Iscii Plug-in


  • 1. About Iscii Plug-in
  • 2 WHERE is it available?
  • 3 HOW to install?
  • 4 Trouble Shooting?
  • 5 Whom to contact?
  • 6 Some ISCII sites?
    1: About ISCII Plug-in? [Index]
    1.1: What is ISCII Plug-in? [Index]
    A: The goal of ISCII plug-in is 
    
    	to give freedom 
    	to use any script 
    	any font 
    	any platform 
    	any browser
    
    	and enable web search in Indian languages
    
    	without sacrificing efficiency
    
    	or incurring additional cost.
    
    The present version demonstrates that we are not far from the goal,
    provided we get the co-operation of the Indian community.
    

    1.2 Why the Plug-in supports ISCII and not Unicode?  [Index]
    
    A: Technically there is no problem in supporting Unicode standard in the Plug-in, because Unicode is simply based on the older version of ISCII, viz. ISCII-83. However at this stage we have not provided the support because of the following reasons. o Under the present proposal, Unicode together with UTF-8 will have transmission cost for Indian languages thrice that of Roman scripts. o ISCII has an additional advantage of having common code for all the Brahmi based Indian langauges.

    1.3 How does an ISCII Plug-in work? [Index]

    A: When the client end browser sends a request to the server for an iscii file (extension .isc), server sends the data along with mime type(text/iscii). The client end browser then invokes the iscii plugin to handle this input stream. Iscii plugin converts the incoming iscii stream into font glyph sequences, for the user defined fonts at the client end. In case of forms, iscii plugin also adds a hidden field with user defined font name, so that when the form is submitted, server gets the name of the font in which the field values have been encoded.

    2. WHERE is it available? [Index]
    2.1 From where can I get the ISCII Plug-in? [Index]
    
    A: ISCII Plug-in is available for free download 
    under GPL licence
    
    

    2.2 Which platforms support ISCII Plug-in? [Index]
    A: Currently the Iscii Plug-in has been tested on
         Operating Systems:   Windows-95,Windows-98 and Linux
         Browsers         :   Internet Explorer4.0 and above
                              Netscape4.0 and above.
    
    

    2.3 For which language/scripts is the plugin available? [Index]
    A: Currently Plug-in is available for the following fonts/scripts/languages.
    
                    *AS-TTDurga      Assamees
                    *BN-TTDurga      Bengali
                    *DV-TTYogesh     Devanagari
    	        *DVB-TTYogeshEn  Devanagari
                    LagscapeDevPooja Devanagari
                    Shusha           Devanagari
                    Sanskrit-98      Devanagari
                    Xdvng            Devanagari
                    *GJ-TTAvantika   Gujarati
                    *KN-TTUma        Kannada
                    *ML-TTKarthika   Malayalam
                    *OR-TTSarala     Oriya
                    *PN-TTAmar       Punjabi
    				 ITRANS
    	        *DV1-Surekh	 Roman Diacritical
                    *TL-TTHemalatha  Telugu
                    *TLB-TTHemalatha Telugu
                    *TM-TTValluvar   Tamil
    
    	* : These are C-DAC fonts  
       (We thank C-DAC for giving permission for free distribution of these 
        fonts with this package. 
        Please see http://www.cdac.org.in/html/gist/gistform.htm)
    
    

    3 HOW to install?[Index]
    Settings are required at both the client end as well as server end.
    
    ISCII Plug-in gets invoked only when the browser at the client end 
    receives the mime type text/iscii. It is the server which sends the mime 
    type to the client, along with the data stream.
    Hence settings are required at the server end for sending the correct mime 
    type.
    
    At the client end a program is required which converts the incoming ISCII 
    stream into a string of glyphs for the fonts chosen by the client.
    
    

    3.1 What settings are required at the server end for the plug-in to work? [Index]
    A: a) For the httpd add a new mime type
          'text/iscii' corresponding to the extension '.isc'
       b) The content files in Indian languages should be in ISCII 8-bit HTML 
          documents with '.isc' extension.
       c) Use BASE HREF while using relative paths.
          Since the plugin always creates a temporary glyph file at 
          client end, the relative paths would not work, unless one uses 
          BASE HREF tag.
    
    

    3.2 How to add a NEW mime type on the Apache server? [Index]
    A: a) First find out the location of "*.conf" files for httpd.
    	You may use the following command
    	find . -name "*.conf" 2> /dev/null | grep httpd
       b) One of these files will contain the path for 'mime.types' file.
    	You may search using the command
    	grep "mime.types" *.conf
       Examples
       SuSe-Linux :
       /etc/httpd/httpd.conf contains an entry for 'TypesConfig' describing the path 
       for 'mime.types'.
    
       Red-Hat-Linux :
       /etc/httpd/conf/srm.conf contains an entry for 'TypesConfig' describing the 
       path for 'mime.types'.
    
       Open the 'mime.types' (the file mentioned in 'TypesConfig' variable) and 
       add the following line
       text/iscii         isc
    
    
    

    3.3 How the Apache server decides the mime type? [Index]
    A: The mime type is decided using the following sequence.
       a) From a filename extension, provided a mime type is declared at 
          appropraiate place. (e.g. /etc/httpd/mime.types)
       b) Using the mod_mime_magic module
       c) DefaultType declared in "*.conf" files.
    
    

    3.4 How do I know whether the server is sending correct mime type or not? [Index]
    A: Let the URL of the server be sanskrit.gde.to
       and let the filename be all_iscii/z.isc
       a) Goto a machine that is connected directly to internet, not through proxy.
       b) telnet sanskrit.gde.to 80
       c) GET /all_iscii/z.isc HTTP/1.0 (followed by two times ENTER)
    	(Remember that GET and HTTP are in CAPITALS).
       What you receive from the server will have a header containing the mime type
       followed by the data in the file all_iscii/z.isc
    
    

    3.5 Since GIST terminals directly support ISCII, can I directly view the iscii files with .isc extension on the GIST terminals, without iscii plug-in? [Index]
    A: Iscii plug-ins are developed for the graphics browsers, to support the 
       various fonts, whereas GIST terminals support only text browsers, like 
       lynx. Hence if you are using lynx browser, you need to do some settings 
       in lynx.cfg, corresponding to the mime type text/iscii.
       These settings are:
    	(On SuSe-Linux:)
    	In the file /usr/lib/lynx.cfg add 
    
    	SUFFIX:.isc:text/iscii
    	VIEWER:text/iscii:cp %s tmp_jnk.html ;  lynx tmp_jnk.html
    
    

    3.6.1 How to install ISCII Plug-in on Windows-95/Windows-98 automatically? [Index]
    A: For automatic installation of the ISCII Plug-in,
       just double click on the isciiplg.exe and follow the instructions.
       Here are the detailed instructions.
       
       1. Copy the given lang_plg.exe to your hard disk.(Here lang means the 
          language you have chosen).
       2. Open the windows explorer, go to the directory where the plugin has 
          been copied.
       3. Double click on the lang_plg.exe.
       4. Machine will start extracting the files.
          Here you have an option to chose the directory where machine will
          extract the files. By default it will extract it to c:\windows\temp.
    	*--->>   Click on Start.
          Once the files are extracted, you will see the message
    	All files have been extracted.
    	*--->>   Click on OK at this point.
          Now you have an option to select the languages to install.
          You will see two languages - one is the language you have chosen,
          and the other one is Devanagari.
          (In case of Devanagari, it is Roman and Devanagari
            *--->>  You select both of them by pressing the left mouse button.
    	*--->&;gt;  Select OK.
          Now the machine asks for the browsers, for which the plugin is to be 
          installed. (You should know which browsers exist on your machine).
    	*--->> Select the appropriate browsers, and then select OK.
          For each of the browsers selected, following steps are to be followed.
          The machine starts searching for the browser paths on your machine.
          So this may take few minutes. If the search is successfull, you will
          get the path(s) for the browser. If there are more than one paths,
          select the appropriate one and then
    	*--->>  Select OK.
          Once the paths for selected browsers have been seleted,
          machine copys the corresponding dlls(dunamic limked libraries) to
          the appropriate places, and also installs the required fonts.
          Then you will see the message
    	Installation Completed!
    	Readme file will be displayed now and we suggest you to read
    	completely for info. on how to use ...
            *--->>  Press OK.
    
    	*--->> Read the instructions carefully and follow them.
    	(Do not press OK unless you have followed all the instructions
          and seen that the plugin works
    	
    	In case you do not have the internet connection, you can test the 
          plugin on local files also.(LINK: testing_on_local_files)
    
    

    3.6.2 What are the steps involved in installation of plug-in? Can I do it manually? [Index]
    A: Yes. One can also install the plug-in manually. The steps involved are:
         Extract all the files in plugins.exe
      
       a) For netscape:
          Locate netscape.exe
          create a subdirectory 'plugins', if it does not exist.
          copy the np_np_isc.dll to the plugins directory.
         
          create a new directory c:\iscii_plugin_data.
          copy *.map and *.rc files to c:\iscii_plugin_data
          copy $lang.rc to lang.rc, where $lang is the language/script for display.
          [e.g. to get the display in Kannada script, 
           copy Kannada.rc to lang.rc] )
          
          install the fonts (ttf files) 
          
       b) For Internet Explorer:
          Locate iexplore.exe
          create a subdirectory 'plugins', if it does not exist.
          copy the np_np_isc.dll to the plugins directory.
         
          create a new directory c:\iscii_plugin_data.
          copy *.map and *.rc files to c:\iscii_plugin_data
          copy $lang.rc to lang.rc, where $lang is the language/script for display.
          [e.g. to get the display in Kannada script, 
           copy Kannada.rc to lang.rc] )
          
          install the fonts (ttf files) 
         
    

    3.7 What settings are required to view the local .isc(iscii) files? [Index]
    A: The local iscii file which you want to view should have an '.isc' extension.
       In case of Netscape,no extra settings are required.
       For Internet Explorer to activate the plugin on local files, following 
       setup is needed.
    
    		MY Computer -> View -> Folder Options -> File Types -> New Type
    
      		Fill up the following entries
    		a)Description of type		iscii
    		b)Content Type(MIME)		text/iscii
    		c)Default Extension 		.isc
    		  for Content type
    		d)Click on New.. in Actions
    		   Action:			open
    	  	   Application used to perform action:	
    		   Use Browse.. to select the correct path of Iexplore.exe
    		   (  Usually it will be in
                        c:\program Files\Internet Explorer\Iexplore.exe
    
    		   Click on OK
    		   Click on open in actions, & then on set default
    
    

    3.8 How to install ISCII Plug-in on Linux/Unix? [Index]
    A: For Linux/Unix platform, following are the pre-requisites:
       -- Support for ttf fonts.
       (For linux xfstt can be used.  Unix requires xfsft.
       -- Netscape 2.0 or above
       copy the required ttf files to /usr/fonts.
       copy np_iscii.so to $HOME/.netscape/plugins
       copy *.rc and *.map files to $HOME/.netscape/plugin-iscii
       copy $lang.rc to lang.rc where $lang is the script in which you want the 
       display.[e.g. to get the display in Kannada script, 
       copy Kannada.rc to lang.rc] )
    
    

    4 Trouble Shooting? [Index]
    4.1 How do I know whether the Plug-in is installed properly or not? [Index]
    A: If you have installed plug-in for Netscape browser, 
       (on any of the platforms: Windows-95/98 or Linux/Unix),
    
    	Netscape -> Help -> About plug-ins
       will display following message:
    
    	<<>>
    
    		Iscii Plugin
    
    	This plugin handle iscii text.
         ------------------------------------------------------------
    	Mime Type	Description	Suffixes	Enabled
         ------------------------------------------------------------
    	text/iscii	ISCII		isc		YES
    
    
    	<<>>
    
       If you have installed the plug-in for Internet Explorer, then
    
       Check the entries in registry.
       Steps:
        Double click on START; 
        click on run;
        regedit
        goto My Computer
          HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
           Software
            Microsoft
             Internet Explorer
              Plugins
    	   Mime
    	    text/iscii	( Default value "value not set";
    			  Extension .isc
    	   Extension
    	    .knd	(Default Value "Anusaaraka ISCII Plugin"
    			 content Type "text/iscii"
    			 Location "c:/progra~1/intern~1/plugins/np_np_isc.dll"
    			 version "1,0,01"
       If above entries do not exist, make these entries.
    
    

    4.2 Iscii-plugin gets invoked. But what I see is all junk. [Index]
    A: Fonts do not always get installed properly. In the new version, an attempt
        has been made to fix this bug. However, if the problem still persists,
        the "font ritual" solves this problem.
    
    	FONT RITUAL:
    	1. Start-menu -> Settings -> Control Panel
    	                2. Double click on Fonts icon
    	                3. Slowly scroll the whole window once
    	   (The names and icons of the fonts will be seen in this step
    	
    		Font Name	Language/script
    		-------------------------------
                    *AS-TTDurga      Assamees
                    *BN-TTDurga      Bengali
                    *DV-TTYogesh     Devanagari
    	        *DVB-TTYogeshEn  Devanagari
                    LagscapeDevPooja Devanagari
                    Shusha           Devanagari
                    Sanskrit-98      Devanagari
                    Xdvng            Devanagari
                    *GJ-TTAvantika   Gujarati
                    *KN-TTUma        Kannada
                    *ML-TTKarthika   Malayalam
                    *OR-TTSarala     Oriya
                    *PN-TTAmar       Punjabi
                    *TL-TTHemalatha  Telugu
                    *TLB-TTHemalatha Telugu
                    *TM-TTValluvar   Tamil
    
    	* : These are C-DAC fonts)  
       (We thank C-DAC for giving permission for free distribution of these 
        fonts with this package. 
        Please see http://www.cdac.org.in/html/gist/gistform.htm)
    
    

    4.3 I am using windows-98 and IE-5. The fonts and dlls are installed properly. Dll also gets invoked. But what appears on the screen is junk. [Index]
    A: Window-98 and IE-5 combination needs "refresh ritual"
        IE-5 with Windows-NT or Windows-98 with IE-4 do not
        need this painful ritual.
    
    	REFRESH RITUAL:
    	1. Start IE-5
    	2. Tools -> Inernet Options -> Fonts ...
    	3. Select the C-DAC font name for the desired Indian script
    	4. Close IE-5
    	5. Start IE-5 again.
            6. Select the Roman font of your choice, and see the desired ISCII 
               page.
            Font ritual needs to be done only once, but unfortunately,
    	Refresh ritual needs to be repeated every time unless you remember
    	to close IE-5 with the selection of Indian font of your interest.
    
    

    4.4 Link for Language Change Program does not appear in start menu. [Index]
    A: The link for language change program ALWAYS appears
        in the general start menu; even though the person
        may be using personalised start menu.
    
    

    4.5 How to change the display script at any time after installation of plug-in? [Index]
    A: On Windows-95/98 
       ----------------
       Use the ISCII_Language_Change option in
    	Start->programs->Indian Language Support
    
       There is another simple way to change the script, for those who believe in
       'talking' with computer, instead of just 'pointing' by mouse.
    
       cd c:\iscii_plugin_data
       copy $lang.rc lang.rc (where $lang is the script to be used for display.
       Thus e.g. to set Kannada as your display script,
        copy kannada.rc lang.rc)
       
       On Unix/Linux:
       --------------
       cd $HOME/.netscape/plugin-iscii
       cp $lang.rc lang.rc (where $lang is the script to be used for display.
       Thus e.g. to set Kannada as your display script,
        copy kannada.rc lang.rc)
    
    

    5 Whom to contact? [Index]
    5.1 What do I need to do if I wish to have plug-in for the fonts of my choice? [Index]
    A: If your font provider gives the import facility from iscii, then it is very 
       simple. Else some efforts are involved. What all needed is just a mapping 
       of the syllables from iscii to the font glyphs. If you are intersted,
       please contact Vineet chaitanya.
    
    

    5.2 Whom to contact, in case of difficulties/queries? [Index]
    A: In case of any queries and/or difficulties, please contact 
       Amba Kulkarni If you are willing to help, we can also 
       provide help to add similar facility for your favorite fonts.
    

    5.3 Who are the developers of this plug-in? [Index]
    A: The initial proto-type of this plug-in was developed by 
              Mr. P. Ganesh,
              Mr. Prakash Daga, and
              Mr. Pranav Dharma
       the students of Regional College of Engineering, Trichy, 
       during winter vacation, in Dec 1999 at the LTRC,IIIT,Hyderabad. 
       Further enhancement has been done at the center, and is being 
       maintained by the Akshara Bharati Group at LTRC, IIIT, Hyderabad.
    

    Last modified on 12th January 2001 by Amba Kulkarni