1) Question: What does the System Direction setting in the Text control panel do?
Answer: The System Direction setting in the Text control panel determines the writing direction of text in menus and dialogs (elements created by the System).
In many instances, changing the System Direction also affects the justification of text within a SimpleText document. SimpleText is considered a "world-ready" application, and it takes its queue for text justification from the System Direction setting. The implementation of using the System Direction to control text justification in SimpleText is an undocumented feature.
Therefore, if the System Direction is left-to-right, then text within a SimpleText document is left-justified. If the System Direction is right-to-left, then text within a SimpleText document is right-justified.
2) Question: I have the Hebrew (or Arabic) Language Kit installed and want to change the System Direction from left-to-right to right-to-left. How do I do this?
Answer: Use the Text control panel to change the System Direction.
3) Question: Is the System Direction information stored within individual documents?
Answer: The System Direction is stored in the System file, not within individual documents.
4) Question: Why do some localized versions of SimpleText provide left- or right-justification and others only provide right text justification?
Answer: Certain localized versions of SimpleText, such as SimpleText Persian, SimpleText Arabic, and SimpleText Hebrew, override the System Direction feature, and always display text as right-justified because it is more appropriate for those languages.
5) Question: After changing the System Direction to right-to-left, SimpleText (or SimpleText Arabic, SimpleText Persian, or SimpleText Hebrew) still displays the text I enter from left-to-right. Why?
Answer: Any applications running when the System Direction is changed are not affected. You'll need to quit and re-open these applications to see the System Direction change.
6) Question: Can I use both left-to-right and right-to-left text in the same document within SimpleText?
Answer: No, you cannot use both System Directions in the same SimpleText document. For example: if you set the System Direction to right-to-left, open SimpleText, and type several lines, the text appears right-justified. If you then save your document, quit SimpleText and change the System Direction to left-to-right, when you re-open your original document all the text will now be left-justified.
7) Question: I installed the Hebrew (or Arabic) Language Kit, and created a document with the System Direction set to right-to-left. I then removed the Hebrew (Arabic) Language Kit and installed the Cyrillic Language Kit. When I try to type in SimpleText Russian, the text is displayed from right-to-left. Why is this happening? Does the Cyrillic Language Kit also support right-to-left text?
Answer: This shouldn't happen because the Cyrillic Language Kit does not support right-to-left text; Apple is looking into this issue.
To avoid the issue, change the System Direction back to left-to-right before removing either the Hebrew or Arabic Language Kits.
To resolve the issue after it occurs, you'll need to re-install the Hebrew or Arabic Language Kit, change the System Direction to left-to-right, and then remove the Hebrew or Arabic Language Kit.
Note: Resetting the PRAM does not restore the System Direction. Also, you cannot Custom Install the Text control panel from the Arabic or Hebrew Language Kits.
8) Question: I'm using ClarisWorks 4.0v2 and 4.0v4 and have the System Direction set to right-to-left. All of the menus are displayed from right-to-left as they should be, but I can't type in ClarisWorks from right-to-left--all the text I enter is always left-to-right. Does ClarisWorks support WorldScript I?
Answer: Yes, both versions of ClarisWorks that you mention are WorldScript I savvy, but ClarisWorks does not support right-to-left text. This information is found in the ClarisWorks Help file available in the Guide Menu.
9) Question: I'm using ClarisWorks 4.0v4, and the names of some of the options in the File, Format and other menus begin and/or end with an unusual character. What is this character?
Answer: You've registered ClarisWorks with the Arabic (or Hebrew or Cyrillic) Language Register, which tells ClarisWorks to use the default font for that language. For example, the default font for Arabic is called "Geeza". So, if you register ClarisWorks with the Arabic Language Register, when ClarisWorks is launched, it will use the "Geeza" font in the menus. However, "Geeza" doesn't have an equivalent to the ellipsis, so in the File menu the 'New...' option looks like "New*", with the * representing some Arabic character. (If the System Direction is set right-to-left, the File menu '...New' option looks like "*New".)
To restore ClarisWorks to using the Roman script for menus, open any Language Register application (they're located in the Apple Extras folder on the hard drive), change the Language in the pop-up menu to "English", click on the "Register" button, and select ClarisWorks in the lower portion of the window.