Re: gettext: xgettext refuses to create quasi empty files (without messages)

[Bruno Haible]

Hello,

> I noticed that xgettext does not generate a POT file if it does not
> find translatable messages. This is wrong, it should at least create a
> POT file with a header. I asked it to create this file but xgettext does
> not what I say!

Look at

  $ xgettext --help
  ...
  Output details:
  ...
        --force-po              write PO file even if empty

Why does it not create empty POT files by default? Because there is no
point in sending empty POT files to translators.

> The current behaviour is also not very script friendly (in case the
> source tree is unknown and may contain no translatable data), since one
> has to write xgettext -o file.POT; if ! test -e file.POT; then ...; fi

This is true; but it's more important not to disturb translators for nothing.

Bruno