[syslinux] Allowed code pages and encodings to write f0.txt through f1.txt?

[Didier Spaier]

On 27/03/2013 11:44, Ady wrote:
>
>> On Mar 27, 2013 4:00 AM, "Ady" <ady-sf at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> (1) Which character encodings can be used in message.txt and f1.txt
>> through f1O.txt?
>>>
>>> The default in the BIOS, mainly Code Page 437
>>>   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_page_437
>>
>> 865 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_page_865 (core/Makefile) for FAT*
>> long file names.  Otherwise, the user's PC's BIOS.
>>
>
> In my experience, in Syslinux I haven't been able to _display_ the
> three characters that distinguish cp865 from cp437. I have tried
> different combinations of opening and/or viewing and or saving the
> text file with either cp865 or cp437 (or even with 1252), without
> success regarding the 3 diff. characters once in Syslinux. This is
> only my experience, and maybe others were successful with cp865.
>
> Implementing support for UTF in:
>
> _ DISPLAY files
> _ DISPLAY directive
> _ F1-F12 directive(s)
> _ cfg files
> _ SAY directive
> _ MENU HELP directive
> _ TEXT HELP - ENDTEXT directive(s)
> _ cat.c32 and other c32 modules
> _ using (absolute or relative) paths
>
> should help for internationalization and would make the difference
> irrelevant.
>
> Maybe parts of those implementations are simpler than others.
Well, at least I can confirm that using the FONT directive in
isolinux.cfg the set font is actually used. That's good to
start with, and is needed because if I understand well there
is no guarantee that all machines have the same hardware code
page, according to following web page:
http://www.drdos.net/documentation/usergeng/17ugch17.htm

So for the time being I could cook a "custom" PSF font
including exactly the glyphs I need for a specific usage,
using Anton Zinoviev's 'bdf2psf' script included in
Debians's console-setup package.

One step further could be to allow UTF-8 encodings in files
displayed hitting the F0 through F10 keys.

IOW that would mean allowing to use the UTF-8 conversion
table which can be included in PSF fonts?

I'm not that much worried for the keymap as in the very first
steps of installation I can ask the user to choose his or
her locale using a two digits code.