Unicode Library for Ruby
			Version 0.1

		       Yoshida Masato


- Introduction

  Unicode string manipulation library for Ruby.
  This library is based on UTR #15 Unicode Normalization Forms(*1).

    *1 <URL:http://www.unicode.org/unicode/reports/tr15/>


- Install

  This can work with ruby-1.4 or later. I recommend you to
  use ruby-1.4.2 or later.

  Make and install usually.
  For example, when Ruby supports dynamic linking on your OS,

    ruby extconf.rb
    make
    make install


- Usage

  If you do not link this module with Ruby statically, 

    require "unicode"

  before using.


- Module Functions

  All parameters of functions must be UTF-8.

  Unicode::strcmp(str1, str2)
  Unicode::strcmp_compat(str1, str2)
    Compares Unicode strings with normalization.
    strcmp uses Normalization Form D, strcmp_compat uses
    Normalization Form KD.

  Unicode::decopose(str)
  Unicode::decopose_compat(str)
    Decompose Unicode string. Then the trailing characters
    are sorted in canonical order.
    decompose uses the canonical decomposition,
    decompose_compat uses the compatibility decomposition.
    The decomposition is based on the character decomposition
    mapping in UnicodeData.txt and the Hangul decomposition
    algorithm.

  Unicode::compose(str)
    Compose Unicode string. Before composing, the trailing
    characters are sorted in canonical order.
    The parameter must be decomposed.
    The composition is based on the reverse of the
    character decomposition mapping in UnicodeData.txt,
    CompositionExclusions.txt and the Hangul composition
    algorithm.

  Unicode::normalize_D(str)
  Unicode::normalize_KD(str)
    Normalizes Unicode string in form D or form KD.
    These are aliases of decompose/decompose_compat.

  Unicode::normalize_C(str)
  Unicode::normalize_KC(str)
    Normalizes Unicode string in form C or form KC.
      normalize_C  = decompose + compose
      normalize_KC = decompose_compat + compose

  Unicode::upcase(str)
  Unicode::downcase(str)
  Unicode::capitalize(str)
    Case conversion functions.
    The mappings which these functions use are not normative
    in UnicodeData.txt.

- Bugs

  UTR #15 suggests that the look up for Normalization Form C
  should not be implemented with a hash of string for better
  performance.


- Copying

  This extension module is copyrighted free software by
  Yoshida Masato.

  You can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same
  term as Ruby.


- Author

  Yoshida Masato <yoshidam@yoshidam.net>


- History

  Nov 23, 1999 version 0.1