Oracle7 Server Utilities

NLS Configuration Utility

Overview

At installation, all available NLS objects are stored and referenced in the system boot file. This file is used to load the available NLS dam.

The NLS Configuration Utility allows you to configure your boot files such that only the NLS objects that you require will be loaded. It does this by creating a user boot file, which contains a subset of the system boot file. Data loading by the kernel will then be performed according to the contents of this user boot file.

The NLS Configuration Utility allows you to configure a user boot file, either by selecting NLS objects from the installed system boot file which will then be included in a new user boot file, or by reading entries from an existing user boot file and possibly removing one or more of them and saving the remaining entries into a new user boot file. Note that you will not be allowed to actually "edit" an existing boot file as it may be in use by either the RDBMS or some other Oracle tool (that is, saving of boot file entries is never done to an existing one).

You may also use the NLS Data Installation Utility to check the integrity of an existing user boot file. This is necessary since the contents of existing NLS objects may change over time, and the installation of a new system boot file may cause user boot files to become out of date. Thus, a comparison function will notify you when it finds that the file is out of date and will allow you to create a new user boot file.

Syntax

The NLS Configuration Utility is invoked from the command line with the following syntax:

LXBCNF [ORANLS=pathname] [userbootdir=pathname] [DESTDIR=pathname] [HELP=[yes |no]]

where:

ORANLS= pathname Specifies where to find the system boot file. If not specified, the value in the environment variable ORA_NLS (or the equivalent on your operating system) will be used. If both are specified, the command name parameter will override the environment variable. If neither is specified, the NLS Configuration Utility will exit with an error message.
SYSDIR=pathname Specifies where to find an existing user boot file. If not specified, the directory specified in the ORANLS parameter will be used.
DESTDIR= pathname Specifies where to put the new user boot file. If not specified, the directory specified in the ORANLS parameter will be used.
HELP=[yes|no] If "yes", a help message describing the syntax is printed.

Menus

When the NLS Configuration Utility is started you are presented with the following top-level menu:

File Menu

Edit Menu

Action Menu

Windows Menu

Help

File Menu

The file menu contains choices pertaining to file operations. Options are:

Menu Item Options Description
System Boot File Open This will open the current system boot file. Note that the Open menu item will be "grayed out" as soon as a system Boot File has been successfully read. Also note that you cannot perform any other functions until you have opened a system boot file.
User Boot File New Open a new user boot file.
Read Read the contents of an existing user boot file.
Save Save changes to the new user boot file.
Revert Undo the changes to the currently open user boot file made since the last "Save."
Choose Printer Not implemented in this release.
Page Setup Not implemented in this release.
Print Not implemented in this release.
Quit Exit from the file.

Table 9 - 1. File Menu Options

Note: As long as the system boot file has not been opened and read, all these menu items will remain "grayed out". That is, you cannot build a user boot file as long as there is no system boot file information available.

As soon as you select New to create a new user boot file, the following NLS objects will be created in the new file by default:

LANGUAGE AMERICAN
TERRITORY AMERICA
CHARACTER SET US7ASCII on an ASCII platform or WE8EBCDIC500 on an EBCDIC platform.

If you choose to read the contents of an existing user boot file, the entries read will be checked against the entries of the system boot file. If an entry is found which does not exist in the system boot file, you will receive a warning, and the entry will not be included.

Edit Menu

The Edit Menu contains choices for editing information that you enter in any of the dialogs and/or windows of the NLS Configuration Utility.

Action Menu

The Action Menu contains choices for performing operations on the user boot file. Note that this menu is available only in the character mode NLS Configuration Utility.

Copy Item Copies the selected item from the system boot file to the user boot file.
Delete Item Deletes the selected item from the user boot file.

Windows Menu

The Windows Menu allows you to either activate certain windows or set the focus to an already open window (the latter is meant for character-mode platforms). Whenever a new window is opened, its name will be added to the Windows Menu automatically.

NLS Defaults Not implemented in this release.

Help Menu

This menu provides functions which allow the user to retrieve various levels of help about the NLS Configuration Utility.

About Shows version information of the NLS Configuration Utility.
Help System Not implemented in this release.

ORANLS= pathname	Specifies where to find the system boot file. If not specified, the value in the environment variable ORA_NLS (or the equivalent on your operating system) will be used. If both are specified, the command name parameter will override the environment variable. If neither is specified, the NLS Configuration Utility will exit with an error message.
SYSDIR=pathname	Specifies where to find an existing user boot file. If not specified, the directory specified in the ORANLS parameter will be used.
DESTDIR= pathname	Specifies where to put the new user boot file. If not specified, the directory specified in the ORANLS parameter will be used.
HELP=[yes\|no]	If "yes", a help message describing the syntax is printed.

Menu Item	Options	Description
System Boot File	Open	This will open the current system boot file. Note that the Open menu item will be "grayed out" as soon as a system Boot File has been successfully read. Also note that you cannot perform any other functions until you have opened a system boot file.
User Boot File	New	Open a new user boot file.
	Read	Read the contents of an existing user boot file.
	Save	Save changes to the new user boot file.
	Revert	Undo the changes to the currently open user boot file made since the last "Save."
Choose Printer		Not implemented in this release.
Page Setup		Not implemented in this release.
Print		Not implemented in this release.
Quit		Exit from the file.

LANGUAGE	AMERICAN
TERRITORY	AMERICA
CHARACTER SET	US7ASCII on an ASCII platform or WE8EBCDIC500 on an EBCDIC platform.

Copy Item	Copies the selected item from the system boot file to the user boot file.
Delete Item	Deletes the selected item from the user boot file.

About	Shows version information of the NLS Configuration Utility.
Help System	Not implemented in this release.