NAME

       localedef - compile locale definition files

SYNOPSIS

       localedef [options] outputpath
       localedef --list-archive [options]
       localedef --delete-from-archive [options] localename ...
       localedef --add-to-archive [options] compiledpath
       localedef --version
       localedef --help
       localedef --usage

DESCRIPTION

       The localedef program reads the indicated charmap and input files, compiles them to a binary form quickly
       usable  by the locale functions in the C library (setlocale(3), localeconv(3), etc.), and places the out‐
       put in outputpath.

       The outputpath argument is interpreted as follows:

       *  If outputpath contains a slash character ('/'), it is interpreted as the name of the  directory  where
          the  output  definitions are to be stored.  In this case, there is a separate output file for each lo‐
          cale category (LC_TIME, LC_NUMERIC, and so on).

       *  If the --no-archive option is used, outputpath is the name of a subdirectory in /usr/lib/locale  where
          per-category compiled files are placed.

       *  Otherwise,  outputpath  is  the  name of a locale and the compiled locale data is added to the archive
          file /usr/lib/locale/locale-archive.  A locale archive is a memory-mapped file which contains all  the
          system-provided locales; it is used by all localized programs when the environment variable LOCPATH is
          not set.

       In  any  case,  localedef aborts if the directory in which it tries to write locale files has not already
       been created.

       If no charmapfile is given, the value ANSI_X3.4-1968 (for ASCII) is used by default.  If no inputfile  is
       given, or if it is given as a dash (-), localedef reads from standard input.

OPTIONS

   Operation-selection options
       A  few options direct localedef to do something other than compile locale definitions.  Only one of these
       options should be used at a time.

       --delete-from-archive
              Delete the named locales from the locale archive file.

       --list-archive
              List the locales contained in the locale archive file.

       --add-to-archive
              Add the compiledpath directories to the locale archive file.  The  directories  should  have  been
              created by previous runs of localedef, using --no-archive.

   Other options
       Some of the following options are sensible only for certain operations; generally, it should be self-evi‐
       dent which ones.

       -f charmapfile, --charmap=charmapfile
              Specify  the  file  that defines the character set that is used by the input file.  If charmapfile
              contains a slash character ('/'), it is interpreted as the name of the character map.   Otherwise,
              the  file is sought in the current directory and the default directory for character maps.  If the
              environment variable I18NPATH is set, $I18NPATH/charmaps/ and $I18NPATH/ are also  searched  after
              the current directory.  The default directory for character maps is printed by localedef --help.

       -i inputfile, --inputfile=inputfile
              Specify  the  locale  definition file to compile.  The file is sought in the current directory and
              the default directory for locale definition files.  If the environment variable I18NPATH  is  set,
              $I18NPATH/locales/  and  $I18NPATH are also searched after the current directory.  The default di‐
              rectory for locale definition files is printed by localedef --help.

       -u repertoirefile, --repertoire-map=repertoirefile
              Read mappings from symbolic names to Unicode code points from repertoirefile.   If  repertoirefile
              contains a slash character ('/'), it is interpreted as the pathname of the repertoire map.  Other‐
              wise,  the  file is sought in the current directory and the default directory for repertoire maps.
              If the environment variable I18NPATH is set,  $I18NPATH/repertoiremaps/  and  $I18NPATH  are  also
              searched after the current directory.  The default directory for repertoire maps is printed by lo‐
              caledef --help.

       -A aliasfile, --alias-file=aliasfile
              Use aliasfile to look up aliases for locale names.  There is no default aliases file.

       --prefix=pathname
              Set  the  prefix  to  be prepended to the full archive pathname.  By default, the prefix is empty.
              Setting the prefix to foo, the archive would be placed in foo/usr/lib/locale/locale-archive.

       -c, --force
              Write the output files even if warnings were generated about the input file.

       -v, --verbose
              Generate extra warnings about errors that are normally ignored.

       --quiet
              Suppress all notifications and warnings, and report only fatal errors.

       --posix
              Conform strictly to POSIX.  Implies --verbose.  This option currently has no other effect.   POSIX
              conformance is assumed if the environment variable POSIXLY_CORRECT is set.

       --replace
              Replace a locale in the locale archive file.  Without this option, if the locale is in the archive
              file already, an error occurs.

       --no-archive
              Do not use the locale archive file, instead create outputpath as a subdirectory in the same direc‐
              tory  as  the  locale  archive file, and create separate output files for locale categories in it.
              This is helpful to prevent system locale archive updates from overwriting custom  locales  created
              with localedef.

       -?, --help
              Print a usage summary and exit.  Also prints the default paths used by localedef.

       --usage
              Print a short usage summary and exit.

       -V, --version
              Print the version number, license, and disclaimer of warranty for localedef.

EXIT STATUS

       One of the following exit values can be returned by localedef:

          0         Command completed successfully.

          1         Warnings or errors occurred, output files were written.

          4         Errors encountered, no output created.

ENVIRONMENT

       POSIXLY_CORRECT
              The --posix flag is assumed if this environment variable is set.

       I18NPATH
              A colon-separated list of search directories for files.

FILES

       /usr/share/i18n/charmaps
              Usual default character map path.

       /usr/share/i18n/locales
              Usual default path for locale definition files.

       /usr/share/i18n/repertoiremaps
              Usual default repertoire map path.

       /usr/lib/locale/locale-archive
              Usual default locale archive location.

       /usr/lib/locale
              Usual default path for compiled individual locale data files.

       outputpath/LC_ADDRESS
              An  output  file  that  contains  information  about formatting of addresses and geography-related
              items.

       outputpath/LC_COLLATE
              An output file that contains information about the rules for comparing strings.

       outputpath/LC_CTYPE
              An output file that contains information about character classes.

       outputpath/LC_IDENTIFICATION
              An output file that contains metadata about the locale.

       outputpath/LC_MEASUREMENT
              An output file that contains information about locale measurements (metric versus US customary).

       outputpath/LC_MESSAGES/SYS_LC_MESSAGES
              An output file that contains information about the language messages should  be  printed  in,  and
              what an affirmative or negative answer looks like.

       outputpath/LC_MONETARY
              An output file that contains information about formatting of monetary values.

       outputpath/LC_NAME
              An output file that contains information about salutations for persons.

       outputpath/LC_NUMERIC
              An output file that contains information about formatting of nonmonetary numeric values.

       outputpath/LC_PAPER
              An output file that contains information about settings related to standard paper size.

       outputpath/LC_TELEPHONE
              An output file that contains information about formats to be used with telephone services.

       outputpath/LC_TIME
              An output file that contains information about formatting of data and time values.

CONFORMING TO

       POSIX.1-2008.

EXAMPLE

       Compile  the locale files for Finnish in the UTF-8 character set and add it to the default locale archive
       with the name fi_FI.UTF-8:

           localedef -f UTF-8 -i fi_FI fi_FI.UTF-8

       The next example does the same thing, but generates files into the fi_FI.UTF-8 directory which  can  then
       be  used by programs when the environment variable LOCPATH is set to the current directory (note that the
       last argument must contain a slash):

           localedef -f UTF-8 -i fi_FI ./fi_FI.UTF-8

SEE ALSO

       locale(1), charmap(5), locale(5), repertoiremap(5), locale(7)

COLOPHON

       This page is part of release 4.15 of the Linux man-pages project.  A description of the project, informa‐
       tion  about  reporting   bugs,   and   the   latest   version   of   this   page,   can   be   found   at
       https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.

Linux                                              2017-09-15                                       LOCALEDEF(1)