File Content Extraction 26.2
XML Export SDK Java Programming Guide

# Convert Character Sets

Export allows you to control the character set of both the input and the output text. This is accomplished by either

- setting the source and/or target character set in the API, or

- basing the input/output on the character set of the document (if the document character set is stored in the document and can be determined by the document reader).

The character sets are defined as constants in the Export class.

Not all character sets can be used to specify the target character set. See Coded Character Sets for a list of character sets that can be used as a target character set.

## Determine the Character Set of the Output Text

To determine the output character set of a converted document, Export considers the following:

- Whether the reader can extract the character set from the document. This depends on whether the file format can provide character set information and whether the document actually contains character set information.

  If character set information cannot be determined for your document type, you must set the source, the target character set, or both, in the API.

- Whether a source character set is set in the API.

  To set the source character set, you must specify a character set and set the parameter `setForceSourceCharSet` to `TRUE`.

- Whether a target character set is set in the API.

  To set the target character set, you must specify a character set and set the parameter `setForceOutputCharSet` to `TRUE`.

### Guidelines for Character Set Conversion

The following diagram shows how the output character set is determined when the document character set can be determined:

Document Character Set Can Be Determined

The following diagram shows how the output character set is determined when the document character set cannot be determined:

Document Character Set Cannot Be Determined

## Examples of Character Set Conversion

The examples below demonstrate possible configurations for mapping character sets and the expected output for each scenario.

### Document Character Set Can be Determined

For the example in the following table, the document is an RTF file. The document character set is Traditional Chinese (BIG5).

Document character set can be determined

Source charset set | Target charset set | Output charset
--- | --- | ---
`KVCS_GB` | `KVCS_UTF8` | `KVCS_UTF8` Converts GB (Simplified Chinese) to UTF-8. The output character set is the target character set specified in the API.
`KVCS_GB` | `--` | `KVCS_GB` Converts BIG5 to GB (Simplified Chinese). The output character set is the source character set specified in the API.
`--` | `KVCS_UTF8` | `KVCS_UTF8` Converts BIG5 to UTF-8. The output character set is the target character set specified in the API.
`--` | `--` | `KVCS_BIG5` The output character set is the document character set. No conversion.

### Document Character Set Cannot be Determined

For the example in the following table, the document is an ASCII file. The document character set is `KVCS_1251`.

Document character set cannot be determined

Source charset set | Target charset set | Output charset
--- | --- | ---
`KVCS_1252` | `KVCS_UTF8` | `KVCS_UTF8` Converts `KVCS_1252` to `KVCS_UTF8`. The output character set is the target character set specified in the API.
`KVCS_1252` | `KVCS_UNKNOWN` | `KVCS_1252` The output character set is the source character set specified in the API because `KVCS_UNKNOWN` cannot be used. No conversion.
`KVCS_1252` | `--` | `KVCS_1252` The output character set is the source character set specified in the API. No conversion.
`--` | `KVCS_1252` | `KVCS_1252` Converts OS code page to `KVCS_1252`. The output character set is the target character set specified in the API.
`--` | `--` | The output character set is OS code page. No conversion.

## Set the Character Set During Conversion

You can convert the character set of a file at the time the file is converted.

To specify the source character set, use the `setSourceCharSet` method of the `OptionInfo` object and set `setForceSourceCharSet` to `TRUE`.

To specify the target character set, use the `setOutputCharSet` method of the `OptionInfo` object and set `setForceOutputCharSet` to `TRUE`.

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Version 26.2 | Last updated April 2026

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Product: File Content Extraction 26.2

Topic Title: Convert Character Sets