# Ruby-gettext rails.mo issue **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails I18n\ **Created:** [December 3, 2006, 11:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-gettext-rails-mo-issue/78167 "2006-12-03T11:45:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Malte\_M](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@Malte\_M](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Malte_M)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2006, 11:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-gettext-rails-mo-issue/78167/1 "2006-12-03T11:45:40Z")
I’m glad that I found this list. Trying my first steps with Rails, I found out that ruby-gettext is best suited for my i18n needs. There’s one problem, though: I’ve done a first rough custom translation of rails.po. (The language I need is not shipped with ruby-gettext). It works fine if I install the corresponding rails.mo file into a system locale directory, i.e., into /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/gettext-1.8.0/data/locale/eo. However, I suppose that my webspace provider won’t put a file into a system directory only for me. So I tried to put the file into RAILS\_ROOT/locale/eo. But as it turns out, ruby-gettext is not interested in the file if I put it there. Any hints? ---
**Author:** ![Malte\_M](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@Malte\_M](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Malte_M)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2006, 1:48pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-gettext-rails-mo-issue/78167/2 "2006-12-03T13:48:33Z")
Hi Malte, the directory in which ruby-gettext creates the .mo files should be the right directory. If I convert the po-file from APP\_ROOT/po/xxx.pot APP\_ROOT/po//xxx.po ruby-gettext creates an mo-file in APP\_ROOT/locale//LC\_MESSAGES/rails.mo (where tag is like de\_DE or en\_GB). And it works fine. Here is my rakefile: require ‘gettext/utils’ namespace:gettext do desc “Update pot/po files to match new version.” task :updatepo do GetText.update\_pofiles(“de”, Dir.glob(“app/\*\*/\*.{rb,rhtml}”), “xxx 1.0”) end desc “Create mo-files for L10n” task :makemo do GetText.create\_mofiles(true, “po”, “locale”, “%s/LC\_MESSAGES”) end end rake gettext:updatepo rake gettext:makemo Don’t forget to insert init\_gettext “rails” into your ApplicationController. You can also add a path using: add\_default\_local\_path(“…/locale/%{tag}/LC\_MESSAGES/%{name}.mo”) May that helps. Am 03.12.2006 um 11:45 schrieb Malte M.: > However, I suppose that my webspace provider won’t put > Railsi18n-discussion mailing list > removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid > [http://rubyforge.org/mailman/listinfo/railsi18n-discussion](http://rubyforge.org/mailman/listinfo/railsi18n-discussion) * * * Thomas B. [b-simple.de](http://b-simple.de) - Ruby on Rails, Java EE, Entwicklung, Coaching fon: +49(40)411 622 35 mobil: +49(173)23 911 43 fax: +49(40)411 622 36 email: thomas.baustert(at)[b-simple.de](http://b-simple.de) ---
**Author:** ![Malte\_M](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@Malte\_M](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Malte_M)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2006, 3:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-gettext-rails-mo-issue/78167/3 "2006-12-03T15:15:00Z")
Moin Thomas, thanks for your reply. I’m afraid your advice did not really help me. Maybe I should try and state the point of my problem clearer. Thomas B. wrote: > Don’t forget to insert > > init\_gettext “rails” > > into your ApplicationController. Basically, Gettext is working for me (translating e.g. table names), which means that I have done this already. The thing which does not work is only related to my rails.mo file, generated from rails.po. This is po/rails.pot in the ruby- gettext source directory. It contains default messages for rails à la “%{num} errors prohibited this %{record} from being saved”. > You can also add a path using: > > add\_default\_local\_path("…/locale/%{tag}/LC\_MESSAGES/%{name}.mo") Actually, when the application is running, the path is set right: $ ls locale/eo/LC\_MESSAGES/ eventoj.mo rails.mo $ ./script/console Loading development environment. irb\> ApplicationController.add\_default\_locale\_path ‘foo’ =\> [“foo”, “/home/malte/Krakel/eventoj/locale/%{locale}/LC\_MESSAGES/%{name}.mo”, “/usr/share/locale/%{locale}/LC\_MESSAGES/%{name}.mo”, “/usr/local/share/locale/%{locale}/LC\_MESSAGES/%{name}.mo”] But it seems that these directories are not searched for rails.mo. (Note that it works for eventoj.mo, the mo file for my application.) Instead, rails.mo is in (for me) /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/gettext-1.8.0/data/locale/\*/LC\_MESSAGES, and found therein. My problem is that I do not want to put my custom translation there, but do not understand how to tell Gettext that it is somewhere else. Hope we’ll get this done. Malte ---
**Author:** ![Malte\_M](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@Malte\_M](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Malte_M)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-gettext-rails-mo-issue/78167/4 "2006-12-03T17:44:59Z")
Hi Malte, ok, I misunderstood your problem 🙂 I puts rails.mo into: RAILS\_ROOT/locale/de\_DE/ for example and it’s found. The following dirs of your apps seems to be searched: data/locale/de-de/LC\_MESSAGES/rails.mo data/locale/de\_DE/LC\_MESSAGES/rails.mo data/locale/de/LC\_MESSAGES/rails.mo data/locale/de-de/rails.mo data/locale/de\_DE/rails.mo data/locale/de/rails.mo locale/de-de/rails.mo locale/de\_DE/rails.mo Don’t know why locale//LC\_MESSAGES is not in the path, but data/locale/… Maybe Masao can give us a hint 🙂 Does is work for you? Am 03.12.2006 um 15:15 schrieb Malte M.: > > add\_default\_local\_path(“…/locale/%{tag}/LC\_MESSAGES/%{name}.mo”) > > "/home/malte/Krakel/eventoj/locale/%{locale}/LC\_MESSAGES/% > > is somewhere else. > > [http://rubyforge.org/mailman/listinfo/railsi18n-discussion](http://rubyforge.org/mailman/listinfo/railsi18n-discussion) * * * Thomas B. [b-simple.de](http://b-simple.de) - Ruby on Rails, Java EE, Entwicklung, Coaching fon: +49(40)411 622 35 mobil: +49(173)23 911 43 fax: +49(40)411 622 36 email: thomas.baustert(at)[b-simple.de](http://b-simple.de) ---
**Author:** ![Malte\_M](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@Malte\_M](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Malte_M)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-gettext-rails-mo-issue/78167/5 "2006-12-03T19:57:40Z")
Masao M. wrote: > ## environment.rb: > > require ‘gettext’ > GetText.add\_default\_locale\_path("/home/malte/Krakel/eventoj/locale/%{locale}/LC\_MESSAGES/%{name}.mo") > > ## require ‘gettext/rails’ I changed that to the following: * * * ## require ‘gettext’ include GetText add\_default\_locale\_path("/home/malte/Krakel/eventoj/locale/%{locale}/LC\_MESSAGES/%{name}.mo") require ‘gettext/rails’ and it works. It means to include GetText at the toplevel, because ApplicationController does not exist yet when environment.rb is executed, but it works. 🙂 @Thomas: You’re right, if I put rails.mo into locale/eo/ instead of locale/eo/LC\_MESSAGES/, then it is found. Actually, that is a nice solution, too, and I think I will choose this one. Hm, if this is a bug, then its source seems to be around line 200 of gettext/rails.rb. Maybe the line locale\_path = File.join(caller[0].split(/app.controllers/)[0] + “locale”) should read locale\_path = File.join(caller[0].split(/app.controllers/)[0], “locale”, “LC\_MESSAGES”) instead? Anyway, thank you both for solving my problem! > BTW, I think the best way to support your language is > to include your language in Ruby-GetText-Package. > If you help me, I can include your language to my official package. > #Ask me directly if you are interested in it. I’ll send you the po file as soon as I consider it finished. I’ll forget this, so please remind me eventually 😉 And keep up the great work you do on your Ruby libraries. Malte ---
**Author:** ![Malte\_M](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@Malte\_M](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Malte_M)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2006, 6:19pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-gettext-rails-mo-issue/78167/6 "2006-12-03T18:19:04Z")
Hi, On Sun, 3 Dec 2006 15:15:00 +0100 “Malte M.” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > add\_default\_local\_path(“…/locale/%{tag}/LC\_MESSAGES/%{name}.mo”) > > “/home/malte/Krakel/eventoj/locale/%{locale}/LC\_MESSAGES/%{name}.mo”, > > Hope we’ll get this done. The GetText.add\_default\_locale\_path methods should be called before bindtextomain “rails”. It means, you need to call it before requiring ‘gettext/rails’. How about adding this code to the bottom of environment.rb(though I don’t test it) ?: ## environment.rb: require ‘gettext’ GetText.add\_default\_locale\_path(“/home/malte/Krakel/eventoj/locale/%{locale}/LC\_MESSAGES/%{name}.mo”) ## require ‘gettext/rails’ BTW, I think the best way to support your language is to include your language in Ruby-GetText-Package. If you help me, I can include your language to my official package. #Ask me directly if you are interested in it. Regards, Masao. ---
**Author:** ![Malte\_M](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@Malte\_M](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Malte_M)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 6:39pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-gettext-rails-mo-issue/78167/7 "2006-12-04T18:39:56Z")
Hi, On Sun, 3 Dec 2006 19:57:40 +0100 “Malte M.” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > locale\_path = File.join(caller[0].split(/app.controllers/)[0], > “locale”, “LC\_MESSAGES”) > > instead? Anyway, thank you both for solving my problem! No. the locale\_path is the topdir of the locale path. So, it becomes both of topdir/#{lang}/locale/foo.mo, topdir/#{lang}/locale/LC\_MESSAGES/foo.mo. #See gettext/textdomain.rb for more details. > > BTW, I think the best way to support your language is > > to include your language in Ruby-GetText-Package. > > If you help me, I can include your language to my official package. > > #Ask me directly if you are interested in it. > > I’ll send you the po file as soon as I consider it finished. I’ll forget > this, so please remind me eventually 😉 And keep up the great work > you do on your Ruby libraries. I’ll send you the newest version of po files. Thanks in advance. Masao.