FIX: Code Pages Not Supported in All OS Languages at Run Time

• Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, versions 2.5a, 2.5b, 2.6, 2.6a

SYMPTOMS

In development mode, CPCURRENT() returns the correct value for a code page setting in the Config.fpw file. At run time, however, CPCURRENT() returns a value of zero (0) when the code page setting in the Config.fpw file is set to a value other than 437, 850, or 1252. This behavior also occurs when a run time application is executed on a non-English operating system and the code page is set to auto in the Config.fpw file.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This bug has been corrected in Visual FoxPro 3.x and Visual FoxPro 5.x.

MORE INFORMATION

When Windows starts, the international settings are determined by the values in the [intl] section of the Win.ini file. FoxPro for Windows uses the Microsoft Windows international settings on start up and overrides FoxPro's default settings.

A code page is a character set specific to an operating system or hardware platform. FoxPro uses code page information to translate between code pages so data is properly displayed and ordered. The manner in which data is ordered is determined by the collation sequence invoked with the SET COLLATE TO command. Use of data containing accented characters for any of the supported languages in an index necessitates setting the collation sequence to one of the alternate settings found in the topic SET COLLATE of the FoxPro Help file. Setting the collation sequence to a value other than "MACHINE" requires that "codepage=auto" be included in the Config.fpw file. FoxPro's default collation sequence is "MACHINE" and does not require a code page setting in the Config.fpw file.

For additional information regarding code pages, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q103833
   TITLE     : Using Alternate Character Sets Provided by Code Pages

   ARTICLE-ID: Q129631
   TITLE     : Understanding Code Pages in Visual FoxPro

   ARTICLE-ID: Q136943
   TITLE     : Multiple-Language Implications in Visual FoxPro

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. In a clean directory, create a project named CPTEST.

2. Add a new program file named Cptest.prg.

3. Add the following code to the Cptest.prg file:

         *Begin Code
         testval=CPCURRENT()
         WAIT WINDOW STR(testval)
         RETURN
         *End Code
   

4. Save the program file and build an executable. In FoxPro 2.x for Windows, copy the support library file (.esl) file to the directory containing the Foxpro executable file.

5. Create a Config.fpw file in the same directory with the executable, containing one of the following lines:

         codepage=620
         codepage=737
         codepage=852
         codepage=861
         codepage=865
         codepage=866
         codepage=895
         codepage=857
         codepage=1250
         codepage=1253
         codepage=1254
         codepage=10000
         codepage=10006
         codepage=10007
         codepage=10029
   

6. Exit FoxPro and run the executable using the Windows Run command.

REFERENCES

FoxPro Help file; search on topic: "code pages" FoxPro Help file; search on topic: "SET COLLATE"