javascript - regular expression - foreign characters

[Smash]

i have this function:

------------------------------------------------------------
function isAlfaNumeric(v nos,space) {
if (space==false) {
validRegExp = /^[a-zA-Z0-9]{0,}$/;
}
else {
validRegExp = /^[a-zA-Z0-9\s]{0,}$/;
}
return vnos.search(val idRegExp)
}
-------------------------------------------------------------

the function is checking if the string "vnos" contains any non-alfanumeric
characters... it works fine except it returns true if the string contains
my country characters like ž,š.....i tried to do the following

validRegExp = /^[a-zA-Z0-9žš]{0,}$/; and also

validRegExp = /^[a-zA-Z0-9\ž\š]{0,}$/; but result was the same

Does anyone know how to check for foreign characters in string using regular
expression??

[Evertjan.]

Dr John Stockton wrote on 21 jan 2004 in comp.lang.javas cript:

But for that approach to do the original job in full, one needs to read
the entire Unicode table and decide which squashed spiders are foreign
letters and which are foreign non-letters.

A perfect solution is impossible, as long as the unicode is not redesigned
to have seperate ranges for both types. And that probably will not happen.

For an imperfect solution, say for most European languages, could be done
in a standard string along the lines of [\x01-\x1f].

Seems a perfect job for you, John, to collect suggestions from many of us
about their local lingo needs. ;-}

Would the same unicode number stand for different [letter vs nonletter]
types in different European languages ?
Or in different fonts ?

I hope not.

--
Evertjan.
The Netherlands.
(Please change the x'es to dots in my emailaddress)

[Dr John Stockton]

JRS: In article <Xn************ ********@194.10 9.133.29>, seen in
news:comp.lang. javascript, Evertjan. <ex************ **@interxnl.net >
posted at Thu, 22 Jan 2004 08:47:39 :-

Dr John Stockton wrote on 21 jan 2004 in comp.lang.javas cript:

But for that approach to do the original job in full, one needs to read
the entire Unicode table and decide which squashed spiders are foreign
letters and which are foreign non-letters.

A perfect solution is impossible, as long as the unicode is not redesigned
to have seperate ranges for both types. And that probably will not happen.

For an imperfect solution, say for most European languages, could be done
in a standard string along the lines of [\x01-\x1f].

Seems a perfect job for you, John, to collect suggestions from many of us
about their local lingo needs. ;-}

Would the same unicode number stand for different [letter vs nonletter]
types in different European languages ?
Or in different fonts ?

Read AJF's cited page, and others, on Unicode. Look and see what is
actually in Unicode.

AIUI, the idea of Unicode is that a given character has a given number,
independently of font, size, and language; \u0041 is 'A' and \u0061 is
'a' *everywhere*. If it's not \u0061, it's not our 'a', whatever it
looks like.

In practice, though, a letter only counts as a letter if it is a letter
of the current language. In English, Nijmegen has eight letters; I
suspect it of having only seven in Dutch, only six of which are English.

--
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[Evertjan.]

Dr John Stockton wrote on 22 jan 2004 in comp.lang.javas cript:

In practice, though, a letter only counts as a letter if it is a
letter of the current language.
I do not think o. It depends on definition, of cource. I would say a
letter in computerstrings can also be a letter in another language and
be counted as a letter. the u-umlaut [ü] is definitly a letter in
English in the sense that it is definitly not a non-letter, like
!?#%&.,.
In English, Nijmegen has eight letters; I
suspect it of having only seven in Dutch, only six of which are
English.

This is long since left concept in this time of computer generated and
sorted telephone books. The "ij", though it counts a one letter in
linguistic Dutch sense has definitely become a two letter "thing" like
the "ph".

The "ph" however, can also be pronounced in a two letter fassion in
words like:

poephark
ophaalbrug
Generaal van Opheusden ;-)

If there were a word with the ij pronounced as seperate letters, the j
should have two little points [de trema] like an umlaut. This is not
available in current fonts, I definitely presume, because the j is
usually thought as a consonant.

[The above thoughts are not tested on recent or old versions of eastern
languages, nor on Netscape]

--
Evertjan.
The Netherlands.
(Please change the x'es to dots in my emailaddress)