System and method for character conversion between character sets

• US 7,218,252 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2004
• Issued: 05/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fauque, Scott A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanglaude; Jean Bruner
• Application Number:
  US10/861,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20050184886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 Days
• Field of Search: 341/50, 341/90, 341/106, 341/51
• US Class Current: 341/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/126 Character encoding

Abstract

A system and method for converting character sets are provided. In one embodiment, the method includes populating a conversion character array based on a character string and a conversion character string, with the character string represented in a first character set and the conversion character string comprising the character string represented in a second character set. A conversion status array is populated for the character string at least partially based on the conversion character array. A dataset is then selected and the dataset is represented in the first character set. The dataset is converted into the second character set based, at least in part, on the conversion character array and the conversion status array.

Claims

1. A method for converting between character sets, the method comprising:

generating a conversion character array that maps characters from a first character set into a second character set, the conversion character array being generated based on a conversion of a character string into a conversion character string, wherein the characters in the character string are represented in the first character set and wherein the characters in the conversion character string include the characters of the character string represented in the second character set;

generating a conversion status array that corresponds to the conversion character array, the conversion status array comprising a plurality of entries that indicate which characters in the first character set are to be converted from the first character set to the second character set based on the conversion character array;

selecting a dataset including characters, the characters being represented in the first character set;

converting the dataset into the second character set, wherein converting the dataset includes (i) identifying, based on the conversion status array, the characters in the dataset that should be converted into the second character set using the conversion character array, and (ii) using the conversion character array to convert the identified characters in the dataset; and

storing the dataset, as converted into the second character set, in a memory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the character string comprises a 256-byte character string.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first character set comprises a Single Byte Character Set (SBCS) and the second character set comprises a Multi-Byte Character Set (MBCS).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first character set comprises a Unicode encoding form and the second character set comprises SBCS.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the character string comprises a first character value that corresponds to a first character and a second character value that corresponds to a second character;

the dataset comprises the first character and the second character;

the conversion character array comprises a first data map and a second data map, the first data map maps the first character value in the first character set to the first character value in the second character set and the second data map maps the second character value in the first character set to the second character value in the second character set; and

the conversion status array comprises a first entry and a second entry of the plurality of entries and the first entry is associated with the first character value and the second entry is associated with the second character value.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein converting the dataset into the second character set based, at least in part, on the conversion character array and the conversion status array comprises:

identifying the first entry in the conversion status array based on the first character; and

in response to the first entry comprising zero, identifying the second entry in the conversion status array based on the second character.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein in response to the first entry not comprising zero, the method further comprises communicating the dataset to a native conversion service.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein in response to the second entry comprising zero, a local conversion service:

converting the first character based on the first data map; and

converting the second character based on the second data map.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein in response to the second entry not comprising zero, the method further comprises communicating the dataset to a native conversion service.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating the character string to a native character conversion service, the character string represented in a first character set; and

populating the conversion character array based, at least in part, on the conversion character string generated by the native conversion service.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a native character conversion service performs the conversion between character sets, the native character conversion service comprising a character conversion service offered by an operating system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a native character conversion service performs the conversion between character sets, the native character conversion service comprising a callable character conversion service by a programming language.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the conversion character array is manually populated.

14. Software stored on a computer readable medium for converting between character sets, the software being operable when executed to:

generate a conversion character array that maps characters from a first character set into a second character set, the conversion character array being generated based on a conversion of a character string into a conversion character string, wherein the characters in the character string are represented in the first character set and wherein the characters in the conversion character string include the characters of the character string represented in the second character set;

generate a conversion status array that corresponds to the conversion character array, the conversion status array comprising a plurality of entries that indicate which characters in the first character set are to be converted from the first character set to the second character set based on the conversion character array;

select a dataset including characters, the characters being represented in the first character set;

convert the dataset into the second character set, wherein converting the dataset includes (i) identifying, based on the conversion status array, the characters in the dataset that should be converted into the second character set using the conversion character array, and (ii) using the conversion character array to convert the identified characters in the data set; and

store the dataset, as converted into the second character set, in a memory.

15. The software of claim 14, wherein the character string comprises a 256-byte character string.

16. The software of claim 14, wherein the first character set comprises a Single Byte Character Set (SBCS) and the second character set comprises a Multi-Byte Character Set (MBCS).

17. The software of claim 14, wherein the first character set comprises a Unicode encoding form and the second character set comprises SBCS.

18. The software of claim 14, wherein:

the character string comprises a first character value that corresponds to a first character and a second character value that corresponds to a second character;

the dataset comprises the first character and the second character;

the conversion character array comprises a first data map and a second data map, the first data map maps the first character value in the first character set to the first character value in the second character set and the second data map maps the second character value in the first character set to the second character value in the second character set; and

the conversion status array comprises a first entry and a second entry of the plurality of entries and the first entry is associated with the first character value and the second entry is associated with the second character value.

19. The software of claim 18, wherein converting the dataset into the second character set based, at least in part, on the conversion-character array and the conversion status array includes:

identifying the first entry in the conversion status array based on the first character; and

in response to the first entry comprising zero, identifying the second entry in the conversion status array based on the second character.

20. The software of claim 19, wherein in response to the first entry not comprising zero, the software is further operable to communicate the dataset to a native conversion service.

21. The software of claim 19, wherein in response to the second entry comprising zero, a local conversion service is operable to:

convert the first character based on the first data map; and

convert the second character based on the second data map.

22. The software of claim 19, wherein in response to the second entry not comprising zero, the software is further operable to communicate the dataset to a native conversion service.

23. The software of claim 14, further operable to:

communicate the character string to a native character conversion service, the character string represented in a first character set; and

populate the conversion character array based, at least in part, on the conversion character string received from the native conversion service.

24. The software of claim 14, wherein a native character conversion service performs the conversion between character sets, the native character conversion service comprising a character conversion service offered by an operating system.

25. The software of claim 14, wherein a native character conversion service performs the conversion between character sets, the native character conversion service comprising a callable character conversion service by a programming language.

26. The software of claim 14, wherein the conversion character array is manually populated.

27. A system for converting between character sets, the system comprising:

memory operable to store a conversion character array that maps characters from a first character set into a second character set and a conversion status array that corresponds to the conversion character array; and

one or more processors operable to;

generate the conversion character array based on a conversion of a character string into a conversion character string, wherein the characters in the character string are represented in the first character set and wherein the characters in the conversion character string include the characters of the character string represented in the second character set;

generate the conversion status array comprises a plurality of entries that indicate which characters in the first character set are to be converted from the first character set to the second character set based on the conversion character array;

select a dataset including characters, the characters being represented in the first character set;

convert the dataset into the second character set, wherein converting the dataset includes (i) identifying, based on the conversion status array, the characters in the dataset that should be converted into the second character set using the conversion character array, and (ii) using the conversion character array to convert the identified characters in the dataset; and

store the dataset, as converted into the second character set, in the memory.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the character string comprises a 256-byte character string.

29. The system of claim 27, the first character set comprises a Single Byte Character Set (SBCS) and the second character set comprises a Multi-Byte Character Set (MBCS).

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the first character set comprises a Unicode encoding form and the second character set comprises SBCS.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein:

the character string comprises a first character value that corresponds to a first character and a second character value that corresponds to a second character;

the dataset comprises the first character and the second character;

the conversion character array comprises a first data map and a second data map, the first data map maps the first character value in the first character set to the first character value in the second character set and the second data map maps the second character value in the first character set to the second character value in the second character set; and

the conversion status array comprises a first entry and a second entry, and the first entry is associated with the first character value and the second entry is associated with the second character value.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein converting the dataset into the second character set based, at least in part, on the conversion character array and the conversion status array comprises:

Identifying the first entry in the conversion status array based on the first character; and

in response to the first entry comprising zero, identifying the second entry in the conversion status array based on the second character.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein in response to the first entry not comprising zero, the one or more processors are further operable to communicate the dataset to a native conversion service.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein in response to the second entry comprising zero, a local conversion service is further operable to:

convert the first character based on the first data map; and

convert the second character based on the second data map.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein in response to the second entry not comprising zero, one or more characters in the dataset are communicated to a native conversion service.

36. The system of claim 27, wherein the one or more processors are further operable to:

communicate the character string to a native character conversion service; and

generate the conversion character array based, at least in part, on the conversion character string received from the native conversion service.

37. The system of claim 27, wherein a native character conversion service performs the conversion between character sets, the native character conversion service comprising a character conversion service offered by an operating system.

38. The system of claim 27, wherein a native character conversion service performs the conversion between character sets, the native character conversion service comprising a callable character conversion service by a programming language.

39. The system of claim 27, wherein the conversion character array is manually populated.