[Python-ideas] Idea: msgfmt.py and pygettext..py should be -m executable modules

[Miro Hrončok]

Currently, the documentation (as well as plenty of other places on the 
Internet, such as Stack Overflow answers) mentions msgfmt.py and 
pygettext.py.

See https://docs.python.org/3/library/gettext.html

 > (Python also includes pure-Python versions of these programs, called
 > pygettext.py and msgfmt.py; some Python distributions will install
 > them for you. pygettext.py is similar to xgettext, but only
 > understands Python source code and cannot handle other programming
 > languages such as C or C++. pygettext.py supports a command-line
 > interface similar to xgettext; for details on its use, run
 > pygettext.py --help. msgfmt.py is binary compatible with GNU msgfmt.
 > With these two programs, you may not need the GNU gettext package to
 > internationalize your Python applications.)

The problematic part is: "some Python distributions will install them 
for you"

As a Python distributor, I may ask myself a question: Where do I install 
those?

As a Python user, I may ask: Where did the distributors put them, and 
did they?

So I suggest we make those modules instead and we document how to use them.

It might be:

   $ python3 -m gettext

And:

   $ python3 -m gettext.msgfmt

And (provided as a shortcut):

   $ python3 -m msgfmt

I feel that using -m is the general direction Python is going, 
considering this message:

   $ pyvenv ...
   WARNING: the pyenv script is deprecated in favour of `python3.7 -m venv`

It also gives the user a choice for Python version on a system with 
multiple Python versions installed as the user could do:

   $ python3.6 -m gettext

Or

   $ python3.7 -m gettext

While with e.g. /usr/bin/pygettext.py this adds unnecessary burden on 
the distributor to package /usr/bin/pygettext-3.7.py etc...

This idea originates at https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1571474

-- 
Miro Hrončok
--
Phone: +420777974800
IRC: mhroncok