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Q103833: Using Alternate Character Sets Provided by Code Pages

Article: Q103833
Product(s): Microsoft FoxPro
Version(s): 2.50 2.50a 2.50b | 2.50 2.50a 2
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbsetup
Last Modified: 13-AUG-1999

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, version 3.0 
- Microsoft FoxPro for MS-DOS, versions 2.5, 2.5a, 2.5b 
- Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, versions 2.5, 2.5a, 2.5b 
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SUMMARY
=======

You can use different character sets in FoxPro and other programs by changing
the code page, as described below. The default code page for U.S. English is
437.

MORE INFORMATION
================

Pressing the ALT key in conjunction with the numbers on the numeric keypad will
create extended, or special, characters. Extended characters are those
characters above ASCII 127. Different code pages support different extended
characters. For example, when you are using code page 437, pressing ALT+157
produces a Y with two short horizontal lines through it. With code page 850,
these keys produce a zero with a line through it.

To use different code pages, add the following commands to the CONFIG.SYS and
AUTOEXEC.BAT files:

- In the CONFIG.SYS file, add:

        country=001,,c:\dos\country.sys
        device=c:\dos\display.sys con=(ega,437,2)

- In the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, add:

        chcp 850
        REM change to the 859 character set
        keyb us,,c:\dos\keyboard.sys
        REM need only for keyboard change

Please note that the "EGA" in the above commands is used for both EGA and VGA
monitors.

You can also change the code page at the MS-DOS prompt by issuing the following
command:

     chcp 437

The code page change issued after a RUN command does not affect the current
session of FoxPro because the RUN command starts another MS-DOS session.

In Windows, the default code page is 1252; you can change it to 850 or some other
code page by quitting Windows and running the Windows Setup program.

REFERENCES
==========

Microsoft MS-DOS "User's Guide," version 6.0, pages 238-242, 271-276
Microsoft MS-DOS "User's Guide," version 5.0, pages 352-353, 632-637

Additional query words: VFoxWin FoxDos FoxWin foreign ascii codepage

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Keywords          : kbsetup 
Technology        : kbVFPsearch kbAudDeveloper kbFoxproSearch kbZNotKeyword3 kbFoxPro250DOS kbFoxPro250aDOS kbFoxPro250bDOS kbFoxPro250 kbFoxPro250a kbFoxPro250b kbVFP300
Version           : 2.50 2.50a 2.50b | 2.50 2.50a 2

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