Method and system for character sequence checking according to a selected language

• US 7,721,203 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2005
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Appalabattula, Chakrapani, Chai, Steven, Jurion, Benoit J.
• Primary Examiner(s): DESAI, RACHNA SINGH
• Application Number:
  US11/038,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20050125731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,945 Days
• Field of Search: 715/535, 715/536, 715/262, 715/264, 715/256, 704/8, 704/9
• US Class Current: 715/256
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/129 Handling non-Latin characters, e.g. kana-to-kanji conversion

Abstract

A method and system for checking the validity of a sequence of input characters according to the syntactical rules of a selected language is provided. If an input character may not begin a valid sequence of characters, or if the input character may not be appended to a previously input sequence of characters according to the rules of the selected language, the newly input character may be prohibited from being displayed singularly or appended to the previous sequence and displayed on the user'"'"'s computer. Previously input character sequences may be edited by determining the sequence validity context of previously input sequences of characters.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium containing computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer perform the steps for checking a sequence of input characters, the steps comprising:

determining whether a sequence checking feature operatively associated with a state transition table, containing allowable sequences of characters based on the rules of a selected language, is enabled, the sequence checking feature being set to operate by a registry entry setting set in the computer'"'"'s operating system'"'"'s registry, the registry entry setting being set in the computer'"'"'s operating system'"'"'s registry for each language requiring the sequence checking feature;

upon determining that the sequence checking feature is enabled;

receiving a first character of the sequence of input characters;

receiving a second character of the sequence of input characters;

determining whether the sequence of characters belongs to a set of characters comprising a selected language by determining that the state transition table includes a state transition from a first state to a second state, the state transition from the first state to the second state indicating that a sequential order of reception of the first character relative to reception of the second character is consistent with one valid sequence of a plurality of valid sequences of characters based on the rules of the selected language;

when the first character and the second character form a valid sequence of characters according to the rules associated with forming a complex character, displaying the complex character formed by a combination of the first character and the second character prior to accepting additional characters for display; and

when the first character and the second character do not form the at least one valid sequence of characters according to the rules associated with forming the complex character;

displaying the first character,

preventing the display of the second character, and

requiring receipt of a third character as an alternate character prior to accepting additional characters for display.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein determining if the first character and the second character form the valid sequence of characters according to the rules associated with forming the complex character of the selected language comprises:

in the state transition table, assigning the first state to the first character according to rules associated with the selected language;

assigning the second state to the second character according to the rules associated with the selected language;

determining whether the state transition table includes the state transition from the first state to the second state, wherein determining that the state transition table includes the state transition from the first state to the second state comprises determining that the state transition table includes a cell corresponding to a cross-reference of the first character and the second character, the cell not being blank and not including only type and replacement actions; and

when the state transition table does not include the state transition from the first state to the second state, determining the first character and the second character do not form the at least one valid sequence of characters according to the rules associated with forming the complex character of the selected language.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether combining the first character and the second character creates a complete sequence of characters to form the complex character according to the rules associated with the selected language;

when the sequence of characters is a complete sequence of characters forming the complex character according to the rules associated with the selected language, determining whether a fourth input character begins a second valid sequence of characters for forming a second complex character according to the rules associated with the selected language;

when the fourth character begins the second valid sequence of characters for forming the second complex character according to the rules associated with the selected language, accepting the fourth character for display; and

when the fourth character does not begin the second valid sequence of characters for forming the second complex character according to rules associated with the selected language, prohibiting accepting the fourth character for display.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein determining whether combining the first character and second character creates the complete sequence of characters to form the second complex character according to rules associated with the selected language comprises determining whether the second state points to a third transition state representing a reset transition action.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the first character begins the valid sequence of characters for forming the complex character according to rules associated with the selected language;

when the first character begins the valid sequence of characters for forming the complex character according to the rules associated with the selected language, accepting the first character for display;

when the first character does not begin the valid sequence of characters for forming the complex character according to the rules associated with the selected language, prohibiting accepting the first character for display; and

when the first character is accepted for display, displaying the character to the user on a display screen prior to accepting any additional characters for display.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether combining the first character and the second character creates the complete sequence of characters to form the complex character according to rules associated with the selected language; and

when the sequence of characters is the complete sequence of characters forming the complex character according to the rules associated with the selected language, prohibiting combining additional characters to the sequence of characters.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the rules comprise at least one rule for creating complex characters according to the selected language.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the selected language is Thai.

9. A computer-readable storage medium containing computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer perform the steps for checking a sequence of input characters, the steps comprising:

determining whether a sequence checking feature operatively associated with a state transition table, containing allowable sequences of characters based on the rules of a selected language, is enabled, the sequence checking feature being set to operate by a registry entry setting set in the computer'"'"'s operating system'"'"'s registry, the registry entry setting being set in the computer'"'"'s operating system'"'"'s registry for each language requiring the sequence checking feature;

upon determining that the sequence checking feature is enabled;

receiving a first character of the sequence of input characters;

receiving a second character of the sequence of input characters;

determining whether the sequence of characters belongs to a set of characters comprising a selected language by determining that a sequential order of reception of the first character relative to reception of the second character is consistent with at least one valid sequence of characters, said determining that the sequential order of reception of the first character relative to the reception of the second character is consistent with the at least one valid input of characters comprises;

assigning a first state to the first character according to rules associated with the selected language,

assigning a second state to the second character according to the rules, and

determining that the state transition table includes a state transition from the first state to the second state, the state transition from the first state to the second state indicating that the sequential order of reception of the first character relative to reception of the second character is consistent with the at least one valid sequence of characters based on the rules of the selected language, said determining that the state transition table includes the state transition from the first state to the second state comprises determining that the state transition table includes a cell corresponding to a cross-reference of the first character and the second character, the cell not being blank and not including only type and replacement actions;

when the first character and the second character form the at least one valid sequence of characters according to rules associated with forming a complex character, displaying the complex character formed by the first character and the second character prior to accepting additional characters for display;

when the first character and the second character do not form the at least one valid sequence of characters according to the rules associated with forming the complex character;

displaying the first character,

prohibiting the display of the second character, and

requiring receipt of a third character as an alternate character.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a fourth character of the sequence of input characters; and

when the first character, the second character, and the fourth character do not form the at least one valid sequence of characters according to the rules associated with forming the complex character, displaying the complex character formed by the first character and the second character.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising:

when the first character, the second character, and the fourth character do not form the at least one valid sequence of characters according to the rules associated with forming the complex character, discarding the fourth character.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising displaying the complex character formed by a combination of the first character, the second character, and the fourth character prior to accepting additional characters for display when the first character, the second character, and the fourth character form the at least one valid sequence of characters according to the rules associated with forming the complex character of the selected language.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether the first character begins the at least one valid sequence of characters for forming the complex character according to the rules associated with the selected language;

when the first character begins the at least one valid sequence of characters for forming the complex character according to rules associated with the selected language, accepting the first character for display;

when the first character does not begin the at least one valid sequence of characters for forming the complex character according to rules associated with the selected language, prohibiting accepting the first character for display; and

when the first character is accepted for display, displaying the character to the user on a display screen prior to accepting additional characters for display.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the rules comprise at least one rule for creating complex characters according to the selected language.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising constructing the complex character in response to reception of the first character and the second character when the sequential order of reception of the first character relative to reception of the second character is consistent with the at least one of the valid input sequences of characters wherein constructing the complex character in response to reception of the first character and the second character comprises constructing the complex character in response to reception of the first character and the second character according to a rule contained in the cell.

16. A method of establishing a sequence validation context of a sequence of characters forming at least a portion of a complex character, the method comprising:

determining, by a computer, whether a sequence checking feature operatively associated with a state transition table, containing allowable sequences of characters based on the rules of a selected language, is enabled, the sequence checking feature being set to operate by a registry entry setting set in a computer'"'"'s registry, the registry entry setting being set in the computer'"'"'s registry for each language requiring the sequence;

upon determining that the sequence checking feature is enabled;

determining, by the computer, whether the sequence of characters belongs to a set of characters comprising a selected language by beginning with a last character of the sequence of characters and determining whether the last character is valid as a complete sequence of characters comprising the complex character according to rules for forming the complex character, said determining whether the last character is valid as the complete sequence of characters comprises determining that the state transition table includes a state transition from the first state to the second state, the state transition from the first state to the second state indicating that a sequential order or reception of the first character relative to reception of the second character is consistent with at least one valid sequence of characters;

when the last character of the sequence of characters is not valid as a complete sequence of characters comprising the complex character, determining, by the computer, whether a combination of the last character and a character input immediately to the left of the last character is valid as the complete sequence of characters comprising the complex character;

when the combination is not valid as the complete sequence of characters comprising the complex character, then creating, by the computer, subsequent combinations of characters by adding one character at a time to the left of the last subsequent combination and determining whether each new combination after each added character is valid as the complete sequence of characters comprising the complex character until the at least one valid sequence of characters is found for forming the complex character according to the rules for forming the complex character; and

when the at least one valid sequence of characters is found for forming the complex character according to the rules for forming the complex character, returning, on the computer, a context for the combination as the context for the complex character.

17. The method of claim 16, the method further comprising:

determining a maximum number of characters that comprise the at least one valid sequence of characters according to the rules for forming the complex character; and

wherein adding one character at a time to the left of the last subsequent combination comprises;

determining whether each new combination after each added character is valid as the complete sequence of characters comprising the complex character occurs until the maximum number of characters that comprises the at least one valid sequence have been combined; and

determining whether each new combination after each added character is valid as the complete sequence of characters comprising the complex character occurs until the at least one valid sequence of characters is found for forming the complex character according to the rules for forming the complex character.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein determining that the state transition table includes the state transition from the first state to the second state comprises determining that the state transition table includes a cell corresponding to a cross-reference of the first character and the second character, the cell not being blank and not including only type and replacement actions.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the rules comprise at least one rule for creating complex characters according to the selected language.