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<chapter id="charset">

<title>Localization</>

linkend="runtime-config-client-format"> for details). The defaults that are

chosen by <command>initdb</command> are actually only written into

the configuration file <filename>postgresql.conf</filename> to

serve as defaults when the server is started. If you deletethe

serve as defaults when the server is started. If you deletethese

assignments from <filename>postgresql.conf</filename> then the

server will inherit the settings fromthe execution environment.

server will inherit the settings fromits execution environment.

</para>

<para>

<title>Behavior</>

<para>

Locale support influencesthe following features:

The locale settings influencethe following SQL features:

<itemizedlist>

<listitem>

<para>

Sort order in queries using <literal>ORDER BY</>

Sort order in queries using <literal>ORDER BY</> on textual data

<indexterm><primary>ORDER BY</><secondary>and locales</></indexterm>

</para>

</listitem>

</para>

</listitem>

<listitem>

<para>

The <function>upper</>, <function>lower</>, and <function>initcap</>

functions

<indexterm><primary>upper</><secondary>and locales</></indexterm>

<indexterm><primary>lower</><secondary>and locales</></indexterm>

</para>

</listitem>

<listitem>

<para>

The <function>to_char</> family of functions

<indexterm><primary>to_char</><secondary>and locales</></indexterm>

</para>

</listitem>

</itemizedlist>

allows you to store text in a variety of character sets, including

single-byte character sets such as the ISO 8859 series and

multiple-byte character sets such as <acronym>EUC</> (Extended Unix

Code),UTF8, and Mule internal code. All character sets can be

Code),UTF-8, and Mule internal code. All character sets can be

used transparently throughout the server. (If you use extension

functions from other sources, it depends on whether they wrote

their code correctly.) The default character set is selected while

can use <option>--encoding</option> instead of

<option>-E</option> if you prefer to type longer option strings.

If no <option>-E</> or <option>--encoding</option> option is

given, <literal>SQL_ASCII</> is used.

given, <command>initdb</> attempts to determine the appropriate

encoding to use based on the specified or default locale.

</para>

<para>