SAPGUI for Windows – I18N User’s Guide
Introduction
This guide is intended for the users of SAPGUI who logon to Unicode systems and those who logon to non-Unicode systems whose code-page is not limited to Latin-1.
PART 1 – Basics
This part describes the settings of Windows and SAPGUI for the internationalization.
1.1. Regional settings
System and user locales
System locale User locale
x You can set different languages for the system and the user locales, but they must have the same code-page.
¾ The character set which corresponds to the system locale’s code-page is called system character set.
MUI (Multilingual User Interface)
x The interface language of Windows must be one of those supported by the system character set or English.
Additional language installation
Languages Keyboard layouts
x Please install additional languages and keyboard layouts if necessary.
x Third-party software is not supported. For details, please read section 5.2.
1.2. Language of SAP Logon
x The interface language of SAP Logon must be one of those supported by the system character set or English. x The default language is set according to the user locale.
1.3. SAPGUI code-page
SAP Logon – Advanced Options
x You don’t have to change the default setting, unless the system release is 4.6B or older than that. x You should never set “Unicode OFF”.
1.4. I18N mode
x I18N mode is required for Unicode session.
If I18N mode is OFF, it is automatically activated when Unicode session starts.
x I18N mode is required for non-Unicode session whose character set is different from the system character set.
You need to restart SAP Logon after the new setting of I18N mode.
Example:
System locale Logon language English Japanese
x I18N mode is always ON when the system locale is Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hebrew, Thai or Vietnamese.
1.5. Font character set
x When Unicode session starts, the last font setting in another Unicode or non-Unicode session continues to be used.
x When non-Unicode session starts, the font character set is adjusted to SAPGUI code-page which is assigned to the logon language.
You should not set a wrong character set manually.
x The keyboard layout is adjusted to the font character set, unless English keyboard is also needed for it. x In Unicode session, this setting determines the character set of the graphics.
1.6. Font setting Font selection
x Please select one of Microsoft’s TrueType fonts for the fixed font.
The corresponding proportional font will be automatically selected.
x If Unicode session starts without I18N mode and the system character set is West European, “Arial monospaced for SAP” is the default fixed font.
As this font covers only West European character set, it is necessary to change the font to display other characters.
x The font change does not affect all GUI components on the current screen. It is fully reflected from the next screen. Default fonts x The default font setting of I18N mode is appropriate for Unicode and non-Unicode.
Fixed font: size 11
| Thai
Vietnamese |
Tahoma * |
(* Tahoma is in fact a proportional font.)
Tips
x Fixed font “Andale Mono” included in Internet Explorer (file: FONTSUP.CAB) is also appropriate for Unicode.
You can select it instead of “Courier New”.
x For “Courier New”, font size 10 is too small. Please select at least size 11. Technical background
x Microsoft’s TrueType fonts cover a large area of Unicode.
The characters which are not covered by the current font are displayed through the font linking functionality of Microsoft.
x The other fonts are not appropriate for Unicode as they cover only one character set and the font linking does not work with them.
“Arial monospaced for SAP” belongs to this group.
x “Tahoma” and “MS UI Gothic” are the only proportional fonts that are appropriate for Unicode. As there is practically only one choice, the font dialog for the proportional font does not appear in the standard setting. Advanced options
x Dialog “Options (I18N) …” has 2 customizing options for the font dialog.
For details, please refer to SAPGUI Help.
1.7. F4 Help
Control (amodal)
x On the input dialog window of “Control (amodal)”, you can use only the system character set.
You need to choose “Dialog (modal)” to display or input other characters.
This is the case especially when the logon language is not supported by the system character set.
Dialog (modal)
Configuration of F4 Help
1.8. File dialog
x You can use only the system character set for the path name.
You should use only 7-bit ASCII characters for the file name, if you share the file with other persons who may have a different system character set.
1.9. HTML encoding
x If the encoding of HTML page is not specified by the application, it may be necessary to adjust the encoding with the context menu of Internet Explorer.
In Unicode session, the correct encoding is “Unicode (UTF-8)”.
1.10. Graphics
(There are several kinds of graphics. This is an example of Chart graphics.)
x You can use only the font character set (section 1.5) even in Unicode session and Unicode text is converted to it.
If this component is displayed with a wrong character set, it is necessary to adjust the font character set and restart the transaction.
PART 2 – GUI components
This part describes the GUI components which depend on the regional setting and the restrictions in Unicode session.
2.1. Windows title
x Only the system character set can be used and the title text is converted to it.
x If the title text cannot be converted at all, the title is displayed as follows.
Main session window: The transaction code is displayed instead of the title text. Modal popup window: No text is displayed.
™ The title bar of New Visual Design has no such restriction.
This component is in fact no Windows title.
2.2. Grid control
Display x In Unicode session, the optimal column width may become larger than necessary. x In Unicode session, the tooltip window to show a hidden cell text does not appear. Data Transfer
x In Unicode session, long texts are truncated if they exceed the maximal byte length for the transfer through RFC.
Here is the maximal byte length on each sub-component. One Unicode character needs 1, 2 or 3 bytes in UTF-8.
Sub-component Byte Length
Toolbar button 40
Toolbar tooltip 30
Grid column title 40
Grid cell 128
Editing
(Transaction ME51N)
x Japanese font character set and Japanese IME can be used for editing only when the system locale is Japanese.
The same rule applies for Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean.
x When the system locale is Chinese, Japanese or Korean, only the system character set can be used on the current input field.
™ Some transactions have the option to use Dynpro table instead of Grid control. Dynpro table does not have such restrictions.
(Transaction ME51N with Dynpro table)
2.3. Text Edit control
Import, Export, Drag and Drop x You can use only the system character set for the path name.
x There is no option to select the encoding of the file.
In Unicode session, the file encoding must be Unicode. Find and Replace dialog
x You can use only the system character set for the “find” and “replace” texts.
2.4. Tree control x In Unicode session, the focus rectangle of the tree item may become wider than necessary.
2.5. Calendar control
x In Unicode session, the day names (Sunday, Monday …) and the abbreviations of them are displayed in the language of the user locale instead of the logon language.
2.6. Toolbar of controls
x Tooltip window of the toolbar button becomes large in Unicode session and also in non-Unicode session whose character set is different from the system character set. This implementation is necessary to display the tooltip text in Unicode.
2.7. Graphical PC editor x Only the character set which corresponds to the document language can be used.
x IME and clipboard functionalities depend on the system locale.
™ This component is obsolete, when Microsoft Word is used for SAP Script and Smart forms. This is the case in Unicode session.
2.8. Print preview
x In Unicode session, the combined characters of Thai and Vietnamese are not positioned correctly.
The other combined characters are not supported.
2.9. Option dialogs
Options … Create Shortcut …
x These dialogs are displayed in the logon language only when it is supported by the system character set. Otherwise they are displayed in the interface language of SAP Logon. Options (I18N) … x This dialog is displayed in English, German or Japanese depending on the user locale and MUI. x In Unicode session, it is displayed in English even when the user locale and MUI are Japanese. Option dialogs of Chart graphics
x These dialogs are displayed in the logon language only when it is supported by the system character set. Otherwise they are displayed in the interface language of SAP Logon.
x In Unicode session, they are displayed in English when the system locale is Chinese, Japanese or Korean.
2.10. Development tools
Graphical layout editor
x You can use only the system character set. This is enough to design a screen. Trace window
x The trace data is displayed with the system character set and UTF-8 sequence is not converted.
™ To read the trace file with the correct encoding, please use Internet Explorer.
PART 3 – Other restrictions
This part describes the restrictions which do not belong to a specific GUI component.
3.1. Unicode-only characters
¾ The system character set depends on the system locale.
The characters which are not defined in any system character set are called Unicode-only characters.
x On the GUI components which can use only the system or the font character set, there is no possibility to use Unicode-only characters.
x On Text Edit control and HTML control, you can input Unicode-only characters with paste, but not with key input.
3.2. Remote logon through RFC
x One session window cannot display Unicode and non-Unicode texts at the same time.
Therefore the remote logon between Unicode and non-Unicode systems on the same session window is possible only when a logon screen is explicitly displayed.
3.3. Missing features of SAPGUI 620
In general, SAPGUI 640 is recommended for Unicode session and RTL layout.
x Unicode session is supported from SAPGUI 640, when the system locale is Chinese, Japanese or Korean. (Non-Unicode session is supported only with the system character set.) x In Unicode session, F4 Help control is supported from SAPGUI 640.
x The general adjustment of the bitmaps for RTL layout is implemented from SAPGUI 640.
In SAPGUI 620, only some bitmaps with arrows are adjusted.
PART 4 – RTL layout
This part concerns the bi-directional languages such as Hebrew and Arabic.
4.1. Software requirements
x For Windows 2000, at least SP3 is necessary to handle ‘+’ and ‘-‘ between numbers correctly.
x For Internet Explorer, at least 6.0 SP1 is necessary.
With IE 5.5, the value selection of HTML dropdown list through key input does not work.
x Microsoft hotfix for Rich edit control (MSDN KB871006) is required.
4.2. Layout change x The layout is set to RTL only when the logon language key is HE, AR, FA or UR. x In Unicode session, the font character set must be Hebrew or Arabic before the logon.
x You can switch between RTL and LTR layouts using the system menu or the local menu (section 1.5), but it does not affect all GUI components on the current screen.
4.3. Settings of SAPGUI
x F4 Help control does not support RTL layout.
You need to choose “Dialog (modal)” (section 1.7).
x Graphical PC editor does not support RTL layout.
You need to choose Dynpro line editor, unless Microsoft Word is used for SAP Script and Smart forms.
4.4. Restrictions
x You cannot use RTL and LTR layouts simultaneously.
Bi-directional editing in RTL layout will not work if you open another session window in LTR layout.
x You can edit Hebrew and Arabic texts correctly only in RTL layout.
x Text marking on a scrolling input field may not work.
In such a case, the marking of the entire input field with “CTRL key + Left click” is useful.
PART 5 – Miscellaneous
This part provides some additional information.
5.1. Regional options of Windows 2000
x Windows 2000 has a different user interface.
System locale User locale
5.2. Third-party software
x It makes no sense to install third-party software to add some languages to Windows.
Besides it may cause the malfunction of some Windows API’s.
For example, “Chinese Star” is definitely unusable.
5.3. Advanced settings
x Dialog “Options (I18N) …” is fully described in SAPGUI Help.
In general, you don’t have to change the default setting.
Content
1.6. Font setting Font selection. 7
PART 3 – Other restrictions. 22
3.1. Unicode-only characters. 22
3.2. Remote logon through RFC. 22
3.3. Missing features of SAPGUI 620. 22
4.1. Software requirements. 22
5.1. Regional options of Windows 2000. 24
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