Template:ISO 15924 script codes and related Unicode data/doc

This documentation is shared between templates {{Unicode blocks}} and {{ISO 15924 script codes and related Unicode data}}.

Usage

The template can be used as usual. It is not a navigation box, so it can be everywhere in an article. The notes are contained within the template, and will not appear in the main References part.

Note: when resolving red links or wrong links, edit {{ISO 15924/wp-article}}. That is where the connection between ISO code and a Wikipedia article is made.

ISO 15924 templates

ISO 15924 – Unicode – Wikidata – enwiki: Overview templates & properties
Item	In template	/subs	Content	Example	Publisher	Usage	TPU	Note
Code (ISO)	{{ISO 15924 code}}	/subp	ID	Arab	ISO 15924	Everywhere	[TPU]	Alpha-4, enwiki central ISO script id list
Alias (Unicode)	{{ISO 15924 alias}}	/subp	ID	Arabic	Unicode		[TPU]
Article (enwiki)	{{ISO 15924/wp-article}}	/subp	ID	[[Arabic script]]	enwiki		[TPU]
QID (wikidata)	{{ISO 15924/qid}}	/subp	ID	Q790681	Wikidata		[TPU]
Number; range 000–999	{{ISO 15924 number}}	/subp	ID	234	ISO 15924	rarely	[TPU]	ISO number not used as ID in enwiki; see Code
Scripts (sub)merged into main scripts	{{ISO 15924 alias/unicode-merged-into-script}}	/subp	Merged scripts	Latf → Latn	Unicode	Script descriptions, re U+	[TPU]	In mainspace: 10× hardcoded (e.g.); 2× Qxxx depr
Name	{{ISO 15924 name}}	/subp	data	Deseret (Mormon)	ISO 15924		[TPU]
Unicode chapter	{{ISO 15924/unicode-chapter}}	/subp	data	Ch 18.1	Unicode		[TPU]	pdf does not open at .n subchapter
Script example character	{{ISO 15924/script-example-character}}	/subp	data	ع‎	enwiki	User boxes	[TPU]
In Mainspace
Overview ISO U enwiki	{{ISO 15924 script codes and related Unicode data}}	/subp	list		enwiki	ISO 15924	[TPU]	Mainspace: ISO 15924, Script (Unicode), Unicode character property
Blocks ⇄ Scripts	{{Unicode blocks}}	/subp	list		enwiki	some script articles	[TPU]	Mainspace; related
graphs	{{ISO 15924/unicode-script-illustration}}	/subp	fonts&files				[TPU]	Mainspace, Scripts in Unicode
Overviews
Overview: templates	{{ISO 15924/overview-templates}}	/subp	list		Wikipedia		[TPU]
WP-category	{{ISO 15924/wp-category}}	/subp	data	Category:Arabic script	enwiki	Not checked for mainspace	[TPU]	watered down concept for minor scripts
Also (doc, userbox, technical, ...)
Documentation	{{ISO 15924 templates/doc}}	/subp	prime documentation			Latin script in Unicode (~)	[TPU]	Reused in multiple templates
Redirect	{{R from ISO 15924 code}}	/subp	template		enwiki	Redirects	[TPU]
userbox	{{User iso15924}}	/subp				Userboxes	[TPU]
Related Changes	{{Recent changes in Unicode}}	/subp	pages Unicode, ISO 15924 WP:RELC	Related Changes	enwiki	WikiProject	[TPU]	900+700 P x T
Unicode versions	{{Unicode version}}	/subp	Version number	as of Unicode version 13.0	enwiki		[TPU]	(new Sep2022)
Wikidata properties
Directionality	script directionality (P1406)		P1406			{{Infobox}}, ...
Unicode ranges	Unicode range (P5949)		P5949			{{Infobox}}, ...
ISO English name	name (P2561)		P2561			Crosscheck only
Modules
Data module	module:Unicode data	/subp						§ Functions overview
HTML named entities	module:Numcr2namecr	/subp
More templates All subpages of {{ISO_15924}} {{lang}} connection (§ Indicating writing script) {{Script}} {{Infobox writing system}} {{Infobox romanization}} {{Transliteration}}, {{Lang}} {{Infobox writing system}} {{ISO 15924}} {{Unicode navigation}} iso codelists

Template data

This is the TemplateData for this template used by TemplateWizard, VisualEditor and other tools. See a monthly parameter usage report for Template:ISO 15924 script codes and related Unicode data in articles based on its TemplateData.

TemplateData for ISO 15924 script codes and related Unicode data

No description.

Template parameters

Parameter		Description	Type	Status
1	1	no description	Unknown	optional

Background: How is this table composed

Note that a script is not a language. A single script, like the Latin alphabet, is used in many languages. Unicode is only about scripts, not about languages that use that script. Still there may be nuances, like the English versus Polish language in using accents on letters.

Step 1: ISO defines a script

ISO defines and publishes a script in the ISO 15924 list. It defines the Alpha-4 code (Aaaa-Zzzz), the Numeric code (000-999), and the formal Name for each accepted script. Currently there are some 160 scripts defined in this list. Included are scripts like "Mathematical notation (Zmth)" and "Code for undetermined script (a.k.a. Common, Zyyy)". The list is formally maintained and published by ISO, and practically by the Unicode Consortium office. It is published on the Unicode website. Technically, the list is file iso15924.txt.

Step 2: Unicode attaches an Alias name

Then, Unicode (not ISO) maintains a list of Alias script names right next to the ISO-defined scripts, for each script Unicode has encoded. The Alias name is an English name for that script.

So the ISO alpha-4 code gets a unique Alias name by Unicode: Mymr:ISO Name=Myanmar (Burmese), Alias=Myanmar. These Alias names are also present in the definition file iso15924.txt.

Step 3: Usage by Unicode

From that list, Unicode can translate any alpha4-code into the Alias name of the script, and reverse. Unicode does not use the formal ISO name.

A script name is used in the Unicode Name of a character: "U+05BF ֿ HEBREW POINT RAFE".

Per character

In the Unicode database, Unicode adds one single appropriate alpha-4 code to every individual script character. So every letter, punctuation, number and so of a script get that code. Characters used by multiple scripts, such as the period (.), have script code "Zyyy" (Common). The "script" codes for Mathematical and Symbol are not used by Unicode; symbols and mathematical characters have the property script="Unknown".

Then, in the file Scripts.txt, Unicode publishes the Alias script name per character (possibly by a range of characters). A part of that file looks like:

...
0591..05BD    ; Hebrew # Mn  [45] HEBREW ACCENT ETNAHTA..HEBREW POINT METEG
05BE          ; Hebrew # Pd       HEBREW PUNCTUATION MAQAF
05BF          ; Hebrew # Mn       HEBREW POINT RAFE
05C0          ; Hebrew # Po       HEBREW PUNCTUATION PASEQ
05C1..05C2    ; Hebrew # Mn   [2] HEBREW POINT SHIN DOT..HEBREW POINT SIN DOT
05C3          ; Hebrew # Po       HEBREW PUNCTUATION SOF PASUQ
...

This datafile defines which scripts are present in Unicode, and what script is at a certain code point.

In a block

Given a block range of code points, then which scripts are present in that block? See {{Unicode blocks}}: this table is constructed by signaling every script that is present as a block (once).

There is no secure relation between a script name and a block name. Some scripts are in a single block, but other scripts are spread amongst several blocks.

See also

• {{Unicode blocks}}
• Unicode character property
• {{Script}}

• {{ISO 15924 script codes and related Unicode data/header}} (technical subtemplate)
• {{ISO 15924 script codes and related Unicode data/row}} (technical subtemplate)