Replace outdated information on gettext f-string support

[Athena]

gettext 0.23+ supports the f-string syntax according to their ​bugtracker. Testing in practice confirms this. The current version of the documentation says that the syntax is not supported. The associated ​Pull Request changes this to inform the reader that they can use f-string syntax with gettext 0.23+.

[Ahmed Nassar]

Hello,
I'd love to contribute to this issue and help improve the patch. Could you provide more details on what specific improvements are needed?
Looking forward to contributing!

[Ahmed Nassar]

Hi everyone,

After reviewing the current state of PR #18910 and doing some additional testing regarding gettext f-string support, I'd like to contribute some important findings:

1. There seems to be a misunderstanding about the actual f-string support in gettext 0.23+. The NEWS entry stating "Python: xgettext now recognizes the f-string syntax" actually indicates that newer versions of xgettext no longer extract f-strings into .po files (contrary to version 0.21.1 which did).

2. Important technical limitations:
   • F-string expressions are evaluated before Python's gettext implementation can process them
   • Django uses Python's gettext implementation rather than the system gettext
   • This means we cannot use f-strings directly with gettext in the way many might expect

3. Suggested documentation updates should:
   • Clarify these limitations explicitly
   • Provide correct usage examples
   • Explain why certain patterns don't work (e.g., _(f"Welcome {staff}"))
   • Recommend proper alternatives using .format() or % formatting

I can help update the PR to reflect these findings and provide clearer documentation about what is and isn't supported. Would this approach be helpful?

[Ahmed Nassar]

Hello,

I've reviewed PR #18910 and identified some critical technical aspects regarding gettext f-string support that need to be addressed in the documentation:

1. There's a key misunderstanding about gettext 0.23+ behavior:
   • The change actually prevents f-string extraction, rather than adding support
   • This differs from 0.21.1 which extracted f-strings into .po files

2. Important technical limitations:
   • F-string expressions evaluate before gettext processing occurs
   • Django uses Python's gettext implementation, not system gettext

I'd be happy to help improve the patch by:

• Adding clear documentation about these limitations
• Providing correct usage examples
• Including proper alternatives using .format() or % formatting
• Explaining why patterns like _(f"Welcome {staff}") don't work

Would this approach align with what's needed for this ticket? I can submit an updated PR addressing these points.

Best regards

[Abigail Afi Gbadago]

Assigning to Ahmed Nassar due to the inactivity of the owner.

[Ahmed Nassar]

Replying to Abigail Afi Gbadago:

Assigning to Ahmed Nassar due to the inactivity of the owner.

I'd like to help move this forward. Based on the discoveries about gettext f-string support limitations, would you prefer to continue work on current PR, or create a new PR addressing the findings in the comments?

[Ahmed Nassar]

I've submitted a pull request that addresses this ticket: ​https://github.com/django/django/pull/19348

[Sarah Boyce <42296566+sarahboyce@…>]

In 2c2f0905:

Fixed #35993 -- Documented gettext f-string support limitations.

Thank you to Claude Paroz and Athena Wolfskämpf for the review.

[Sarah Boyce <42296566+sarahboyce@…>]

In aa2c7659:

[5.2.x] Fixed #35993 -- Documented gettext f-string support limitations.

Thank you to Claude Paroz and Athena Wolfskämpf for the review.

Backport of 2c2f09055579cc6068cae6c6fd3135011d6df4f1 from main.