LC_COLLATE in the
first column.
There are the following keywords allowed:
collating-element
collating-symbol
The order-definition starts with a line:
order_start
followed by a list of keywords out of forward, backward or
position. The order definition consists of lines that
describe the order and is terminated with the keyword
order_end.
For more details see the sources in /usr/lib/nls/src notably
the examples POSIX, Example and Example2
The LC_COLLATE definition ends with the string END
LC_COLLATE.
LC_MONETARY
The definition starts with the string LC_MONETARY in the
first column.
There are the following keywords allowed:
int_curr_symbol
followed by the international currency symbol. This
must be a four character string containing the interna-
tional currency symbol as defined by the ISO 4217 stan-
dard (three characters) followed by a separator.
currency_symbol
followed by the local currency symbol.
mon_decimal_point
followed by the string that will be used as the decimal
delimiter when formatting monetary quantities.
mon_thousands_sep
followed by the string that will be used as a group
separator when formatting monetary quantities.
mon_grouping
followed by a string that describes the formatting of
numeric quantities.
positive_sign
followed by a string that is used to indicate a posi-
tive sign for monetary quantities.
negative_sign
followed by a string that is used to indicate a nega-
tive sign for monetary quantities.
int_frac_digits
followed by the number of fractional digits that should
be used when formatting with the int_curr_symbol.
frac_digits
followed by the number of fractional digits that should
be used when formatting with the currency_symbol.
p_cs_precedes
followed by an integer set to 1 if the currency_symbol
or int_curr_symbol
should precede the formatted monetary quantity or set
to 0 if the symbol succeeds the value.
p_sep_by_space
followed by an integer.
0 means that no space should be printed between the
symbol and the value.
1 means that a space should be printed between the
symbol and the value.
2 means that a space should be printed between the
symbol and the sign string, if adjacent.
n_cs_precedes
0 - the symbol succeeds the value
1 - the symbol precedes the value
n_sep_by_space
An integer set to 0 if no space separates the
currency_symbol or int_curr_symbol from the value for a
negative monetary quantity, set to 1 if a space
separates the symbol from the value and set to 2 if a
space separates the symbol and the sign string, if
adjacent.
p_sign_posn
0 Parentheses enclose the quantity and the
currency_symbol or int_curr_symbol.
1 The sign string precedes the quantity and the
currency_symbol or the int_curr_symbol.
2 The sign string succeeds the quantity and the
currency_symbol or the int_curr_symbol.
3 The sign string precedes the currency_symbol or
the int_curr_symbol.
4 The sign string succeeds the currency_symbol or
the int_curr_symbol.
n_sign_posn
0 Parentheses enclose the quantity and the
currency_symbol or int_curr_symbol.
1 The sign string precedes the quantity and the
currency_symbol or the int_curr_symbol.
2 The sign string succeeds the quantity and the
currency_symbol or the int_curr_symbol.
3 The sign string precedes the currency_symbol or
the int_curr_symbol.
4 The sign string succeeds the currency_symbol or
the int_curr_symbol.
The LC_MONETARY definition ends with the string END
LC_MONETARY.
LC_NUMERIC
The definition starts with the string LC_NUMERIC in the
first column.
There are the following keywords allowed:
decimal_point
followed by the string that will be used as the decimal
delimiter when formatting numeric quantities.
thousands_sep
followed by the string that will be used as a group
separator when formatting numeric quantities.
grouping
followed by a string that describes the formatting of
numeric quantities.
The LC_NUMERIC definition ends with the string END
LC_NUMERIC.
LC_TIME
The definition starts with the string LC_TIME in the first
column.
There are the following keywords allowed:
abday
followed by a list of abbreviated weekday names. The
list starts with the Sunday or it's translation.
day followed by a list of weekday names. The list starts
with the Sunday.
abmon
followed by a list of abbreviated month names.
mon followed by a list of month names.
am_pm
The appropriate representation of the am and pm
strings.
d_t_fmt
The appropriate date and time format.
d_fmt
The appropriate date format.
t_fmt
The appropriate time format.
t_fmt_ampm
The appropriate time format when using 12h clock for-
mat.
The LC_TIME definition ends with the string END LC_TIME.
LC_MESSAGES
The definition starts with the string LC_MESSAGES in the
first column.
There are the following keywords allowed:
yesexpr
followed by a regular expression that describes possi-
ble yes-responses.
noexpr
followed by a regular expression that describes possi-
ble no-responses.
The LC_MESSAGES definition ends with the string END
LC_MESSAGES.
See the POSIX.2 standard for details.
FILES
/usr/lib/locale/ - database for the current locale setting
of that category /usr/lib/nls/charmap/* - charmap-files
BUGS
The manpage isn't complete.
AUTHOR
Jochen Hein (Hein@Student.TU-Clausthal.de)
CONFORMING TO
POSIX.2
SEE ALSO
setlocale(3), localeconv(3), charmap(5), locale(1),
localedef(1)