# The &kbabel; Handbook

## Introduction

&kbabel; is an advanced and easy to use PO-file (&GNU; gettext message catalogs) editor. It has many features, that makes editing and managing your PO-files easy. This includes full navigation capabilities, extensive editing functionality, search functions, syntax checking and statistics function. &catalogmanager; is a file manager view, which helps you to keep an overview over your PO-files. &kbabeldict; enables to translate any text using &kbabel; capabilities for automated translation. The &kbabel; suite will help you to translate fast and also keep translations consistent.

With &kde; project continous growing the number of PO messages is over 47000 at time writing this documentation (plus another 20000 messages used for translating application documentation). There is a need to stay organized and consistent along all translations.

&using; &catman; &kbabeldictchapter; &dictionaries; &preferences; &menu; &kbabelfaq; &glossary;

## Credits and License

&kbabel;

Program copyright 1999-2000 Matthias Kiefer matthias.kiefer@gmx.de

Contributors:

- Thomas Diehl thd@kde.org

- Stephan Kulow coolo@kde.org

Documentation copyright 2000 Claudiu Costin claudiuc@geocities.com and Matthias Kiefer matthias.kiefer@gmx.de

Update for &kde; 3.0 copyright 2002 Stanislav Visnovsky visnovsky@kde.org

&underFDL; &underGPL;

## Installation

### How to obtain &kbabel;

&install.intro.documentation;

### Requirements

In order to successfully use &kbabel;, you need &kde; 3.x.

All required libraries as well as &kbabel; itself can be found on &kde-ftp;.

If you want to use Translation database, you need Berkeley Database II.

### Compilation and Installation

&install.compile.documentation;