outputstexts

Outputtexts is a term used in computing to describe textual data produced as the output of a program, system, or device. This can include messages, logs, status updates, error notices, reports, and other user-visible notices. The term is not a standard technical term in most ecosystems but is commonly used in documentation, APIs, and codebases as a name for a collection of strings that may be rendered to end users or written to logs.

In practice, outputtexts may be stored as a list or map of keys to strings, with support for localization via translation catalogs. They are typically encoded in UTF-8 and may be serialized to formats such as JSON, XML, or plain text for transport or storage. Outputtexts can be generated at different stages of execution, from initial prompts to post-processing reports.

Generation and usage: Outputtexts are assembled by software components that gather status messages, prompts, or translations. They feed user interfaces, reports, or logs. Examples include a localization layer collecting translated strings keyed by identifiers, or a diagnostic module aggregating messages for a consolidated report.

Considerations: Ensuring consistency across locales, handling truncation for display constraints, and maintaining performance when producing large sets of strings are common concerns. Security considerations include avoiding exposure of sensitive data through messages.

Related concepts: standard output (stdout), logs, message catalogs, gettext, and the broader fields of internationalization and localization (i18n/l10n).