Re: [bug-gettext] msgcat does not seem to handle locations with spaces

[Bruno Haible]

Hi,

Peter Poulsen wrote:
> I have a pot file that contains this snippet:
> 
> #: C:\git\accuratech\Device
> Center\ShopfloorManagementDeviceCenter\Protocols.Units.cs:40
> msgid "Minutes"
> msgstr ""
> 
> When i pass this (together with another pot file) to msgcat I get something
> like this:
> 
> #: C:\git\accuratech\Device
> #: Center\ShopfloorManagementDeviceCenter\Protocols.Units.cs:40
> msgid "Minutes"
> msgstr ""

This is not a bug.

It is a best practice to pass relative file names, not absolute
file names, to xgettext, so that the file names make sense for
other people, who have unpacked the sources in different locations
on their disks.

If the PO file format would support file names with spaces,
this would require quoting/escaping in some form. Such a modification
of the file format would require adjustment in all software that
reads or writes PO files - and there are lots of such programs.
This effort is not worth it. Just avoid directory names and file
names with spaces, when it comes to programming.

IOW: I suggest to restrict spaces in file names to multimedia files.

Bruno