Configuring BiDi support
Starting with version 5.1, BlueZone has added bidirectional language support (BiDi) to the IBM 3270 and IBM iSeries emulators. Currently, the only BiDi language that is supported is Arabic.
Windows configuration requirements
To configure BlueZone to support Arabic, several Windows settings have to be set.
Note
If you have been using this machine with other programs that support BiDi for Arabic, you may not have to make any changes to your Windows settings.
1. Access the Windows Control Panel and launch the Regional and Language Options settings dialog.
2. On the Languages tab, check to see if the option to Install files for complex script and right-to-left languages is checked.
If this item is not checked, checking it causes Windows to install some files and perform a restart of your computer. If this is the case, let Windows install the files and restart your computer now. When the restart is complete, access the Windows Control Panel and launch the Regional and Language Options settings again. Click the Languages tab and proceed to step 3.
If the item is already checked, proceed to step 3.
3. Click Details. In the Installed Services window, there must be an installed service for Arabic. If not, click Add and add one of the input language selections for Arabic. There must also be one for English.
4. Click the Advanced tab. Check the Extend support of advanced text services to all programs check box if it's not already checked. If you make any changes, you receive a message to restart Windows. Restart Windows so that these changes take effect.
BlueZone configuration requirements
1. Launch a BlueZone IBM Mainframe 3270 Display or iSeries 5250 Display session.
2. From the BlueZone menu bar, click Session → Configure.
3. Click the 3270 Emulation (or 5250 Emulation) tab.
4. In the Language (CCSID) listbox, set the language to Arabic (420) and click OK.
5. From the BlueZone menu bar, click Options → Display. The Font tab automatically displays.
6. Click Font.
7. Set the font to either BlueZone Arabic Terminal or Farabi Multi.
8. Click OK to close the Font Selection dialog.
9. Click OK to close the Display Options dialog.
10. Ensure that the BlueZone character set is set to Unicode, on the Font tab in the Print Setup dialog. Print Setup can be accessed by selecting File → Print Setup from the BlueZone menu bar.
Switching between languages
There are several ways to switch between English input and Arabic input. One way is to use the Windows Language Bar. Another is to use the Windows Language Bar shortcut, left ALT+SHIFT. Assuming that you only have English and Arabic configured, ALT+SHIFT will toggle back and forth between these two languages.
However, using Windows to simply switch to Arabic while in a BlueZone session will not change the direction of the Arabic input. We recommend using the following Key commands for controlling the input of Arabic characters.
New BlueZone 3270/5250 key commands for BiDi Arabic
Several of the BlueZone 3270/5250 Key Commands for BiDi Arabic use keys located on the Number Pad area of the keyboard. For example, the Reverse/Push key command is invoked by holding down the Control Key followed by pressing the Forward Slash key located on the Number Pad. In the following documentation, this command is expressed as CTRL+(Num Pad /).
Key commands
Reverse/Push - CTRL+(Num Pad /)
Reverse/Push changes between left-to-right data entry and right-to-left. It also causes the Windows language bar to switch between English and Arabic (if the language settings described above are setup properly).
Close - CTRL+(Num Pad *) or ALT+F1
Close closes a field after entering English data on the left and Arabic data on the right. The nulls in the center of the field are removed and the field is shifted to the left or right, based on the reverse mode.
Screen Direction - ALT+F4
Screen Direction (supported in BlueZone Mainframe 3270 only), reverses or flips the orientation of the entire screen left-to-right and vice-versa. When the screen orientation is reversed, the language is automatically changed to the default language of the new screen orientation. For example, if the screen is reversed to right-to-left, the language is changed to Arabic. If the screen is reversed to left-to-right, the language is changed to English.
This feature is used when the Mainframe application only supports data entry in the left to right mode. By being able to reverse (flip) the screen, Arabic characters will be shown in their normal right to left orientation, making easier to read, even though the actual data is being stored in the required left to right manner.
Toggle RDE/RTE - ALT+(Num Pad *) or ALT+F11
Toggle RDE/RTE switches between Reverse Data Entry and Reverse Text Entry modes.
Reverse / Push - CTRL+(Num Pad /)
When in Reverse Data Entry mode (RDE), invoking this key is the Reverse function. In Reverse Text Entry (RTE) mode, this key is the Push function.
Auto Reverse - ALT+Backspace or ALT+(Num Pad /)
Auto Reverse toggles the auto reverse or auto push mode, depending on the RDE/RTE setting. These modes cause reverse or push mode to become active automatically upon entering a field, based on whether the field contains English or Arabic data.
BlueZone status bar changes
When using BlueZone with a supported BiDi language, the BlueZone status bar changes slightly.
The following is the new BlueZone status bar for BiDi Arabic support:
Image
The field that was formerly used for the APL/DBCS Mode Indicator, now contains two green arrows as shown above in section A.
Left Arrow
The left arrow indicates the current typing direction (Reverse/Push key), left-to-right or right-to-left. An outlined arrow stem Image or Image indicates RDE mode, a solid arrow stem Image or Image indicates RTE mode.
Right Arrow
The right arrow indicates the current screen direction (Screen Direction key). The arrow will point to the right when entry is from left to right Image. The Arrow will point to the left when entry is from right to left Image.
Caps Lock Indicator
The field that was formerly used for the Caps Lock Indicator, now contains a green square cut into four quadrants as shown above in section B. One of the quadrants is always filled, the others are empty.
The filled quadrant indicates whether the current input setting is left-to-right (left side filled) or right-to-left (right side filled), and the current Caps Lock setting (bottom part or top part filled).
Caps Lock Off Image Data Entry from Left to Right
Caps Lock On Image Data Entry from Left to Right
Caps Lock Off Image Data Entry from Right to Left
Caps Lock On Image Data Entry from Right to Left
Related Links
IBM iSeries (Parent Topic)