Locale and operating platform independent font selection

1. In an operating platform having an operating platform configuration and an associated locale, a locale and operating platform independent font selection method comprising the steps of:

parsing a pre-established font properties file comprising a listing of fonts and corresponding supported operating platform configurations for a particular locale;

identifying within the font properties file whether a desired font referenced in said font properties file supports at least one of the operating platform configuration and the associated locale; and,

utilizing said desired font in the operating platform if it is indicated within said font properties file that said desired font supports said at least one of the operating platform configuration and the associated locale.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said identifying step comprises the step of identifying within the font properties file whether a desired font referenced in said font properties file supports a display of non-Latin text for the associated locale.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying step comprises the steps of:

determining an order of priority for multiple entries in said font properties file for said desired font; and,

testing each of said entries in said order of priority until an entry is identified which supports at least one of the operating platform configuration and the associated locale.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said utilizing step comprises the step of registering said desired font for use in the operating platform.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

retrieving a set of system fonts loaded in the operating platform;

determining whether any of said system fonts supports a display of non-Latin text for the associated locale; and,

utilizing a determined one of said system fonts in lieu of said desired font if said determined one of said system fonts is determined to support a display of non-Latin text for the associated locale.

6. A computer system configured for locale and operating platform independent font selection comprising:

an operating platform executing in a computing system and having an operating platform configuration and an associated locale;

a font properties file disposed in the computing system, the font properties file comprising a plurality of entries, each of said entries defining a font and at least one of corresponding supported locale and a corresponding supported operating platform configuration; and,

a locale and operating platform independent font selection processor executing in the computing system and programmed first to parse the font properties file, to identify within the font properties file whether a desired font referenced in said font properties file supports at least one of the operating platform configuration and the associated locale, and to utilize the desired font in the operating platform if it is indicated within the font properties file that the desired font supports the at least one of the operating platform configuration and the associated locale.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein each of said entries defines a font and a corresponding supported locale for which said font can support a display of non-Latin text.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein said entries are sorted in order of priority for said defined fonts.

9. A computer program product stored on a computer memory adapted be executed by a machine to implement a method for locale and operating platform independent font selection for an operating platform, the computer program product comprising a routine set of instructions which when executed by a machine causes the machine to perform the steps of:

parsing a pre-established font properties file comprising a listing of fonts and corresponding supported operating platform configurations for a particular locale;

identifying within the font properties file whether a desired font referenced in said font properties file supports at least one of the operating platform configuration and the associated locale; and,

utilizing said desired font in the operating platform if it is indicated within said font properties file that said desired font supports said at least one of the operating platform configuration and the associated locale.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein said identifying step comprises the step of identifying within the font properties file whether a desired font referenced in said font properties file supports a display of non-Latin text for the associated locale.

11. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the identifying step comprises the steps of:

determining an order of priority for multiple entries in said font properties file for said desired font and,

testing each of said entries in said order of priority until an entry is identified which supports at least one of said operating platform configuration and said associated locale.

12. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein said utilizing step comprises the step of registering said desired font for use in the operating platform.

13. The computer program product of claim 9 , further comprising an additional set of instructions which when executed by the machine causes the machine to further perform the steps of:

retrieving a set of system fonts loaded in the operating platform;

determining whether any of said system fonts supports a display of non-Latin text for said associated locale; and,

utilizing a determined one of said system fonts in lieu of said desired font if said determined one of said system fonts is determined to support a display of non-Latin text for said associated locale.