DBCS user name is displayed as question marks

  • Document ID:7009436
  • Creation Date:26-Sep-2011
  • Modified Date:30-Jan-2013
    • Micro Focus Products:
      Client for Open Enterprise Server (Novell Client)

Environment

Novell Clients for Windows XP/2003
Novell Client for Windows Vista
Novell Client 2 for Windows Vista/2008
Novell Client 2 SP1 for Windows Vista
Novell Client 2 SP1 for Windows Server 2008
Novell Client 2 SP1 for Windows 7
Novell Client 2 SP1 for Windows Server 2008 R2

Situation

When using an English version of Windows, a username containing Double Byte Character Set (DBCS) characters will appear as one or more question marks (?) in the Novell Client, such as when viewing Trustee Rights or Inherited Rights and Filters.

The behavior is not seen when using a non-English version of Windows.

Resolution

Fixed in Novell Client 2 SP3 for Windows, or later.

Additional Information

Because portions of the Novell Client for Windows (on both Vista/7/2008 and also XP/2003) are still ANSI-mode based, rather than being Unicode based,  which characters can and cannot be displayed correctly in some Novell Client dialogs is dependent on what the Windows ANSI code page is set to. (This is the "Language for non-Unicode Programs", as set in the Regional Settings control panel applet of Windows.)

For example, in the case of an English installation of Windows being used to display Chinese DBCS characters, the ANSI code page would be 1252 and therefore incapable of representing the Chinese characters correctly.  A Chinese installation of Windows, on the other hand, would have ANSI code page 936 set by default, which can represent these characters correctly.