iSeries™ Access for Windows® national language support APIs enable your applications to get and save (query and change) the iSeries Access for Windows settings that are relevant to national language support.
iSeries servers support many national languages, through national language support (NLS). NLS allows users to work on an iSeries system in the language of their choice. The iSeries system also ensures that the data that is sent to and received from the system appears in the form and order that is expected. By supporting many different languages, the system operates as intended, from both a linguistic and a cultural point of view.
All iSeries systems use a common set of program code, regardless of which language you use on the system. For example, the program code on a U.S. English iSeries system and the program code on a Spanish iSeries system are identical. Different sets of textual data are used, however, for different languages. Textual data is a collective term for menus, displays, lists, prompts, options, Online help information, and messages. This means that you see Help for the description of the function key for Online help information on a U.S. English system, while you see Ayuda on a Spanish system. Using the same program code with different sets of textual data allows the iSeries system to support more than one language on a single system.
You can add convenient functions into your iSeries Access for Windows applications, including the capability to:
| NLS API type | Header file | Import library | Dynamic Link Library |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | cwbnl.h | cwbapi.lib | cwbnl.dll |
| Conversion | cwbnlcnv.h | cwbnl1.dll | |
| Dialog-box | cwbnldlg.h | cwbnldlg.dll |
The Programmer's Toolkit provides NLS documentation, access to the NLS APIs header files, and links to sample programs. To access this information, open the Programmer's Toolkit and select .