The concept of a control function is an extension of that of a control character, such as CARRIAGE RETURN (CR), LINE FEED (LF), SHIFT IN (SI) and SHIFT OUT (SO), that has been present since the earliest development of character sets. A control character is simply a control function that is coded as a single bit combination. It is conventional for control functions to have both a name and an identifying acronym.
The code structure of ISO/IEC 2022, as described in the section of this guide on concepts and terminology, includes two code elements C0 and C1 containing control functions. This section describes the standardized sources for these code elements and gives a brief account of the control functions that are available through their use. This account is aimed primarily at the use of control functions for code extension purposes.
The multiple-octet coded character set of ISO/IEC 10646 has a code structure that differs from that of ISO/IEC 2022. It includes its own specification of a code structure for graphic characters, but control functions are incorporated by a provision for the use of control functions encoded according to ISO/IEC 2022. Much of this section of the guide is therefore equally relevant to both ISO/IEC 2022 and ISO/IEC 10646 code structures.
The C0 set of ISO/IEC 6429 has its historical origin in the control characters of the ASCII character set. For this reason, 10 of the control functions of that set are transmission control functions such as START OF HEADER (SOH) that are not relevant to modern communications protocols. The semantics of those functions are specified in ISO/IEC 6429 by reference to a very old standard, ISO 1745, last revised in 1975.
The control functions of the C0 set of ISO/IEC 6429 are each represented by a single control character, i.e. they are coded by a single bit combination. With one exception the actions of these control functions are fully determined by that single control character. The exception is the ESCAPE (ESC) character, which is a control function whose semantic description in ISO/IEC 6429 is as follows:
The C1 code element of a code is known as its supplementary set of control functions. One specific C1 set is specified in ISO/IEC 6429. A code is not required by ISO/IEC 2022 to use this as its supplementary set, but a supplementary set is not permitted to include the ESCAPE character or any of the 10 transmission control characters of ISO 1745 described above concerning primary sets. Alternative C1 sets are specified in the ISO 2375 Register.
If the C1 code element is invoked into the CR area of an 8-bit code then its control functions are represented by a single control character, as for the C0 code element. Otherwise, and always for a 7-bit code, the control functions of the C1 code element are represented by an escape sequence.
The C1 set of ISO/IEC 6429 includes its own means of extension, similar to that provided by the ESCAPE character in the C0 set. The control function CONTROL SEQUENCE INTRODUCER (CSI) is followed by one or more bit combinations that together constitute a "control sequence". The permitted control sequences, and the functions they represent, are specified in ISO/IEC 6429 itself. This contrasts with escape sequences, whose use is specified by ISO/IEC 2022. Control sequences are primarily used for the control of devices for the display and presentation of character data.
The C1 set of ISO/IEC 6429 also includes provision for control strings, which are distinguished from escape and control sequences by having both an opening and a closing delimiter. The semantics of control strings is not standardized. They are used only where there is prior agreement between the sender and recipient of the data.
The simplest coding of control functions by more than one bit combination is by means of an escape sequence. The general construction of an escape sequence is laid down in ISO/IEC 2022 and is as follows:
All standardized escape sequences are either defined in ISO/IEC 2022 or are specified in the International Register that is administered in accordance with ISO 2375. This International Register is the primary source of coded character sets for use as code elements in accordance with ISO/IEC 2022.
Escape sequences are further classified by the total number of bytes (bit combinations), including the ESCAPE character, that they involve.
The two-byte escape sequences (those with no Intermediate Bytes) are classified into various types. The differing types are distinguished by the column of the code table that contains the Final Byte, as follows:
Escape sequences with more than two bytes (those with Intermediate Bytes) are also classified into various types. The differing types are distinguished by the position within column 02 of the code table that contains the first Intermediate Byte. All these types are described below in more detail, but you may move to each description by clicking on the appropriate item in the following list:
The primary means of invocation of the G0, G1, G2 and G3 code elements into the GL and GR areas of the code table is by means of locking shifts. Seven such locking shifts are required, since the G0 set cannot be invoked into the GR area. Two of these are included in the C0 set of ISO/IEC 6429 and are therefore required to have the same coding in every C0 set that includes them:
The remaining five locking shifts are represented by standardized escape sequences. Together with their registration numbers in the ISO 2375 Register, they are:
The C1 set of ISO/IEC 6429 includes non-locking shifts SINGLE-SHIFT TWO (SS2) and SINGLE-SHIFT THREE (SS3) that are used to invoke the G2 and G3 code elements for the next graphic character only. It is a matter for prior agreement as to whether these sets are invoked into the GL or GR areas by these single shifts. The area selected is known as the single-shift area. The announcer functions of ISO/IEC 2022 may be used to form this agreement.
It is permitted by ISO/IEC 2022 to include these non-locking shifts in a primary (C0) set of control functions. One C0 set that includes them is the set ISO-IR 106, the Teletex primary set of Control Functions of CCITT Recommendation T.61, which is contained in the ISO 2375 register.
Besides the C0 and C1 sets of ISO/IEC 6429, other standardized sets of control functions are specified in the ISO 2375 register. Although this is nominally a register of standardized escape sequences, where these escape sequences are used to designate coded character sets as elements of a 7-bit or 8-bit code then the register includes the specification of that code element. Escape sequences commencing ESC 02/01 and ESC 02/02 designate specific sets of control functions as the C0 and C1 element respectively. As examples:
By far the largest part of the ISO 2375 register is the specification of sets of graphic characters that may be designated by means of escape sequences. More information on these sets is given in the tecnhical section of this guide on graphic character sets. Individual sets are designated as the G0, G1, G2 or G3 code element by an escape sequence that describes, by means of Intermediate Bytes as specified in ISO/IEC 2022, the nature of the character set and the code element to which it is being invoked. The Final Byte identifies the actual character set concerned.
For single-byte character sets, one Intermediate Byte identifies the code element as follows:
Further Intermediate Bytes may also be present in the escape sequence. They are used, for example, to identify the number of bytes per character in a multiple-byte character set. A receiving implementation is therefore able to parse a received data stream into characters without the need for detailed knowledge of the contents of the ISO 2375 Register.
Provision is made in ISO/IEC 2022 for the announcement, by means of escape sequences, of a wide range of options permitted by that standard. All these escape sequences consist of ESC 02/00 followed by a Final Byte. Examples are:
Control sequences are defined in ISO/IEC 6429 and are used to represent many of the control functions that are specified in that standard. The general construction of a control sequence is similar to that of an escape sequence but it contains a refinement to permit the representation of control functions that require parameters:
The function represented by a control sequence is determined by the Final Byte together with any Intermediate Bytes that may be present. The Parameter Bytes act solely as parameters of the function so determined. The syntax of the Parameter Bytes is as follows:
An example of a control function that takes a single numeric parameter is:
This control function identifies a subrepertoire of the graphic characters of ISO/IEC 10367 which is registered in accordance with ISO/IEC 7350. In the coded representation, "nn" represents the registration number of the repertoire in the ISO/IEC 7350 Register.
The C1 set of ISO/IEC 6429 includes provision for control strings that have no standardized meaning but which can be used by private agreement for various control purposes. Each control string has an opening delimiter, contained in the C1 set, that indicates the general nature of the control purpose. The available opening delimiters are:
All control strings are terminated by a common closing delimiter from the C1 set, namely:
Between the two delimiters there may be any sequence of bit combinations other than those representing the delimiters SOS and ST.
The control functions specified in ISO/IEC 6429 contain many functions primarily intended for the control of devices for the display and presentation of character data. These can be used for communicating page layout, either in a fixed format or in a form to allow automatic reformatting when the sender and receiver use different fonts. However, the specifications of the control functions need refinement to allow this to be achieved most satisfactorily. A specification of control functions from ISO/IEC 6429 customised for use in page image communication is given in ISO/IEC 10538
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