| 1167 |
mateusz.vi |
1 |
%hInternationalization and NLS overview
|
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
3 |
SvarDOS is a multi-language system, meaning that it can be set to operate in a
|
|
|
4 |
variety of languages. This process comes in several distinct steps, all of
|
|
|
5 |
which are preset inside AUTOEXEC.BAT by the SvarDOS installer during the
|
|
|
6 |
installation of your system.
|
|
|
7 |
|
|
|
8 |
This article aims at explaining the basics to provide the user with enough
|
|
|
9 |
knowledge to configure his system in the most common situations. For detailed
|
|
|
10 |
information about advanced settings please consult the documentation of each
|
|
|
11 |
of the mentioned programs.
|
|
|
12 |
|
|
|
13 |
|
|
|
14 |
%hOutputting message in your language
|
|
|
15 |
|
|
|
16 |
The majority of CORE SvarDOS programs are able to output their messages in
|
|
|
17 |
different languages. To know which language should be used, they look for two
|
|
|
18 |
environment variables:
|
|
|
19 |
|
|
|
20 |
LANG - the language to output messages in
|
|
|
21 |
NLSPATH - provides the path where all language files are stored
|
|
|
22 |
|
|
|
23 |
Example:
|
|
|
24 |
|
|
|
25 |
SET LANG=FR
|
|
|
26 |
SET NLSPATH=%DOSDIR%\NLS
|
|
|
27 |
|
|
|
28 |
|
|
|
29 |
%hSetting up your video adapter to a suitable codepage
|
|
|
30 |
|
|
|
31 |
Many languages come with glyphs specific to their alphabet. That is why
|
|
|
32 |
codepages have been designed - a codepage is a set of glyphs that are adapted
|
|
|
33 |
to display one or more languages. The default codepage hardcoded into most
|
|
|
34 |
video adapters is the 437 codepage, known as "US ASCII". Using this codepage
|
|
|
35 |
requires no configuration, but outputting messages in a non-English language
|
|
|
36 |
might require using a different codepage. Loading a user codepage requires an
|
|
|
37 |
EGA or VGA card. Older cards (MDA, CGA, Hercules...) had a single codepage
|
|
|
38 |
hardwired in their memory.
|
|
|
39 |
|
|
|
40 |
Setting up a custom (non-437) codepage on your system requires the DISPLAY
|
|
|
41 |
driver to be loaded. This driver is a TSR that makes sure to refresh the
|
|
|
42 |
custom codepage whenever the video adapter reverts to its default one
|
|
|
43 |
(typically after every video mode change).
|
|
|
44 |
|
|
|
45 |
To load the DISPLAY driver, use this command:
|
|
|
46 |
|
|
|
47 |
DISPLAY CON=(EGA,,1)
|
|
|
48 |
|
|
|
49 |
Once DISPLAY is loaded, you may configure your video adapter with the codepage
|
|
|
50 |
of your choice using the two commands below:
|
|
|
51 |
|
|
|
52 |
MODE CON CP PREP=((CODEPAGE) PATH-TO-THE-CPI-DEFINITION)
|
|
|
53 |
MODE CON CP SEL=CODEPAGE
|
|
|
54 |
|
|
|
55 |
...where "CODEPAGE" is the identifier of your codepage, like 850, 991, etc and
|
|
|
56 |
"PATH-TO-CPI-DEFINITION" is the full path to the CPI or CPX file that contains
|
|
|
57 |
the definition of glyphs for the given codepage.
|
|
|
58 |
|
|
|
59 |
Working example for the Polish language:
|
|
|
60 |
|
|
|
61 |
MODE CON CP PREP=((991) C:\SVARDOS\CPI\EGA10.CPX)
|
|
|
62 |
MODE CON CP SEL=991
|
|
|
63 |
|
|
|
64 |
You may see the full list of available CPX files and the exact codepages that
|
|
|
65 |
each of them contain here: %lnls-cpx.ama:List of CPX files and their codepages%t.
|
|
|
66 |
|
|
|
67 |
|
|
|
68 |
%hKeyboard layout
|
|
|
69 |
|
|
|
70 |
Displaying country-specific glyphs is one thing, but typing them is another.
|
|
|
71 |
To set up the keyboard layout suitable to your country, use the "KEYB" TSR.
|
|
|
72 |
|
|
|
73 |
Example: KEYB PL
|
|
|
74 |
|
|
|
75 |
|
|
|
76 |
%hNLS settings
|
|
|
77 |
|
|
|
78 |
A language is not only different words and glyphs, it is also different
|
|
|
79 |
conventions for things like paper sizes, currency, units of measurement,
|
|
|
80 |
battery sizes, time format, and many other.
|
|
|
81 |
|
|
|
82 |
DOS NLS support addresses a few of these variations through a standard,
|
|
|
83 |
system-wide NLS API. In SvarDOS, this API can be configured through the
|
|
|
84 |
LOCALCFG tool that generates a SYS file suitable for being loaded via a
|
|
|
85 |
COUNTRY directive in CONFIG.SYS.
|