Microsoft KB Archive/23110

Information Concerning ASCII Character Set

PSS ID Number: Q23110 Article last modified on 11-02-1994

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MS-DOS

Question:

What is the ASCII character set?

Response:

The ASCII character set uses numeric codes from 0 to 255 to represent mostly, but not only, standard American English characters. Most commonly the numeric codes are expressed in decimal, hexadecimal, and sometimes octal. For example, the ASCII numeric code decimal 78 (hex 4E, octal 116) represents a capital “N”.

ASCII numeric codes from decimal 33 to 126 inclusive represent standard American English characters. This range of characters is standard from company to company, printer to printer. In the ASCII standard, decimal 78 will always represent capital “N” whether on an HP Laserjet, an IBM Graphics printer, or an Apple LaserWriter.

ASCII numeric codes from decimal 127 to 255 represent the “extended character set.” Usually the extended character set consists of foreign characters and other special symbols not available in the character set from 33 to 126. There is no standard for the extended character set. For example, IBM printers will print an ASCII decimal 163 as a small “u” with an accent mark, but Apple printers may print 163 as an British pound sign.

ASCII numeric codes from decimal 0 to 32 represent “control codes” that were designed to be able to control printer functioning. Like the codes from 32 to 126, the control codes are also standard. Since these codes were designed to control the printer, nothing will print out when they are sent to the printer. For example, ASCII decimal 12 represents FF (“Form Feed”). When decimal 12 is sent to the printer, the printer will issue a form feed.

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