NAME

       localedef - compile locale definition files

SYNOPSIS

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

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 output 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 locale 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.

       --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.

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

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

   Other options
       Some of the following options are sensible only  for  certain  operations;  generally,  it
       should be self-evident which ones.  Notice that -f and -c are reversed from what you might
       expect; that is, -f is not the same as --force.

       -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 directory 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.  Otherwise, 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  localedef
              --help.

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

       -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.

       --big-endian
              Generate big-ending output.

       --little-endian
              Generate little-ending output.

       --no-archive
              Do not use the locale archive file, instead create outputpath as a subdirectory  in
              the same directory 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.

       --no-hard-links
              Do not create hard links between installed locales.

       --no-warnings=warnings
              Comma-separated  list  of  warnings  to  disable.  Supported warnings are ascii and
              intcurrsym.

       --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.

       --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.

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

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

       --warnings=warnings
              Comma-separated  list  of  warnings  to  enable.   Supported warnings are ascii and
              intcurrsym.

       -?, --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 5.05 of the Linux man-pages project.  A description of the
       project, information about reporting bugs, and the latest version of  this  page,  can  be
       found at https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.