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Appendix B - International Resources / About the International Resources

What the International Resources Are

Each script system consists of a set of international resources and a set of keyboard resources. These resources, possibly in conjunction with the WorldScript I or WorldScript II extension--and with the use of the proper font--completely specify a script's behavior. Because script-specific behavior is segregated into resources that are customizable and replaceable, your software can potentially use the same routines to handle text in any language, even one that is not curently supported.

The international resources that define individual script systems can include all but two in the following table. Two of the international resources, the international configuration resource and the script-sorting resource, are unique to each Macintosh System file; they do not belong to any script system.

Table B-1 lists the international resources and their resource types, and gives a capsule description of their contents. More complete descriptions follow.

The international resources

Name	Resource type	Partial contents
International configuration	'itlc'	Configuration of the system
Script sorting	'itlm'	Sorting order among scripts
International bundle	'itlb'	IDs of all resources for a script system
Numeric format	'itl0'	Number, time, and short-date formats
Long-date format	'itl1'	Long date formats
String manipulation	'itl2'	Sorting order, word breaks
Tokens	'itl4'	Tables of tokens, number parts
Encoding/rendering	'itl5'	Character encoding or rendering
Transliteration	'trsl'	Tables for phonetic conversion

• International configuration resource. Sets up the basic configuration for the system, including the system script. Specifies the system script code and the region code that identifies the regional version of the system script; initializes the states of the system direction, the font force flag, the international resources selection flag, the international keyboard flag (used for the Macintosh Plus), and the Script Manager general flags. There is only one 'itlc' resource for each localized version of system software.
• Script-sorting resource. Specifies the preferred sorting order for script codes, language codes, and region codes. Also specifies the default language for each script, the parent script for each language, and the parent language for each region. There is only one 'itlm' resource for each localized version of system software.
• International bundle resource. Sets up the basic configuration for an individual script system. The international bundle resource specifies the resource IDs for the script's resources. It also initializes many script variables, such as the script flags, the default language code, and the numeral and calendar representation codes for the script. The international bundle resource also specifies font information, script initialization data, valid styles for the script, and the style to use for designating aliases. Each script system has one 'itlb' resource.
• Numeric-format resource. Contains short date and time formats, and formats for currency and numbers and the preferred unit of measurement. It also contains the region code for this particular resource. A script system can have one or more 'itl0' resources.
• Long-date-format resource. Specifies the long date format for a particular region, including the names of days and months. Each long-date-format resource contains the region code for this particular resource. A long-date-format resource can have an optional extension for additional month and day names as well as abbreviated month and day names. A script system can have one or more 'itl1' resources.
• String-manipulation resource. Contains routines that control text-sorting behavior, and tables for character type, case conversion, and word breaks. A script system can have one or more 'itl2' resources.
• Tokens resource. Contains tables and code for converting text to tokens. It also has tables for formatting numbers, for converting tokens to text, and for determining whitespace characters. A script system can have one or more 'itl4' resources.
• Encoding/rendering resource. Contains either information related to character encoding, or information controlling text-rendering behavior, in a script-specific format. This is an optional resource; a script system can have zero or more'itl5' resources.
• Transliteration resource. Specifies how to convert characters from one subscript to another within a script system. This is an optional resource; a script system can have zero or more 'trsl' resources.

International resources and localized system software

When Macintosh system software is localized for a non-U.S. market, it contains replacements for or modifications to some of the U.S. versions of the international resources. See the discussion of U.S. international resources and keyboard resources in the appendix "Built-in Script Support" for a list of resources that may be replaced during localization.