.. _normalize-unicode:

=================
normalize-unicode
================= 

Normalizes according to a Unicode normalization form

Description
~~~~~~~~~~~
The fn:normalize-unicode function performs Unicode normalization, which allows 
text to be compared without regard to subtle variations in character 
representation. It replaces certain characters with equivalent representations. 
Two normalized values can then be compared to determine whether they are the 
same. Unicode normalization is also useful for allowing character strings to be 
sorted appropriately.

The $normalizationForm argument controls which normalization form is used, and 
hence which characters are replaced. 

All implementations support the value NFC for $normalizationForm; some 
implementations may support other values. 

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   :widths: 40 60
   :header-rows: 1

   * - **Parameters**
     - **Description**
   * - arg:string()
     - the string to normalize
   * - normalizationForm:string()
     - the normalization form

Examples
~~~~~~~~
.. list-table::
   :widths: 25 25 50
   :header-rows: 1

   * - **XPath**
     - **Results**
     - **Explanation**
   * - normalize-unicode('query')
     - query
     - 
   * - normalize-unicode('query', '')
     - query
     - 
   * - normalize-unicode('£', 'NFKC')
     - £ 
     - Converts ￡ to £.
   * - normalize-unicode('leçon', 'NFKD')
     - lecon
     - Converts leçon to leçon. There are two characters in the output, a "c" and a separate cedilla, but they are probably not visible separately in your browser.
   * - normalize-unicode('15 ㎗')
     - 15 ㎗
     - 
   * - normalize-unicode('15 ㎗', 'NFKC')
     - 15 dl
     - Converts ㎗ to the letters 'dl'.