[Gimp-docs] spurious .po updates

[Ulf-D. Ehlert]

Marco Ciampa (Donnerstag, 22. Januar 2009, 08:06):
> Agree 100%. Only translators shold update po files. 

We *are* the translators. Unlike the GIMP application, there are no 
developers editing C source files and thus adding daily changes (like 
changed line numbers) to the po files. (Oh god, we're on our own... )

> This is what 
>
> intltool-update xx
>
> is meant to (where xx is the language code). It should be a similar
> mechanism for the GIMP manual.

'make po-xx' updates po files for language "xx".

Typically nobody else but you updates the Italien po files. The problem 
are the po files you didn't edit and don't want to be committed.

> Just my 2 eurocents:  IMHO when you do a simple make it should be a
> reminder message that hits the translator to update the proper po
> files before translating reminding he/she how to do it.

So when do you want to get this message? Should 'make po-xx' just 
print "Warning: po/xx/path/to/pofile.po is not up-to-date"? Should we 
change it so that only "make po/xx/path/to/pofile.po" will update this 
file?

More general: Which commands do we really need, and what do you expect 
them to do? Which command(s) should update po files, which command(s) 
shouldn't? (Apparently 'make html-xx' should not update by default...)

Maybe I should first illustrate how the build process works:

In our Makefiles, we have a set of rules which let 'make' determine 
which files to update and how to do that, e.g.

	any-po-file: corresponding-pot-file
		commands to create/update any-po-file or to do
		whatever we want

If a po file (here: "any-po-file") is older than its prerequisite pot 
file (here: "corresponding-pot-file"), the commands will be executed and 
(usually) the target (here: the po file) will be updated.

There are similar rules for pot files (to be updated if older than 
source files) and localized xml files (if older than po files).

	SOURCE --> POT --> PO --> XML --> HTML/PDF/ODF

where updates are triggered "from right to left", e.g. 'make html' will 
update xml files if necessary, making/updating xml files will update po 
files if necessary etc.
So editing a source file causes several updates.

It's easy to change this so that po files won't be updated by default, 
e.g. using different commands depending on a 'make' variable.
Then, for example,

	make po-xx
or
	make po/xx/path/to/pofile.po

will print warning(s),

	make po-xx UPDATE=yes
or
	make po/xx/path/to/pofile.po UPDATE=yes

will update (possibly all) po file(s).

That's a simple way to prevent 'make' updating too many po files, but 
it's not very comfortable. Fine with me, but I don't know if you would 
like this...
(Should we consider adding wrapper scripts...?)

So are there any answers, comments, ideas, suggestions, or feature 
requests? 

Bye,
Ulf
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