# phpman > man > Locale::gettext

## NAME
    [Locale::gettext](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Locale%3A%3Agettext/markdown) - message handling functions

## SYNOPSIS
        use [Locale::gettext](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Locale%3A%3Agettext/markdown);
        use POSIX;     # Needed for setlocale()

        setlocale(LC_MESSAGES, "");

        # OO interface
        my $d = [Locale::gettext](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Locale%3A%3Agettext/markdown)->domain("my_program");

        print $d->get("Welcome to my program"), "\n";
                # (printed in the local language)

        # Direct access to C functions
        textdomain("my_program");

        print gettext("Welcome to my program"), "\n";
                # (printed in the local language)

## DESCRIPTION
    The gettext module permits access from perl to the gettext() family of functions for retrieving
    message strings from databases constructed to internationalize software.

    $d = [Locale::gettext](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Locale%3A%3Agettext/markdown)->domain(DOMAIN)
    $d = [Locale::gettext](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Locale%3A%3Agettext/markdown)->domain_raw(DOMAIN)
      Creates a new object for retrieving strings in the domain DOMAIN and returns it. "domain"
      requests that strings be returned as Perl strings (possibly with wide characters) if possible
      while "domain_raw" requests that octet strings directly from functions like "dgettext()".

    $d->get(MSGID)
      Calls "dgettext()" to return the translated string for the given MSGID.

    $d->cget(MSGID, CATEGORY)
      Calls "dcgettext()" to return the translated string for the given MSGID in the given CATEGORY.

    $d->nget(MSGID, MSGID_PLURAL, N)
      Calls "dngettext()" to return the translated string for the given MSGID or MSGID_PLURAL
      depending on N.

    $d->ncget(MSGID, MSGID_PLURAL, N, CATEGORY)
      Calls "dngettext()" to return the translated string for the given MSGID or MSGID_PLURAL
      depending on N in the given CATEGORY.

    $d->dir([NEWDIR])
      If NEWDIR is given, calls "bindtextdomain" to set the name of the directory where messages for
      the domain represented by $d are found. Returns the (possibly changed) current directory name.

    $d->codeset([NEWCODE])
      For instances created with "[Locale::gettext](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/perldoc/Locale%3A%3Agettext/markdown)->domain_raw", manuiplates the character set of the
      returned strings. If NEWCODE is given, calls "bind_textdomain_codeset" to set the character
      encoding in which messages for the domain represented by $d are returned. Returns the
      (possibly changed) current encoding name.

### gettext
    parameter within the context of the current locale. dcgettext() takes the message's category and
    the text domain as parameters while dgettext() defaults to the LC_MESSAGES category and
### gettext
    in the database, then "msgid" is returned.

### ngettext
    messages between singular and plural. See the documentation for the corresponding C functions
    for details.

### textdomain

    *bindtextdomain(domain, dirname)* instructs the retrieval functions to look for the databases
    belonging to domain "domain" in the directory "dirname"

    *bind_textdomain_codeset(domain, codeset)* instructs the retrieval functions to translate the
    returned messages to the character encoding given by codeset if the encoding of the message
    catalog is known.

## NOTES
    Not all platforms provide all of the functions. Functions that are not available in the
    underlying C library will not be available in Perl either.

    Perl programs should use the object interface. In addition to being able to return native Perl
    wide character strings, "bind_textdomain_codeset" will be emulated if the C library does not
    provide it.

## VERSION
    1.07.

## SEE ALSO
### gettext

## AUTHOR
    Kim Vandry <<vandry@TZoNE.ORG>>