---
name: "po2debconf"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "po-debconf"
version: "1.0.21+nmu1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/po2debconf"
---

# po2debconf(1)

merge master templates file and PO files

## NAME

po2debconf - merge master templates file and PO files

## SYNOPSIS

**po2debconf** \[**-v**\] \[**-h**\] \[**--podir=*****DIR***\] \[**-o** ***FILE***\] \[**-e** ***STRING***\] *master*

## DESCRIPTION

This program reads all PO files and a single *templates* file, and produces a Debconf templates file containing all translations, similar to the one produced by [**debconf-mergetemplate**(1)](/debconf-mergetemplate/1.md) (from the `"debconf-utils"` package).  PO files are by default searched in the *po* subdirectory below the location of the master file.

To help the language code transition for Norwegian Bokmål, the **no** and **nb** language codes are handled specially.  If *no.po* exists, it should be renamed to *nb.po*.  Using *nb.po* will make both `"-no"` and `"-nb"` translations available in the templates file.

Lines beginning with a number sign (`"#"`) are comments in templates files. They are useful to give hints to translators, and are discarded by **po2debconf**. Special comments have been introduced in `"po-debconf"` 1.0.  They are in the form `"#flag:`*directive*`"`.  The `"#flag:partial"` is the only directive interpreted by **po2debconf**.  Normally when a field is composed of several paragraphs (like `"__Choices"` and `"_Description"`), it is translated if all paragraphs are translated.  When a field contains `"#flag:partial"`, translated strings may be mixed with untranslated strings.

## OPTIONS

- **-h**, **--help**

  Display a usage summary and exit.

- **-v**, **--verbose**

  Process in verbose mode.

- **--podir=*****DIR***

  Set directory for PO files.  Default is to search PO files in the *po* subdirectory below the location of the master file.

- **-o**, **--output=*****FILE***

  Set output filename (default is standard output).

- **-e**, **--encoding=*****STRING***

  Convert encoding.  Argument can take 3 values: `"utf8"` (convert to UTF-8), `"po"` (do not change encoding) and `"popular"` (convert encoding of input files depending on their language; the `"PODEBCONF_ENCODINGS"` environment variable must point to a name of a file containing the encoding map).

  Such a filename looks like:

  ```
    #
    #   Number is comment sign
    #
    cs       ISO-8859-2
    da       ISO-8859-1
    de       ISO-8859-1
    el       ISO-8859-7
  ```

  etc.

  Default encoding used to be `"popular"`, and has been switched to `"utf8"` since po-debconf 0.9.0.

## OUTPUT FORMAT

Since debconf 1.2.0, templates format has changed, encoding is part of field names, i.e. they are `"foo-`*lang*`.`*encoding*`"`.  When older debconf encounter such fields, they are silently ignored, which means that original text is displayed.

If present, a *po/output* file can override defaults for encoding and output format.  It contains a single line with two fields. The first field is the output format (currently valid values are 1 for fields in the form `"foo-`*lang*`"`, and 2 for `"foo-`*lang*`.`*encoding*`"`) and the second field is the encoding, e.g.

```
   echo '2 utf8' > po/output
```

let **po2debconf** convert text to UTF-8.

When encoding is set to `"po"` or `"utf8"`, output format is always set to 2, so that older debconf do not try to display text with wrong encodings.

## SEE ALSO

[**debconf-gettextize**(1)](/debconf-gettextize/1.md), [**debconf-updatepo**(1)](/debconf-updatepo/1.md), [**po-debconf**(7)](/po-debconf/7.md).

## AUTHOR

```
  Denis Barbier <barbier@linuxfr.org>
```