Unicode RIMMF

The multilingual potential of RDA has always been very important to us¹⁾ , and we have now begun testing RIMMF3 with unicode support.

To facilitate testing while maintaining the current development of RIMMF3, we have created a 'unicode RIMMF'. This package differs from the standard RIMMF3 package only in the compilation of the .exe (the source code is almost exactly the same). Once the unicode test period is complete, what we are calling 'unicode RIMMF' on this page will replace the standard RIMMF.

This page contains a few note about how to download and install unicode RIMMF, and the pre-requisites and caveats involved.

You can help us complete the test period faster by reporting any problems you run into. Please include the steps needed to reproduce the problem, and the record data file(s), if applicable. We anticipate that any problems in unicode RIMMF that are not also present in standard RIMMF will be related to the record data.

Send problem reports to rimmf@marcofquality.com Please use a subject line that includes the string 'Unicode RIMMF'

If you do not have any older RIMMF data, or if you are using a version of RIMMF3 that was downloaded/updated since December 2014 (when we introduced the use of unicode code points in RIMMF for all diacritics), then you can probably ignore this 'pre-requisite' note.

Data from earlier versions of RIMMF that contains diacritics is not compatible with unicode RIMMF.

When unicode RIMMF runs into one of these diacritic characters (presumably during EI indexing when the program is started), an exception message will pop up–the message will list the name of the file that caused the problem. The file in question will be ignored, and the EI indexing process will continue. However, as the file is not deleted, the same exception message will pop up every time unicode RIMMF is started.

If you have older data, we have added an utility to update common diacritics to unicode code points in the latest version of RIMMF3. Follow the steps here before installing unicode RIMMF. Note that this utility will not work in Unicode RIMMF; it must be run from a recent version of the standard RIMMF3.

However, we do not think this utility works very well with complex diacritics, or indeed, with non-Latin character sets. If you are working with the latter, and you see '????' in your data, then that particular piece of data cannot be upgraded (because the code points have already been lost). You will have to replace the '????' with the lost data, regardless of whether you switch to Unicode RIMMF or not.

Download unicode RIMMF here

Note that this is a zip installer; there is no windows installer for unicode RIMMF. If you need more info about the types of RIMMF installations, please read up on the two types of RIMMF installation.

Do not install unicode RIMMF over an existing standard RIMMF installation–multiple RIMMFs may co-exist on your system²⁾. Just create a new folder and install (i.e. unzip) it to the new folder. Since the unicode installer has a different name than the standard zip installer³⁾, this should happen automatically.

If you use windows shortcuts to launch your programs, shortcut management may prove a challenge. To help with this problem we have have changed the colorization of the Unicode RIMMF program icon:

With multiple versions of RIMMF3 on the same computer, both using the same icon, both having the same name ('rimmf3.exe'), both residing in the same folder ('RIMMF3'), etc., this difference may help you manage which shortcut starts which RIMMF⁴⁾.

If you have already installed RIMMF3 using the zip installer, and then install unicode RIMMF, each version of RIMMF3 should maintain its own options, tables, and data folders.

On the other hand, if you have already installed RIMMF3 using the windows installer, and then install unicode RIMMF, both versions of RIMMF3 should use the same options, tables, and data folders, typically located in 'My Documents\RIMMF3'. When unicode RIMMF starts it will find your default RIMMF3 folder in My Documents, and set up its home there.

If you need help with installation please send us an email at the address listed in 'Report problems' above.

After installation, simply start the version of RIMMF that you want to use, and proceed as normal.

Please note that any changes listed on the 'Whats New' section of the download page apply to both Unicode RIMMF as well as the standard RIMMF.

Similarly, if you click 'Check for Updates' in the RIMMF app (under the Help menu), you will be redirected to the same page for both Unicode RIMMF as well as the standard RIMMF.

So if you need to update Unicode RIMMF just remember to use the same-named link at the top of the download page.