Multinational characters support?

[zhigang]

I am very interested in EA, but I want to know whether it is multinational characters supported or not. I am in an offshore-outsourcing company and I want to write both Chinese and Japanese characters in one model. I have searched the web and downloaded a trial EA Unicode Edition. I found it does well with Chinese characters in Chinese OS but for Japanese characters. Also, I found it can contains Japanese characters in Japanese OS, but it can't do for Chinese.

Some of java based UML tool can do this, I use JUDE now. But, I want more than JUDE providing. I just thinking how to persuade my boss to buy some new UML tools.

[Takeshi K]

Hello Zhigang,

I guess that it may be problem of Windows font.
Please try if you can show both characters.

In Chinese OS, now you can see Chinese characters.
For elements which contain Japanese characters,

1. install Japanese font to your machine
(ex MS P Gothic or MS P Mincho)
2. change font of the elements to the Japanese font

I guess that if you can see Japanese characters in diagrams,
possibly you can not see in dialogs of EA. If you can not,
you need some setting to your Windows about "font-link".


Hope this helps.

--
t-kouno

[Thomas Mercer-Hursh]

I would guess that, if you are going to get your PC to display both character sets at the same time, you will need to have the PC set for a Unicode font.  Is that what you are doing?

[zhigang]

Oh, it is not the problem of fonts. Some programs show both kinds of characters correctly. I have noticed that the model file (EAP) is the data file of MSAccess, and, I found that the characters stored in t_object table incorrect.

I have tried to use Microsoft Applocale to switch the locale.
OS: XP Home Edition 2002, Japanese locale
Microsoft Applocale: Chinese locale
Result: Both Chinese characters and Japanese characters are correct.

It is important to use Microsoft Applocale and set Chinese locale to open EA. But it is not a good way, we used to open a file by double click the file instead of launch the Microsoft Applocale firstly.

[Takeshi K]

I think that it is good idea to convert your current EAP
file into Access2000/2003(JET4.0) format.

To convert EAP(mdb) file format, use Access2000 or later.
Default format of EAP is Access97 (non-Unicode). Access2000/2003 format is Unicode.

You need to switch Option of EA to use JET4.0 DLL.

Hope this helps.

--
t-kouno

[«Midnight»]

There is also a Jet 4.0 version of the EABase file available from the Sparx download site. This version is in Access 2000 format so does not need to be converted both ways.

You'll need to rename the file (you'll see what I mean when you download it) and copy it over the default EABase project.

David

[PS: I think you might have to explicitly set the Jet 4.0 option as suggested earlier. Since I always make sure this option is turned on I have not verified that this step is necessary with the new EABase file.]

[aehrlich]

There are open issues in situation like described (PC set to work with one charset and another one to be used in EA): a support issue 07071029 had been opened on July 25 (or a couple of days earlier), 2007 (it was about Western/Cyrillic, not Chinese/Japanese combination, but the basics were the same). No solution from Sparx so far.
But I have to admit that these are relatively minor issues there.

[zhigang]

Thank you all, tkouno, Thomas Mercer-Hursh, Midnight, and aehrlich for your help. I have found the solution for Chinese/Japanese combination:
1. Convert the EABase.eap file to Access2000 format.
2. Set the EA fonts of Objects and Sequence Heading to "MS UI Gothic".