Microsoft KB Archive/156158

= PUB97: Publisher Can't Import Extended Characters in Text File =

Article ID: 156158

Article Last Modified on 8/17/2005

-

APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Publisher 97 Standard Edition

-



This article was previously published under Q156158



IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.



SYMPTOMS
If you use a text file created in a Windows program (like Notepad) as the data source for a mail merge in Publisher, Publisher does not correctly import extended characters such as international and accented characters.



CAUSE
In a text file, each character is actually saved as a number. Windows- based programs usually use a set of numeric values called the ANSI character set. MS-DOS based programs usually use a set of numeric values called the ASCII character set. The ASCII character set does not include accented or other extended characters, so most MS-DOS programs use the OEM character set to describe accented characters.

By default, Publisher assumes that text files are created by MS-DOS- based programs and translates the numeric values of the characters according to the ASCII/OEM character sets.



RESOLUTION
WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

You can change the default behavior for Publisher's Mail Merge by changing the following key in your Windows Registry:   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Jet\3.0\Engines\Text\ In this key, you must change the CharacterSet value from OEM to ANSI.

To make this change, do the following:  Run the Registration Editor (Regedit.exe) On the Edit menu, click Find. In the Find What text box, type:

CharacterSet

  Make sure there is an X in the Values checkbox. Click Find Next. The Registry Editor should find a value called CharacterSet in the following key:      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Jet\3.0\Engines\Text\  On the Edit menu, click Modify.</li> Type the following in the Value data text box, then click OK:

ANSI

</li> On the Registry menu, click Exit.</li></ol>

Now Publisher assumes that all text files you use as data sources come from Windows-based programs. Extended characters in text files created by MS-DOS based programs, however, are imported incorrectly.

Additional query words: 97 4.00 weird strange funny-looking wingdings symbols mailmerge

Keywords: kbinterop kbmerge kbprb KB156158

-

[mailto:TECHNET@MICROSOFT.COM Send feedback to Microsoft]

© Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.