Steps for creating a modified message catalog

Some applications store their messages in message catalogs. You can modify these message catalogs to translate the messages to another language or to customize them for your installation.

Before you begin

Review the following information:

You also must know:

The commands that are indicated in these steps are z/OS® UNIX commands; do all of these steps from the z/OS UNIX shell.
These steps use a message catalog that is called sample.cat, and assume that the application code and catalog are at the correct levels. If you customize a catalog, IBM® Service personnel might require that you use the shipped level of the catalog to re-create and diagnose a reported problem.

Procedure

Perform the following steps to create a modified message catalog:

Copy the current z/OS UNIX catalog to a backup file to ensure that you have a copy of the original catalog.
```
cp  /usr/lpp/tcpip/lib/nls/msg/C/sample.cat  /usr/lpp/tcpip/lib/nls/msg/C/sample.cat.backup
```
Using the z/OS UNIX dspcat command, convert the editable backup catalog that you just copied.
```
dspcat -t -g  /usr/lpp/tcpip/lib/nls/msg/C/sample.cat.backup  > /tmp/sample.cat.copy
```
The file sample.cat.copy is the file that you will update to preserve the timestamp and customize the messages.
Change the first line in the catalog from a comment to a z/OS UNIX gencat command $timestamp directive. This enables the original timestamp to be imbedded in the new catalog when the catalog is built. In some cases, when an application opens a message catalog, it checks the timestamp at the top of the catalog to ensure that it matches the application timestamp. If the timestamps are different, the application does not use the message catalog. You must ensure that the new message catalog contains the timestamp from the original message catalog by performing the following steps:
1. Edit the file to be updated.
```
oedit /tmp/sample.cat.copy
```
2. Change the first line comment to add a gencat command $timestamp directive to preserve the timestamp when the directory is built. The first line in the file is similar to the following line:
```
The time stamp of catalog /usr/lpp/tcpip/lib/nls/msg/C/sample.cat.backup is: 2010 095 20:30 UTC
```
  Replace the leading text on the line with the $timestamp directive as follows:
```
$timestamp 2010 095 20:30 UTC
```
  If you omit this step and the original line is left unchanged in the catalog, when you attempt to generate a catalog from this file, you will see a message similar to the following message:
```
FSUM5108 gencat: Invalid message number.
```
3. Save the file.
Update the catalog (/tmp/sample.cat.copy) with any local modifications and save the file.
Build a new and customized catalog by using the z/OS UNIX gencat command.
```
gencat   /tmp/sample.cat   /tmp/sample.cat.copy
```
The correct response is the following message:
```
FSUM5105 gencat: Message catalog generated normally.
```
Tip: Verify that your changes are correct before invoking the gencat command. Some errors cause the gencat command to fail, but other errors might not be apparent until the message is displayed.
Browse the new catalog and verify that the timestamp from step 3 matches what is in the file.
```
obrowse /tmp/sample.cat
```
The first record contains the time stamp (yyyy ddd hh:mm UTC). For example:
```
...2010 095 20:30 UTC
```
Replace the z/OS UNIX catalog, which is shipped with the release, with the updated catalog that you created in step 5.
```
cp  /tmp/sample.cat /usr/lpp/tcpip/lib/nls/msg/C/sample.cat
```

What to do next

For more information about the dspcat and gencat utilities, see z/OS UNIX System Services Command Reference.