Programming Unicode applications


In order to build Unicode applications with Easy Code, you must properly set the assembler that is going to be used. Please carefully read the following instructions:.

AsmC
Create or open the project you want to build as Unicode, click the Settings=>Tools menu, then Configurations tab. In the Text encoding combo box, select UTF-8 and click OK.

Now click the Project=>Properties menu, in the left part of the window click Options, then check the This project will run in Unicode mode option and click OK.

REMARKS: Text strings in the .Data section must be defined with the DW directive. On the other hand, since the OPTION WSTRING:ON and OPTION CODEPAGE:65001 options must be activated, Easy Code already takes care to activate them internally.

Fasm
Create or open the project you want to build as Unicode, click the Settings=>Tools menu, then click the Configurations tab. In the Text encoding combo box, select UTF-8 and click OK.

Now click the Project=>Properties menu, in the left part of the window click Options, then check the This project will run in Unicode mode option and click OK.

REMARKS: Text strings in the .data section must be defined with the du directive. On the other hand, the UTF8.INC file is needed and it will be internally included by Easy Code.

GoAsm
Create or open the project you want to build as Unicode, click the Settings=>Tools menu, then click the Configurations tab. In the Text encoding combo box, select Unicode (BOM) and click OK.

Now click the Project=>Properties menu, in the left part of the window click Options, then check the This project will run in Unicode mode option and click OK.

JWasm
Create or open the project you want to build as Unicode, click the Settings=>Tools menu, then click the Configurations tab. In the Text encoding combo box, select UTF-8 and click OK.

Now click the Project=>Properties menu, in the left part of the window click Options, then check the This project will run in Unicode mode option and click OK.

REMARKS: Text strings must be defined in the String Table since text strings in the .Data section will not work because they are NOT interpreted as Unicode text.

Masm
Create or open the project you want to build as Unicode, click the Settings=>Tools menu, then click the Configurations tab. In the Text encoding combo box, select UTF-8 and click OK.

Now click the Project=>Properties menu, in the left part of the window click Options, then check the This project will run in Unicode mode option and click OK.

REMARKS: Text strings must be defined in the String Table since text strings in the .Data section will not work because they are NOT interpreted as Unicode text.

PoAsm
Create or open the project you want to build as Unicode, click the Settings=>Tools menu, then click the Configurations tab. In the Text encoding combo box, select UTF-8 and click OK.

Now click the Project=>Properties menu, in the left part of the window click Options, then check the This project will run in Unicode mode option and click OK.

REMARKS: Text strings must be defined in the String Table and the Microsoft rc.exe resource compiler must be used (porc.exe will not work since it cannot compile Unicode format files). On the other hand, text strings in the .Data section will not work because they are NOT interpreted as Unicode text.

SolAsm (under developmentt)
Create or open the project you want to build as Unicode, click the Settings=>Tools menu, then click the Configurations tab. In the Text encoding combo box, select UTF-8 and click OK.

Now click the Project=>Properties menu, in the left part of the window click Options, then check the This project will run in Unicode mode option and click OK.

REMARKS: Text strings in the .data section must be defined with the du directive (at the time of this writing, du DOES NOT WORK for Chinese characters).

UAsm
Create or open the project you want to build as Unicode, click the Settings=>Tools menu, then Configurations tab. In the Text encoding combo box, select UTF-8 and click OK.

Now click the Project=>Properties menu, in the left part of the window click Options, then check the This project will run in Unicode mode option and click OK.

REMARKS: Text strings in the .Data section must be defined with the DW directive. On the other hand, since the OPTION LITERALS:ON option must be actived, Easy Code already takes care to activate it internally.

If you want to download some Unicode text examples for different assemblers please click here.


REMARKS: In all my tests, AsmC, Fasm, GoAsm and UAsm have been the best assemblers to work with Unicode text, using the Microsoft resource compiler rc.exe, or the GoAsm tools GoRC.exe.