When to Use Message Catalogs

Using message catalogs to output messages is a convenient and efficient method to create a user interface. You may want to use message catalogs if you:

Message catalogs allow you to have a consistent and logical method of outputting messages to the user. The messages are separate from your code; therefore, localization (translation to other languages) is more efficient. Only the message catalog needs to be translated and all the messages are in a defined area. Because the messages are apart from the code, you won't need to retain the source code and recompile when you make changes to the catalog.

The use of message catalogs allows you to create application message catalogs with messages in a user's native language and access these messages programmatically. Messages such as prompts, commands, error messages, or conventions for date and time, can be stored in separate ASCII editor files. As a result, you can create and maintain files without changing the program itself.

Message catalogs are easily used. As shown in Title not available, you open the catalog from your application, read and output messages, then close the catalog.

MPE/iX supports three message facilities:

Each is used for a different cataloging task.