MORE INFORMATION
Description of a Code Page
A code page is a set of characters specific to a language or hardware
platform. In Visual FoxPro, a code page is a table of characters and
corresponding numbers in memory that Visual FoxPro uses to display data
properly.
Some characters available in one code page are not available in another,
and accented characters are not represented by the same values across
platforms and code pages.
How Visual FoxPro Uses Code Pages
When you create a file with a table file structure, Visual FoxPro
automatically gives it a code page mark, indicating which code page the
file uses. For example, if you enter the letter C in a .DBF file, the
letter is stored on your hard disk as the number 67. When you open the
file, Visual FoxPro determines its code page, inspects the code page to
find the character corresponding to the number 67, and then displays the
character (C) on your monitor.
Using Code Pages in the Development Environment
Visual FoxPro supports many code pages and each code page contains
characters unique to certain locales. If you want to create an application
for a specific locale, you must create the application's components using
the code page designed for that locale and environment. For example, to
create an application for use in Russia, you should use code page 1251,
866, or 10007 for users in the Windows, MS-DOS, or Macintosh environments,
respectively.
TIP: To create successive files with the same code page, first specify the
code page by setting the CODEPAGE parameter in the CONFIG.FPW file. Then
restart Visual FoxPro before creating the files.
Checking for Code Page Marks in .DBF Files
You can determine whether a .DBF file has a code page mark by using the
CPDBF() function after opening the file or by having Visual FoxPro check
when you open the file. To check for code page marks automatically:
- From the Tools menu, choose Options.
- Select the Data tab.
- Set the Prompt for Code Page check box, if it is not already set.
To save this setting for future sessions of Visual FoxPro, choose Set as
Default.
Entering Code Page Characters Not Represented by Keys on the Keyboard
If you need to enter characters not represented by keys on your keyboard,
you must enter these characters using the ALT key in conjunction with keys
on the numeric keypad. However, remember that the same key combination in
different environments often displays different results. For example, if
you enter ALT+0182 with code page 1252 in Visual FoxPro, you see a
paragraph symbol. In contrast, if you enter ALT+0182 with code page 437 in
FoxPro for MS-DOS, you see a graphic character with a double vertical line
meeting a single horizontal line.
Using Code Pages from Earlier Versions of FoxPro
If you use a file from an earlier version of FoxPro, the file might not
have a code page mark. If the mark is missing when you open the file,
Visual FoxPro prompts you for a code page and then marks the file with it.
However, if the code page is incorrect, some characters in the file might
not display properly. If this happens, remove the code page mark, and then
add the appropriate mark.
TIP: Instead of setting the Prompt for Code Page check box, you can use the
SET CPDIALOG command to check for code pages.
Code Pages Supported by Visual FoxPro
Although Visual FoxPro supports many code pages, only a few are used often.
With Visual FoxPro, for example, English-speaking users typically use code
page 1252. However, with Visual FoxPro for MS-DOS, English-speaking users
typically use code page 437. The following table shows the code pages
supported in Visual FoxPro for each platform, and the corresponding code
page identifier.
Code page Platform Code page identifier
---------------------------------------------------------------
437 U.S. MS-DOS x01
620 (1) Mazovia (Polish) MS-DOS x69
737 (1) Greek MS-DOS (437G) x6A
850 International MS-DOS x02
852 Eastern European MS-DOS x64
861 Icelandic MS-DOS x67
865 Nordic MS-DOS x66
866 Russian MS-DOS x65
895 (1) Kamenicky (Czech) MS-DOS x68
857 Turkish MS-DOS x6B
1250 Eastern European Windows xC8
1251 Russian Windows xC9
1252 Windows ANSI x03
1253 Greek Windows xCB
1254 Turkish Windows xCA
10000 Standard Macintosh x04
10006 Greek Macintosh x98
10007 (1) Russian Macintosh x96
10029 Macintosh EE x97
NOTE: (1) This code page is not detected when you include CODEPAGE=AUTO in
your configuration file.