Most hosts can use only 7-bit characters (hex 00 to 7F). However, many European languages also include 8-bit characters (hex 80 to FF) such as or that hosts cannot interpret.
To ensure that you can use these 8-bit characters on your screen display and still be able to communicate with the host in a way that the host can understand, Accessory Manager comes with several European translation tables. Using these tables, you can swap desired 8-bit characters for unused 7-bit characters when you transmit data to the host, and then swap 7-bit characters for 8-bit characters when you receive data from the host.
If the country specified in the regional settings in the Windows Control Panel is in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, or Australia, the following translation tables are installed:
|
BRITAIN.TBL |
FRANCE.TBL |
SPAIN.TBL |
|
DENMARK.TBL |
ITALY.TBL |
SWISSFRE.TBL |
|
FINLAND.TBL |
NORWAY.TBL |
SWISSGER.TBL |
European .TBL File Syntax
Each European .TBL file is a script that indicates which characters will be replaced with which other characters. These files use the following format. The items in brackets are optional. If you use these items, do not type the brackets.
Table 3-22 European Syntax Descriptions
|
Syntax Name |
Description |
|---|---|
|
[NAME "table_name"] |
Indicates a name for the translation table. It appears in the script for information purposes only. The table_name can be up to 31 characters long and can contain spaces. It must be enclosed in double quotation marks ("). |
|
[DESC "table_description"] |
Indicates a description for the translation table. It appears in the script for information purposes only. The table_description can be up to 80 characters long and can contain spaces. It must be enclosed in double quotation marks ("). |
|
[DIM number] |
Indicates the length of the character strings being translated by this translation table. |
|
[INVERT] |
Indicates that the translation table should be inverted. For example, if the translation table says A=B and you include the INVERT command, the inverse value is applied (that is, B=A). |
|
[IMPORT "filename.ext"] |
Indicates which additional script file to execute. For example, if you saved your translation script in a file called XLATE.TBL, you could execute it by including the statement IMPORT XLATE.TBL in this script. |
|
BEGIN |
This command indicates the beginning of the character translation script. |
|
'x'='y' |
Indicates the characters being translated. Unless you include an INVERT command, the character on the left is the character being translated, and the character on the right is the character that will be used in its place. |
|
END |
Indicates the end of the character translation script. |