System and method for national language support

• US 20020177993A1
• Filed: 04/03/2002
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1993
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Borland Software Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Borland Software Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Schnepper, David Brett, Veditz, Daniel Paul
• Granted Patent: US 6,507,813 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 providing appropriate National Language Support (NLS) for data objects created under different NLS configurations, the method comprising:

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

(b) assigning one of said identifiers for indicating a specific NLS configuration of the system; and

(c) 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 is created or modified.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(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 stored identifier (local identifier) of the data object to the assigned identifier (active identifier) of the system.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

(f) if the local identifier of the data object does not match the active identifier of the system, then performing a selected one of;

(i) aborting the request to process the new data object, and

(ii) changing the NLS configuration of the system to match that of the new data object.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein step (f) further includes:

(iii) displaying a message indicating that the identifier of the data object does not match the identifier of the system, whereby a user may direct the system to perform a selected one of steps (i) and (ii).

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(d) receiving a request to process at least two interrelated data objects; and

(e) determining if each of said at least two interrelated data objects may be appropriately processed by reconciling the stored identifier (local identifier) of each data object with that of others of said at least two interrelated data objects.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

(f) if the local identifier of a data object cannot be reconciled with identifiers of others, then performing a selected one of;

(i) rebuilding the data object from others, and

(ii) aborting the request to process the data objects.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each identifier references at least one character set and at least one language configuration table.

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

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

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

11. 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 0×

1D in the database file.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the data object is a single-index file, and wherein step (c) includes storing the assigned identifier at offset location 0×

0B in the single-index file.

13. 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 0×

1F in the multiple-index file.

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

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

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

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said descriptor is a selected one of a fixed-length data member and a variable-length data member.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said descriptor is a selected one of a single-byte identifier, a multi-byte identifier, a text string, and a data record.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said data object is a data file, and wherein said descriptor is a fixed-length identifier stored at a known offset in a header to the data file.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein said data object includes separate language-dependent regions, and wherein said at least one descriptor include at least one descriptor stored for each of said language-dependent regions.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

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

(e) determining a language driver for the data object of interest based on the descriptor stored in the object.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

(f) comparing the determined language driver to the currently selected language driver; and

(g) if the compared drivers match, processing the data object of interest with the currently selected language driver.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

(h) if the compared drivers do not match, aborting the request to process the data object of interest.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

(h) if the compared drivers do not match, proceeding with the request after changing the currently selected language driver to the determined language driver.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

(h) if the compared drivers do not match, displaying a message indicating language driver incompatibility, whereupon a user may instruct the system to perform a selected one of;

(i) aborting the request,

(ii) proceeding with the request, and

(iii) changing the currently selected language driver to the determined language driver and thereafter proceeding with the request.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein each said language driver invokes at least one translation resource file and at least one character set.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said at least one translation resource file includes selected ones of at least one alphabetic table, a box-drawing table, and a SOUNDEX table.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said at least one alphabetic table is employed to perform at least one of:

(i) determining if a character is alphabetic,

(ii) mapping lowercase characters to and from uppercase, and

(iii) ordering of alphabetic characters.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said ordering of alphabetic characters further includes:

ordering of multi-letter combinations; and

ordering of single letters which are expanded into multi-letter combinations for ordering.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein at least one character set includes a selected one of a single-byte character set and a multi-byte character set.

17. In a data processing system, a method for processing language-dependent data objects, the method comprising:

(a) providing a plurality of language drivers for supplying appropriate language-dependent processing for each data object;

(b) selecting a preferred one of the language drivers for operating a session of the system; and

(c) for a data object created or modified by the system, storing in the data object at least one descriptor for indicating the selected language driver employed.

32. In a computer system, an improved method for providing locale-dependent processing of data objects, the improvement comprising:

(a) providing sets of information for processing locale-dependent data objects, each set specifying a particular locale;

(b) storing within a data object a descriptor for identifying a desired one of the locales; and

(c) processing the data object with a set of information appropriate for the data object by reading its descriptor.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein each set of information includes a character set.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein each set of information includes at least one language translation table.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein each descriptor specifies a language driver, and wherein each language driver invokes at least one character set and at least one language translation table.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein said descriptor is a fixed-length identifier which is stored at a known position in the data object.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein said descriptor is a variable-length identifier.

38. The method of claim 32, wherein step (b) is performed during an operation of the system which writes to the data object.

39. The method of claim 32, wherein step (c) includes:

operating a session of the system with a desired one of the locales (active locale);

receiving a request to process a data object;

comparing the locale specified by the descriptor (local locale) of the data object with the active locale; and

if the local locale matches the active locale, processing the data object with the set of information for the active locale.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

if the local locale does not match the active locale, performing a selected one of;

(i) aborting the request to process the data object,

(ii) proceeding with processing the data object with the set of information for the active locale, and

(iii) changing the active locale to match that of the local locale and thereafter processing the data object with the set of information for the active locale.

41. A computer system providing locale-dependent processing of data objects, the system comprising:

(a) a computer having a processor and a storage device for storing the data objects, said computer capable of operating under different locale configurations, and each data object including a descriptor for specifying a particular locale configuration of the system for the object;

(b) means for determining the locale configuration of a data object of interest from its descriptor; and

(c) processing means, responsive to said determining means, for providing locale-dependent processing the data object of interest.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein each data object is a data file stored on the storage device, and wherein each descriptor is an identifier positioned at a known location in a data file.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein said determining means includes:

means for reading the descriptor; and

lookup tables means for determining a particular locale specified by the descriptor.

44. The method of claim 41, wherein said processing means includes:

(d) exception means for handling a request to process a data object created or modified under a locale configuration which is not currently in use.

45. The method of claim 41, wherein said descriptor further stores all information necessary for locale-dependent processing of the data object of interest.

46. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

means for reconciling descriptors of at least two interrelated data objects so that the objects are processed under an identical locale configuration.

47. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

means for determining descriptors of at least two concurrently processed data objects, and wherein the processing means includes means for locale-dependent processing of the objects by concurrently employing a locale configuration for each said at least two concurrently processed data objects.

49. The system of claim 48, further comprising 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.

50. The system of claim 49, further comprising means for setting the NLS configuration which the system currently operates to match that of the data object requested to be processed.

48. A computer system providing appropriate National Language Support (NLS) for 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 for indicating various NLS configurations;

(c) means for assigning one of said identifiers for indicating a current NLS configuration of the system; and

(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 is created or modified.