Mac OS X / Darwin man pages : setlocale (3)
setlocale (3)
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setlocale, localeconv - natural language formatting for C
Standard C Library (libc, -lc)
#include <locale.h>
char *
setlocale(int category, const char *locale);
struct lconv *
localeconv(void);
The setlocale() function sets the C library's notion of natural language
formatting style for particular sets of routines. Each such style is
called a `locale' and is invoked using an appropriate name passed as a C
string. The localeconv() routine returns the current locale's parameters
for formatting numbers.
The setlocale() function recognizes several categories of routines.
These are the categories and the sets of routines they select:
- LC_ALL
- Set the entire locale generically.
LC_COLLATE Set a locale for string collation routines. This controls
alphabetic ordering in strcoll() and strxfrm().
- LC_CTYPE
- Set a locale for the ctype(3)
, mbrune(3)
, multibyte(3)
and
rune(3)
functions. This controls recognition of upper and
lower case, alphabetic or non-alphabetic characters, and so
on. The real work is done by the setrunelocale() function.
LC_MESSAGES Set a locale for message catalogs, see catopen(3)
function.
LC_MONETARY Set a locale for formatting monetary values; this affects
the localeconv() function.
LC_NUMERIC Set a locale for formatting numbers. This controls the formatting
of decimal points in input and output of floating
point numbers in functions such as printf() and scanf(), as
well as values returned by localeconv().
- LC_TIME
- Set a locale for formatting dates and times using the
strftime() function.
Only three locales are defined by default, the empty string which
denotes the native environment, and the C and POSIX locales, which
denote the C language environment. A locale argument of NULL causes
setlocale() to return the current locale. By default, C programs start
in the C locale. The only function in the library that sets the locale
is setlocale(); the locale is never changed as a side effect of some
other routine.
The localeconv() function returns a pointer to a structure which provides
parameters for formatting numbers, especially currency values:
struct lconv {
- char
- *decimal_point;
- char
- *thousands_sep;
- char
- *grouping;
- char
- *int_curr_symbol;
- char
- *currency_symbol;
- char
- *mon_decimal_point;
- char
- *mon_thousands_sep;
- char
- *mon_grouping;
- char
- *positive_sign;
- char
- *negative_sign;
- char
- int_frac_digits;
- char
- frac_digits;
- char
- p_cs_precedes;
- char
- p_sep_by_space;
- char
- n_cs_precedes;
- char
- n_sep_by_space;
- char
- p_sign_posn;
- char
- n_sign_posn;
- char
- int_p_cs_precedes;
- char
- int_n_cs_precedes;
- char
- int_p_sep_by_space;
- char
- int_n_sep_by_space;
- char
- int_p_sign_posn;
- char
- int_n_sign_posn;
};
The individual fields have the following meanings:
- decimal_point
- The decimal point character, except for currency values,
can't be the empty string.
- thousands_sep
- The separator between groups of digits before the decimal
point, except for currency values.
- grouping
- The sizes of the groups of digits, except for currency
values. This is a pointer to a vector of integers,
each of size char, representing group size from low
order digit groups to high order (right to left). The
list may be terminated with 0 or CHAR_MAX. If the
list is terminated with 0, the last group size before
the 0 is repeated to account for all the digits. If
the list is terminated with CHAR_MAX, no more grouping
is performed.
- int_curr_symbol
- The standardized international currency symbol.
- currency_symbol
- The local currency symbol.
mon_decimal_point The decimal point character for currency values.
mon_thousands_sep The separator for digit groups in currency values.
- mon_grouping
- Like grouping but for currency values.
- positive_sign
- The character used to denote nonnegative currency values,
usually the empty string.
- negative_sign
- The character used to denote negative currency values,
usually a minus sign.
- int_frac_digits
- The number of digits after the decimal point in an
international-style currency value.
- frac_digits
- The number of digits after the decimal point in the
local style for currency values.
- p_cs_precedes
- 1 if the currency symbol precedes the currency value
for nonnegative values, 0 if it follows.
- p_sep_by_space
- 1 if a space is inserted between the currency symbol
and the currency value for nonnegative values, 0 otherwise.
- n_cs_precedes
- Like p_cs_precedes but for negative values.
- n_sep_by_space
- Like p_sep_by_space but for negative values.
- p_sign_posn
- The location of the positive_sign with respect to a
nonnegative quantity and the currency_symbol, coded as
follows:
- 0
- Parentheses around the entire string.
- 1
- Before the string.
- 2
- After the string.
- 3
- Just before currency_symbol.
- 4
- Just after currency_symbol.
- n_sign_posn
- Like p_sign_posn but for negative currency values.
int_p_cs_precedes Same as p_cs_precedes, but for internationally formatted
monetary quantities.
int_n_cs_precedes Same as n_cs_precedes, but for internationally formatted
monetary quantities.
int_p_sep_by_space
Same as p_sep_by_space, but for internationally formatted
monetary quantities.
int_n_sep_by_space
Same as n_sep_by_space, but for internationally formatted
monetary quantities.
- int_p_sign_posn
- Same as p_sign_posn, but for internationally formatted
monetary quantities.
- int_n_sign_posn
- Same as n_sign_posn, but for internationally formatted
monetary quantities.
Unless mentioned above, an empty string as a value for a field indicates
a zero length result or a value that is not in the current locale. A
CHAR_MAX result similarly denotes an unavailable value.
Upon successful completion, setlocale() returns the string associated
with the specified category for the requested locale. The setlocale()
function returns NULL and fails to change the locale if the given combination
of category and locale makes no sense. The localeconv() function
returns a pointer to a static object which may be altered by later calls
to setlocale() or localeconv().
No errors are defined.
$PATH_LOCALE/locale/category
/usr/share/locale/locale/category locale file for the locale locale and
the category category.
colldef(1)
, mklocale(1)
, catopen(3)
, ctype(3)
, mbrune(3)
, multibyte(3)
,
rune(3)
, strcoll(3)
, strxfrm(3)
, euc(4)
, utf2(4)
, utf8(5)
The setlocale() and localeconv() functions conform to ISO/IEC 9899:1999
(``ISO C99'').
The setlocale() and localeconv() functions first appeared in 4.4BSD.
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