[Xfce-i18n] For translators using GUI application

[Daichi Kawahata]

Hi,

Having correct initial header values, I've come to conclusion that GUI
applications can be harmful against these values, especially KBabel
doesn't honor proper value nor force overwrite I've given for them once,
see the below original POT file

  # SOME DESCRIPTIVE TITLE.
  # Copyright (C) YEAR THE PACKAGE'S COPYRIGHT HOLDER
  # This file is distributed under the same license as the PACKAGE package.
  # FIRST AUTHOR <EMAIL at ADDRESS>, YEAR.
  #
  #, fuzzy
  msgid ""
  msgstr ""
  "Project-Id-Version: PACKAGE VERSION\n"
  "Report-Msgid-Bugs-To: \n"
  "POT-Creation-Date: 2005-09-28 13:20+0900\n"
  "PO-Revision-Date: YEAR-MO-DA HO:MI+ZONE\n"
  "Last-Translator: FULL NAME <EMAIL at ADDRESS>\n"
  "Language-Team: LANGUAGE <LL at li.org>\n"
  "MIME-Version: 1.0\n"
  "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=CHARSET\n"
  "Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit\n"

the most important value (to manage the multiple PO files) is

  `Project-Id-Version:'

in which both PACKAGE and VERSION is defined at the configure.ac then
defined at config.h later, but KBabel uses ISO 639 Language Codes for
that place, I've been wondering about that, however creating initial
PO file with poEdit, it's clearly that this GUI application doesn't
get those values from configure.ac(in)/config.h, instead translator
requires fill those out, so I think KBabel/gtranslator!? go same, note
that it leads to scattered package name, version number and therefore
hard to manage (for me at least).

If they're unified, I can easily bump the version with,

  Version bump for the next stable release:
  $ perl -i -p -e 's/4.2.2/4.2.3/g' */branches/xfce_4_2/po/*.po

  Package name change in xfcalendar:
  $ perl -i -p -e 's/Project-Id-Version\:\ xfcalendar/Project-Id-Version\:\ orage/g' \
    */trunk/po/*.po

again, basically those header values is fixed other than `Language-Team',
so if you create the newly PO file to translate, please use `msginit'
distributed with gettext package. The usage is easy enough, open your
terminal and change target po directory, then just type

  $ msginit

, enter your email address or select the number, it gives almost proper
values at the both initial comment and header.

If you have already registered your PO file in KBabel/gtranslator as
translation project, please recheck those property given to the headers,
then for KBabel user, please disable the check 'Force overwrite header
value at save' if it exists, nonetheless KBabel keeps ruining header and
leaving strange comment at the initial comment part, I'll have to post
about that to the KBabel ML, I bet cat-fight must begin.

As for the `Language-Team:', it's definitely your sole choice like
Italian team `GUFI <traduzioni at gufi.org>', but if this field doesn't show
translated language, please refer it at the initial comment part instead,
otherwise nobody can know your language name unless they're familiar with
language codes.

The all of the above sound too strict for those who are just considering
translation, but if you're not going to change the proper values, that'll
be my call and personally I'm not so much fun of slut headers.

Thank you for your reading,
-- 
Daichi

language codes: http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/IG/ert/iso639.htm
country codes: http://www.ics.uci.edu/pub/ietf/http/related/iso3166.txt