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35 .\" @(#)setlocale.3 8.1 (Berkeley) 6/9/93
36 .\" $FreeBSD: src/lib/libc/locale/setlocale.3,v 1.15.2.7 2002/08/07 06:24:14 ache Exp $
37 .\" $DragonFly: src/lib/libc/locale/setlocale.3,v 1.2 2003/06/17 04:26:44 dillon Exp $
45 .Nd natural language formatting for C
51 .Fn setlocale "int category" "const char *locale"
57 function sets the C library's notion
58 of natural language formatting style
59 for particular sets of routines.
60 Each such style is called a
62 and is invoked using an appropriate name passed as a C string.
65 routine returns the current locale's parameters
66 for formatting numbers.
70 function recognizes several categories of routines.
71 These are the categories and the sets of routines they select:
73 .Bl -tag -width LC_MONETARY
75 Set the entire locale generically.
77 Set a locale for string collation routines.
78 This controls alphabetic ordering in
90 This controls recognition of upper and lower case,
91 alphabetic or non-alphabetic characters,
92 and so on. The real work is done by the
96 Set a locale for message catalogs, see
100 Set a locale for formatting monetary values;
105 Set a locale for formatting numbers.
106 This controls the formatting of decimal points
107 in input and output of floating point numbers
112 as well as values returned by
115 Set a locale for formatting dates and times using the
120 Only three locales are defined by default,
123 which denotes the native environment, and the
127 locales, which denote the C language environment.
134 to return the current locale.
135 By default, C programs start in the
138 The only function in the library that sets the locale is
140 the locale is never changed as a side effect of some other routine.
144 function returns a pointer to a structure
145 which provides parameters for formatting numbers,
146 especially currency values:
147 .Bd -literal -offset indent
152 char *int_curr_symbol;
153 char *currency_symbol;
154 char *mon_decimal_point;
155 char *mon_thousands_sep;
159 char int_frac_digits;
170 The individual fields have the following meanings:
172 .Bl -tag -width mon_decimal_point
174 The decimal point character, except for currency values.
176 The separator between groups of digits
177 before the decimal point, except for currency values.
179 The sizes of the groups of digits, except for currency values.
180 This is a pointer to a vector of integers, each of size
182 representing group size from low order digit groups
183 to high order (right to left).
184 The list may be terminated with 0 or
186 If the list is terminated with 0,
187 the last group size before the 0 is repeated to account for all the digits.
188 If the list is terminated with
190 no more grouping is performed.
191 .It Fa int_curr_symbol
192 The standardized international currency symbol.
193 .It Fa currency_symbol
194 The local currency symbol.
195 .It Fa mon_decimal_point
196 The decimal point character for currency values.
197 .It Fa mon_thousands_sep
198 The separator for digit groups in currency values.
202 but for currency values.
204 The character used to denote nonnegative currency values,
205 usually the empty string.
207 The character used to denote negative currency values,
208 usually a minus sign.
209 .It Fa int_frac_digits
210 The number of digits after the decimal point
211 in an international-style currency value.
213 The number of digits after the decimal point
214 in the local style for currency values.
216 1 if the currency symbol precedes the currency value
217 for nonnegative values, 0 if it follows.
218 .It Fa p_sep_by_space
219 1 if a space is inserted between the currency symbol
220 and the currency value for nonnegative values, 0 otherwise.
224 but for negative values.
225 .It Fa n_sep_by_space
228 but for negative values.
232 with respect to a nonnegative quantity and the
233 .Fa currency_symbol ,
235 .Bl -tag -width 3n -compact
237 Parentheses around the entire string.
244 .Fa currency_symbol .
247 .Fa currency_symbol .
252 but for negative currency values.
255 Unless mentioned above,
256 an empty string as a value for a field
257 indicates a zero length result or
258 a value that is not in the current locale.
261 result similarly denotes an unavailable value.
263 Upon successful completion,
265 returns the string associated with the specified
273 and fails to change the locale
274 if the given combination of
281 function returns a pointer to a static object
282 which may be altered by later calls to
287 No errors are defined.
289 .Bl -tag -width /usr/share/locale/locale/category -compact
290 .It Pa $PATH_LOCALE/ Ns Em locale/category
291 .It Pa /usr/share/locale/ Ns Em locale/category
292 locale file for the locale
321 functions first appeared in