Create Your Own Symbol Sets for the Office 2003 International Character Toolbar Add-In

  • Artículo

 

Jeff Eldridge
Microsoft Corporation

June 2005

Applies to:
    Microsoft Office 2003 Editions

Summary: Define sets of characters to appear on Office toolbars for quick insertion into documents with the International Character Toolbar Add-in for Microsoft Office 2003 Editions. Access logically grouped symbols, such as accented characters in European alphabets. (4 pages)

Download ict_usEN.exe.

Download the ict_usEN.exe sample file. (658 KB)

Contents

Introduction to the International Character Toolbar
XML File Content Overview
Putting It All Together
Deploying the Toolbar
Conclusion

Introduction to the International Character Toolbar

The International Character Toolbar Add-in for Microsoft Office 2003 Editions enables you to define your own sets of symbols, using an XML file. This article discusses how to create your own sets of characters and symbols so that you can access them on toolbars in supported Microsoft Office 2003 applications. To help you create your own sets of symbols, there is an XML schema you can use to validate your XML. You can find the schema in the folder where you install International Character Toolbar.

The following is an example of a simple XML file for the International Character Toolbar Add-in:

<ACT> 
   <ID>C53AE167-B416-4e25-9831-5307D2136233</ID> 
   <NAMES> 
      <NAME locale="1033">Sample Characters</NAME> 
   </NAMES> 
   <SYMBOLS> 
      <SYMBOL value="171" /> 
      <SYMBOL value="187" /> 
      <SYMBOL value="224" shifted="192" /> 
      <SYMBOL value="226" shifted="194" /> 
      <SYMBOL value="230" shifted="198" /> 
   </SYMBOLS> 
</ACT>

XML File Content Overview

You can break the XML file down into simple sections. All XML files for International Character Toolbar must first have a root element called ACT.

<ACT> 
</ACT>

The second element is a mandatory ID element. This value of this element must be a globally unique identifier (GUID). You can generate the GUID using the Create GUID tool (guidgen.exe) in Microsoft Visual Studio. The GUID should not have curly braces around it. The following is an example of a GUID:

<ID>68F4E3A7-A61B-4c5b-A74E-757F2C929AC0</ID>

Next is the mandatory NAMES element. This is a collection of NAME elements used to display the name of the set in the Select Sets dialog box. Each NAME element must have a locale attribute, so that you can display localized names in the Select Sets dialog box. There must be at least one NAME element in the NAMES collection.

The NAME element displays as the name of the set in the Select Sets dialog box, and as the name of the toolbar that displays the defined set of symbols. To choose which NAME element to display, the International Character Toolbar compares the locale setting of the International Character Toolbar deployment to those listed in the NAMES collection and displays the one that is a match. If there is no match, then the locale of the Microsoft Office installation is compared to the available locales in the NAMES collection. (If the International Character Toolbar does not find a match for either, it defaults to locale 1033 and looks for a U.S. English–defined element in the NAMES collection.)

<NAMES> 
   <NAME locale="1033">Sample Characters</NAME> 
   <NAME locale="1036">Caractères d'Exemple</NAME> 
</NAMES>

The symbols and characters are defined last in the XML file, by SYMBOL elements inside a SYMBOLS collection. There must be at least one SYMBOL element in the SYMBOLS collection.

Each SYMBOL element has an attribute named value. This is the decimal Unicode value of the symbol that is inserted into an Office document. This symbol with this value also displays on the toolbar button.

Optionally, a SYMBOL element can have an attribute named shifted. This is the decimal Unicode value of the symbol that is inserted into an Office document if the Shift key is pressed (or CAPS LOCK is on) when you click the toolbar button.

<SYMBOLS> 
   <SYMBOL value="187" /> 
   <SYMBOL value="224" shifted="192" /> 
</SYMBOLS>

Putting It All Together

Let us put all that information together to create a set of symbols that represent a selection of international currency symbols. The parts highlighted in bold are the parts being added. First we create the root element:

<ACT> 
</ACT>

Next we need to generate a new GUID and put it in the ID element:

<ACT> 
   <ID>2C367A48-4974-4ffb-A879-F4C5CA34DEAD</ID> 
</ACT>

Using U.S. English (locale 1033) and French (locale 1036), we now define the name of the set.

<ACT> 
   <ID>2C367A48-4974-4ffb-A879-F4C5CA34DEAD</ID> 
<NAMES> 
<NAME locale="1033">International Currency Symbols</NAME> 
<NAME locale="1036">Les Symboles Internationaux de Monnaie</NAME> 
</NAMES> 
</ACT>

For the symbols in this set, we use the French franc sign (₣) and the euro sign (€).

<ACT> 
   <ID>2C367A48-4974-4ffb-A879-F4C5CA34DEAD</ID> 
   <NAMES> 
      <NAME locale="1033">International Currency Symbols</NAME> 
      <NAME locale="1036">Les Symboles Internationaux de Monnaie</NAME> 
   </NAMES> 
<SYMBOLS> 
<SYMBOL value="8335" /> 
<SYMBOL value="8364" /> 
</SYMBOLS> 
</ACT>

Deploying the Toolbar

Save your XML file with an extension of .xml and copy it into the Sets folder where International Character Toolbar is installed. (For example, if you installed International Character Toolbar into C:\Program Files\ICT, then copy your file to C:\Program Files\ICT\sets.) Start the Microsoft Office 2003 application of your choice that supports International Character Toolbar. From the Characters and Symbols menu, click Select Sets.... The Customize dialog box then displays and your set of symbols is listed.

Conclusion

With the ability to define your own sets of characters, you no longer need to spend time searching through the Insert dialog box to find symbols. After implementing International Character Toolbar, it is faster and easier for you to use correct international symbols in your Office 2003 documents.

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