CATGETS(3) Library Functions Manual CATGETS(3)
NAME
catgetsretrieve string from message catalog
LIBRARY
Standard C Library (libc, -lc)
SYNOPSIS
#include <nl_types.h>
char *
catgets(nl_catd catd, int set_id, int msg_id, const char *s);
DESCRIPTION
The catgets() function attempts to retrieve message msg_id of set set_id from the message catalog referenced by the descriptor catd. The argument s points to a default message which is returned if the function is unable to retrieve the specified message.
RETURN VALUES
If the specified message was retrieved successfully, catgets() returns a pointer to an internal buffer containing the message string; otherwise it returns s.
ERRORS
The catgets() function will fail if:
[EBADF]
The catd argument is not a valid message catalog descriptor open for reading.
[EINTR]
The operation was interrupted by a signal.
[ENOMSG]
The message identified by set_id and msg_id is not in the message catalog.
SEE ALSO
STANDARDS
The catgets() function conforms to X/Open Portability Guide Issue 4.2 (“XPG4.2”).
 
Major Unix vendors are split over the adoption of the two most important message catalog specifications: catgets or gettext(3). The primary concern with the catgets interface is that every translatable string has to define a number (or a symbolic constant) which must correspond to the message in the catalog. Duplicate message IDs are not allowed. Constructing message catalogs is difficult.