System and method for national language support

• US 6,507,813 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2002
• Issued: 01/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Boland Software Corporation
• Original Assignee: Boland Software Corporation
• Inventors: Schnepper, David Brett, Veditz, Daniel Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard, Patrick N.
• Application Number:
  US10/116,180
• Publication Number:
  US 20020177993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 286 Days
• Field of Search: 704/1, 704/8, 707/103, 707/536, 341/45, 717/136, 717/137, 717/116, 717/146, 345/703, 345/746
• US Class Current: 704/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/126 Character encoding
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71

Abstract

The present invention comprises a National Language Support (NLS) system with Language Driver Identifiers (LDIDs) embedded as locale-specific descriptors within data objects. The Identifiers, which may be in the form of a system-comparable ID (e.g., ID byte), are employed by the system in several places to record the particular language (driver) which was used when a given data object was created or modified. The LDID methodology of the present invention allows the system to intelligently process data objects created or modified under one language driver with those created or modified by a different language driver. In the event of incompatibilities, the system provides error handling routines, including a preferred interface for warning users of incompatibilities and receiving user choices in response thereof.

Claims

1. In a computer system, a method for storing National Language Support (NLS) identifiers in data objects created under different NLS configurations, the method comprising:

(a) defining a plurality of identifiers for indicating different NLS configurations;

(b) assigning one of said identifiers indicating an active identifier of the system to data objects created or modified by the system, said active identifier specifying the NLS configurations of the system when the data objects were created or modified by the system;

(c) storing the assigned identifier in each data object created or modified by the system as a local identifier of the data object, whereby the object includes information indicating a specific NLS configuration of the system when the object was created or modified;

(d) receiving a request to process a new data object; and

(e) determining if the new data object may be appropriately processed by the system by comparing the local identifier of the data object to the active identifier of the system;

wherein each identifier references at least one character set and at least one language configurations table.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each identifier is in the form of a system-comparable unit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each identifier is in the form of a byte (8-bit) data member.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier stored in each data object is positioned at a known location in each data object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the data objects is a database file, and wherein step (c) includes storing the assigned identifier at offset location Dx1D in the database file.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the data objects is a single-index file, and wherein step (c) includes storing the assigned identifier at offset location OxOB in the single-index file.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the data objects is a multiple-index file, and wherein step (c) includes storing the assigned identifier at offset location Ox1F in the multiple-index file.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each identifier specifies a language driver by storing a value selected from one of:

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each identifier specifies a language driver by storing a value selected from one of:

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each identifier specifies a language driver by storing a value selected from one of:

11. A computer system storing National Language Support (NLS) identifiers in data objects created under different NLS configurations, the system comprising:

(a) a computer having a processor and a means for storing the data objects;

(b) means for defining a plurality of identifiers indicating different NLS configurations;

(c) means for assigning one of said identifiers indicating a current NLS configuration of the system to each data object created or modified by the system, wherein the assigned identifier specifies the NLS configuration of the system when each data object was created or modified by the system;

(d) means for storing the assigned identifier in each data object created or modified by the system, whereby the object includes information indicating a specific NLS configuration of the system when the object was created or modified;

(e) means for detecting a request to process a data object which was created or modified under a different NLS configuration than that which the system currently operates; and

(f) means for comparing the stored identifier of the data object to the identifier of the NLS configuration which the system currently operates.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising means for setting the NLS configuration which the system currently operates to match that of the data object requested to be processed.