Document the shell format strings.

diff --git a/gettext-tools/doc/ChangeLog b/gettext-tools/doc/ChangeLog
index 47a1d5facfa3d2eed5a01079c2a8a46e5afab042..7d4196328baf44619113d369e44d294eb58cd334 100644 (file)
--- a/gettext-tools/doc/ChangeLog
+++ b/gettext-tools/doc/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+2003-09-13  Bruno Haible  <bruno@clisp.org>
+
+       * gettext.texi (sh-format): New subsection.
+
 2003-09-09  Guido Flohr <guido@imperia.net>
 
        * gettext.texi (Perl, Interpolation I): Tweaks.

diff --git a/gettext-tools/doc/gettext.texi b/gettext-tools/doc/gettext.texi
index 59d2a8255f02c9953cf0dcedc8c9bf9d04757386..164560df4228097729a978798c3a98ee90030366 100644 (file)
--- a/gettext-tools/doc/gettext.texi
+++ b/gettext-tools/doc/gettext.texi
@@ -327,6 +327,7 @@ Other Programming Languages
 The Translator's View
 
 * c-format::                    C Format Strings
+* sh-format::                   Shell Format Strings
 * python-format::               Python Format Strings
 * lisp-format::                 Lisp Format Strings
 * elisp-format::                Emacs Lisp Format Strings
@@ -7213,6 +7214,7 @@ strings.
 
 @menu
 * c-format::                    C Format Strings
+* sh-format::                   Shell Format Strings
 * python-format::               Python Format Strings
 * lisp-format::                 Lisp Format Strings
 * elisp-format::                Emacs Lisp Format Strings
@@ -7228,7 +7230,7 @@ strings.
 * gcc-internal-format::         GCC internal Format Strings
 @end menu
 
-@node c-format, python-format, Translators for other Languages, Translators for other Languages
+@node c-format, sh-format, Translators for other Languages, Translators for other Languages
 @subsection C Format Strings
 
 C format strings are described in POSIX (IEEE P1003.1 2001), section
@@ -7258,7 +7260,26 @@ on this reordering ability: On the few platforms where @code{printf()},
 or @file{libintl.so} provides replacement functions, and GNU @code{<libintl.h>}
 activates these replacement functions automatically.
 
-@node python-format, lisp-format, c-format, Translators for other Languages
+@node sh-format, python-format, c-format, Translators for other Languages
+@subsection Shell Format Strings
+
+Shell format strings, as supported by GNU gettext and the @samp{envsubst}
+program, are strings with references to shell variables in the form
+@code{$@var{variable}} or @code{$@{@var{variable}@}}.  References of the form
+@code{$@{@var{variable}-@var{default}@}},
+@code{$@{@var{variable}:-@var{default}@}},
+@code{$@{@var{variable}=@var{default}@}},
+@code{$@{@var{variable}:=@var{default}@}},
+@code{$@{@var{variable}+@var{replacement}@}},
+@code{$@{@var{variable}:+@var{replacement}@}},
+@code{$@{@var{variable}?@var{ignored}@}},
+@code{$@{@var{variable}:?@var{ignored}@}},
+that would be valid inside shell scripts, are not supported.  The
+@var{variable} names must consist solely of alphanumeric or underscore
+ASCII characters, not start with a digit and be nonempty; otherwise such
+a variable reference is ignored.
+
+@node python-format, lisp-format, sh-format, Translators for other Languages
 @subsection Python Format Strings
 
 Python format strings are described in