LTag: The Easy Way to Use Unicode Language Tags

LTag is a utility program for Windows systems, intended for use with Unicode plain-text editors such as Notepad (under Windows 2000 and XP) or SC UniPad. It allows the user to construct Plane 14 language tags using a convenient user interface, without worrying about details of language tag syntax, obscure abbreviations, or surrogate sequences.

Note: Plane 14 language tags are strongly discouraged for use in normal Unicode text. They are intended for use only with “special protocols” as defined by the Unicode Technical Committee, and specifically must not be used in HTML or XML documents. (For more information, see Section 13.7 of Unicode 3.1.) LTag is an experimental tool for creating and testing Plane 14 language tags within these “special protocols” or in other controlled environments, not for use in ordinary Unicode plain text.

Language tags constructed with LTag conform to RFC 3066, which defines the syntax of language tags for use on the Internet. RFC 3066 is based on language codes defined in ISO 639 and (optionally) country codes defined in ISO 3166. Special tags registered by IANA can also be created. LTag includes complete, up-to-date code lists from ISO 639 and ISO 3166, and can be used as a handy reference to these codes.

Warning LTag runs as an icon in the Status Notification Area (“tray”) in the lower right corner of the screen. To create a Plane 14 language tag and copy it to the Windows Clipboard, simply double-click on the LTag icon, choose the desired language name from a pull-down list (or type the code, if known), and click OK. Then return to the plain-text editor and paste the language tag from the Clipboard into the editor.

“Cancel tags” may be created by simply checking a box.

The official ISO 639 and ISO 3166 code lists are available in both English and French. LTag takes advantage of this feature by providing complete support for both English and French usage, including the user interface, in a single executable. LTag detects the Windows setting for the current user’s default language, and allows the user to override this setting from a menu item or by starting the program with a command-line option (/en or /fr).

In the current version, special IANA-registered language tags like en-boont are not available from the list, but must be typed directly. (This is a known limitation. I’ll get around to fixing it when I can.)

LTag is completely free and runs on all 32-bit Windows systems. (Uniscribe may be required for full Unicode display support on some systems.) Plain-text editors must support supplementary characters.

To receive the latest version of LTag, or for more information, please write to me. LTag is not available for direct anonymous download from this site due to the “strongly discouraged” nature of Plane 14 tags.