Entering extended characters

For MARC21 records, the full range of UNICODE characters may be input. There are three ways of doing this. Note that when using combining diacritics (such as macron) they must be entered AFTER the letter to which they apply.

Using the Windows shortcut code

1. If you know the windows shortcut code, you can enter this directly. For example, to enter é you would hold down the ALT key and type 0233 using the numeric keypad on the right hand side of your keyboard.
   
   Commonly used characters (Windows shortcut keys)

   ¡	Alt + 0161	Õ	Alt + 0213	æ	Alt + 0230	ñ	Alt + 0241
   ¿	Alt + 0191	Ö	Alt + 0214	ç	Alt + 0231	ò	Alt + 0242
   À	Alt + 0192	Ø	Alt + 0216	è	Alt + 0232	ó	Alt + 0243
   Ã	Alt + 0195	Ü	Alt + 0220	é	Alt + 0233	ô	Alt + 0244
   Ä	Alt + 0196	ß	Alt + 0223	ê	Alt + 0234	õ	Alt + 0245
   Å	Alt + 0197	à	Alt + 0224	ë	Alt + 0235	ö	Alt + 0246
   Æ	Alt + 0198	á	Alt + 0225	ì	Alt + 0236	ø	Alt + 0248
   Ç	Alt + 0199	â	Alt + 0226	í	Alt + 0237	ù	Alt + 0249
   É	Alt + 0201	ã	Alt + 0227	î	Alt + 0238	ú	Alt + 0250
   Ñ	Alt + 0209	ä	Alt + 0228	ï	Alt + 0239	û	Alt + 0251
   		å	Alt + 0229	ð	Alt + 0240	ü	Alt + 0252

    

2. If you know the two character hex code of the extended character, you can enter this directly and click F7 to enter the character. For example, to enter é you can type e9 and then click F7.
   
   Commonly used characters (HEX shortcut keys)
    

   To find the hex entry for a character, enter the vertical hex code, followed by the horizontal hex code. For example, the © symbol would be A9.

   

Using the Windows Character Map application

1. Start the Character Map application by selecting the Windows Start menu and then Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Character Map.
   
   The Character Map dialog is displayed.

2. Click on the character you require.
   
   Additional characters can be selected by changing the Font drop-down menu.

3. Click the Select button.

• The character is pasted into the Characters to copy field.

• You can select any number of characters to copy, from different fonts if required.

4. Click the Copy button to copy the characters to your Windows buffer.

5. Return to Talis Alto and paste the characters into the required field.
    

Using installed alternative languages

1. To use this option, you must have alternative languages installed on your PC. These can be accessed from the Control Panel applet using the Regional and Language Options setting.

2. From the Windows Start menu select Programs | Accessories | Accessibility | On-screen keyboard.
   
   The On-Screen Keyboard is displayed.

3. Change the language setting by selecting the required language form the Windows taskbar.
   
   Depending on your Windows settings, you can change the Windows language setting directly from the Windows taskbar, or from the Regional and Language Options setting (using the Advanced tab).
   
   

4. Click on the On-Screen keyboard keys to enter the required characters.

5. Alternatively, change the Windows language setting whilst working in Talis Alto, and type language specific characters directly into the MARC editor.
   
   This option can used in conjunction with the On-screen keyboard to show the character that will be entered when pressing a key on the keyboard.