Installation guide

Note that setting the LANG environment variable on the command line
sets the locale for the current process only.
In most cases, assigning a value to the LANG environment variable is the
only thing you need to do to set the locale. This is because when you set the
locale with the LANG environment variable, the appropriate defaults are
automatically set for the following functions:
• Collation
• Character classification
• Date and time conventions
• Numeric and monetary formats
• Program messages
• Yes/no prompts
In the unlikely event that you need to change the default behavior of any of
the previous categories within a locale, you can set the variable that is
associated with that category. See the following section for more
information.
4.2.2 Modifying Locale Categories
When you set the locale with the LANG environment variable, defaults are
automatically set for the collation sequence, character classification
functions, date and time conventions, numeric and monetary formats,
program messages, and the yes/no prompts appropriate for that locale.
However, should you need to change any of the default categories, you can
set the environment variables that are associated with one or more
categories.
Table 4–2 describes the environment variables that influence locale
categories.
Table 4–2: Locale Environment Variables
Environment Variable Description
LC_ALL Overrides the setting of all other internationalization
environment variables, including LANG.
LC_COLLATE Specifies the collating sequence to use when sorting
names and when character ranges occur in patterns.
LC_CTYPE Specifies the character classification information to use.
LC_NUMERIC Specifies the numeric format.
LC_MONETARY Specifies the monetary format.
Customizing the System Environment 4–17