The localedef utility converts source definitions for locale categories into a format usable by the functions and utilities whose operational behavior is determined by the setting of the locale environment variables; see environ(5).

The utility reads source definitions for one or more locale categories belonging to the same locale from the file named in the -i option (if specified) or from standard input.

Each category source definition is identified by the corresponding environment variable name and terminated by an END category-name statement. The following categories are supported.

LC_CTYPE

Defines character classification and case conversion.

LC_COLLATE

Defines collation rules.

LC_MONETARY

Defines the format and symbols used in formatting of monetary information.

LC_NUMERIC

Defines the decimal delimiter, grouping and grouping symbol for non-monetary numeric editing.

LC_TIME

Defines the format and content of date and time information.

LC_MESSAGES

Defines the format and values of affirmative and negative responses.

The following options are supported:

-c

Creates permanent output even if warning messages have been issued.

-C compiler_options

Passes the compiler_options to the C compiler (cc). If more than one option is specified, then the options must be enclosed in quotes ("").

This is an old option. Use the -W cc,arg option instead.

-f charmap

Specifies the pathname of a file containing a mapping of character symbols and collating element symbols to actual character encodings. This option must be specified if symbolic names (other than collating symbols defined in a collating-symbol keyword) are used. If the -f option is not present, the default character mapping will be used.

-i sourcefile

The path name of a file containing the source definitions. If this option is not present, source definitions will be read from standard input.

-L linker_options

Passes the linker_options to the C compiler (cc) that follows the C source filename. If more than one option is specified, then the options must be enclosed in quotes ("").

This is an old option. Use the -W cc,arg option instead.

-m model

Specifies whether localedef will generate a 64-bit or a 32-bit locale object.

Specify model as ilp32 to generate a 32-bit locale object. Specify lp64 to generate a 64-bit locale object. If the -m option is not specified, localedef generates a 32-bit locale object. And if no other options than -c, -f, and -i options are specified and if the system running localedef supports the 64-bit environment, localedef additionally generates a 64-bit locale object.

-W cc,arg

Passes arg options to the C compiler. Each argument must be separated from the preceding by only a comma. (A comma can be part of an argument by escaping it by an immediately preceding backslash character; the backslash is removed from the resulting argument.)

Use this option instead of the -C and -L options.

-x extensions_file

Specifies the name of an extension file where various localedef options are listed. See locale(5).

The following operand is supported:

localename

Identifies the locale. If the name contains one or more slash characters, localename will be interpreted as a path name where the created locale definitions will be stored. This capability may be restricted to users with appropriate privileges. (As a consequence of specifying one localename, although several categories can be processed in one execution, only categories belonging to the same locale can be processed.)

localedef creates a temporary C source file that represents the locale's data. localedef then calls the C compiler to compile this C source file into a shared object.

If the -m ilp32 option is specified, localedef calls the C compiler for generating 32-bit objects and generates a 32-bit locale object. If the -m lp64 option is specified, localedef calls the C compiler for generating 64-bit objects and generates a 64-bit locale object.

If the -m option is not specified, localedef calls the C compiler for generating 32-bit objects and generates a 32-bit locale object. If no other options than -c, -f, and -i options are specified and if the system running localedef supports the 64-bit environment, localedef additionally calls the C compiler for generating 64-bit objects and generates a 64-bit locale object.

If no option to the C compiler is explicitly specified using the -W, -C, or -L options, localedef calls the C compiler with appropriate C compiler options to generate a locale object or objects.

If the -m ilp32 option is specified, localedef generates a 32-bit locale object named:

localename.so.version_number

If the -m lp64 option is specified, localedef generates a 64-bit locale object named:

localename.so.version_number

If the -m option is not specified, localedef generates a 32-bit locale object named:

localename.so.version_number

and, if appropriate, generates a 64-bit locale object named:

64-bit_architecture_name/localename.so.version_number

The shared object for the 32-bit environment must be moved to:

/usr/lib/locale/localename/localename.so.version_number

The shared object for the 64-bit environment on SPARC must be moved to:

/usr/lib/locale/localename/sparcv9/localename.so.version_number

localedef also generates a text file named localename that is used for information only.

See environ(5) for definitions of the following environment variables that affect the execution of localedef: LC_CTYPE, LC_MESSAGES, and NLSPATH.

The following exit values are returned:

0

No errors occurred and the locales were successfully created.

1

Warnings occurred and the locales were successfully created.

2

The locale specification exceeded implementation limits or the coded character set or sets used were not supported by the implementation, and no locale was created.

3

The capability to create new locales is not supported by the implementation.

>3

Warnings or errors occurred and no output was created.

If an error is detected, no permanent output will be created.

/usr/lib/localedef/extensions/generic_eucbc.x

Describes what a generic EUC locale uses in the system. This file is used by default.

/usr/lib/localedef/extensions/single_byte.x

Describes a generic single-byte file used in the system.

/usr/lib/locale/localename/localename.so.version_number

The shared object for the 32-bit environment.

/usr/lib/locale/localename/sparcv9/localename.so.version_number

The shared object for the 64-bit environment on SPARC.

See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:

locale(1), nl_langinfo(3C), strftime(3C), attributes(5), charmap(5), environ(5), extensions(5), locale(5)

If warnings occur, permanent output will be created if the -c option was specified. The following conditions will cause warning messages to be issued:

• If a symbolic name not found in the charmap file is used for the descriptions of the LC_CTYPE or LC_COLLATE categories (for other categories, this will be an error conditions).
• If optional keywords not supported by the implementation are present in the source.