About the Cpg file format
- Name
- ESRI Code Page File
- Extension
- .cpg
- Format
- Binary
- Category
- GIS
- Developer
- ESRI
- Description
- The ESRI Code Page (CPG) file is a simple text file used in conjunction with shapefiles created by ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute) software, such as ArcGIS. The CPG file specifies the character encoding used for the attribute data stored in the DBF (database file) that accompanies a shapefile. This is important for correctly displaying special characters (such as accents or symbols specific to languages other than English) within the attribute data.
- MIME Type
- application/octet-stream
- Wikipedia
- .cpg on Wikipedia
The CPG file format describes a set of characters that help to localize maps for particular languages through displaying text in shapefiles. These characters are for ESRI program products such as ArcGIS Desktop Suite to read dBase files that are encoded in the primary code page. They are also used to read and write shapefile especially when there is no stored code page information stored in the file.
Certain systems use characters that are not used by other similar systems. A good example is the ANSI 1252 code that is used in most European languages with a code point value of 202 in decimal value representing the character “. ANSI 1253 code page that is used by the Greek represents the character K.
An ESRI Code Page File (CPG) opens after the computer has looked at the Language Driver ID (LDID). This ID is usually at the header of an associated CPG file or a dBASE file. These two are important because they are the ones used to determine the particular code page in the file that should open. The opening is fast, even where a conversion of the code page is necessary.