PUB97: Publisher Can't Import Extended Characters in Text File (156158)
The information in this article applies to:
This article was previously published under Q156158 IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry.
Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if
a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring
the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key"
Help topic in Regedt32.exe.
SYMPTOMS
If you use a text file created in a Windows program (like Notepad) as
the data source for a mail merge in Publisher, Publisher does not
correctly import extended characters such as international and
accented characters.
CAUSE
In a text file, each character is actually saved as a number. Windows-
based programs usually use a set of numeric values called the ANSI
character set. MS-DOS based programs usually use a set of numeric
values called the ASCII character set. The ASCII character set does
not include accented or other extended characters, so most MS-DOS
programs use the OEM character set to describe accented characters.
By default, Publisher assumes that text files are created by MS-DOS-
based programs and translates the numeric values of the characters
according to the ASCII/OEM character sets.
RESOLUTIONWARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that
may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot
guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor
can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And
Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete
Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics
in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it.
If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair
Disk (ERD).
You can change the default behavior for Publisher's Mail Merge by
changing the following key in your Windows Registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Jet\3.0\Engines\Text\
In this key, you must change the CharacterSet value from OEM to ANSI.
To make this change, do the following:
- Run the Registration Editor (Regedit.exe)
- On the Edit menu, click Find.
- In the Find What text box, type:
- Make sure there is an X in the Values checkbox. Click Find Next.
The Registry Editor should find a value called CharacterSet in the
following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Jet\3.0\Engines\Text\
- On the Edit menu, click Modify.
- Type the following in the Value data text box, then click OK:
- On the Registry menu, click Exit.
Now Publisher assumes that all text files you use as data sources come
from Windows-based programs. Extended characters in text files created
by MS-DOS based programs, however, are imported incorrectly.
| Modification Type: | Minor | Last Reviewed: | 8/17/2005 |
|---|
| Keywords: | kbinterop kbmerge kbprb KB156158 |
|---|
|