The presentation forms are present only for compatibility with older standards such as codepage 864 used in DOS, and are typically used in visual and not logical order.[3]
The following Unicode-related documents record the purpose and process of defining specific characters in the Arabic Presentation Forms-A block:
| Version | Final code points| Count | L2 ID | WG2 ID | Document | |
|---|
| 1.1 | U+FB50..FBB1, FBD3..FD3F, FD50..FD8F, FD92..FDC7, FDF0..FDFB | 593 | (to be determined) |
| 3.1 | U+FDD0..FDEF | 32 | [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2000/00187.htm L2/00-187]}} | title=UTC minutes -- Boston, August 8-11, 2000|date=2000-08-23|first=Lisa|last=Moore|section=Not a Character}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2001/01050-n2353.pdf L2/01-050]}} | [https://www.unicode.org/wg2/docs/n2253.pdf N2253] | title=Minutes of the SC2/WG2 meeting in Athens, September 2000|date=2001-01-21|first=V. S.|last=Umamaheswaran|section=7.20 Proposal for Reserved Positions for Processing Purposes}} |
| 3.2 | U+FDFC | 1 | L2/98-359}} | [https://www.unicode.org/wg2/docs/n1856.pdf N1856] | title=Addition of Rial sign on ISO/IEC 10646-1|date=1998-08-21|first=T. K.|last=Sato}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2001/01148r-rial.pdf L2/01-148R]}} | title=Proposal: Arabic Ligature Rial|date=2001-04-07|first=Roozbeh|last=Pournader}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2001/01184.htm L2/01-184R]}} | title=Minutes from the UTC/L2 meeting|date=2001-06-18|first=Lisa|last=Moore|section=Motion 87-M6}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2001/01354-rial.pdf L2/01-354]}} | [https://www.unicode.org/wg2/docs/n2373.pdf N2373] | title=Proposal: Arabic Currency Sign Rial|date=2001-09-20|first=Roozbeh|last=Pournader}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02154-n2403-minutes.pdf L2/02-154]}} | [https://www.unicode.org/wg2/docs/n2403.pdf N2403] | title=Draft minutes of WG 2 meeting 41, Hotel Phoenix, Singapore, 2001-10-15/19|date=2002-04-22|first=V. S.|last=Umamaheswaran|section=7.8}} |
| 4.0 | U+FDFD | 1 | [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02005-uzt.pdf L2/02-005]}} | title=Urdu Computing Standards (Charts and Exhibits)|date=2001-12-18|first1=Sarmad|last1=Hussain|first2=Muhammad|last2=Afzal}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02006-zia.pdf L2/02-006 (pdf],}} [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02006-zia.doc doc]) | N2413-1}} | title=Towards Unicode Standard for Urdu|date=2002-01-10|first=Khaver|last=Zia}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02003-uzt.pdf L2/02-003]}} | N2413-2}} | title=Urdu Computing Standards: Development of Urdu Zabta Takhti (UZT) 1.01|date=2001-12-28|first1=Muhammad|last1=Afzal|first2=Sarmad|last2=Hussain}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02004-uzt.pdf L2/02-004]}} | N2413-3}} | title=Urdu Computing Standards: Urdu Zabta Takhti (UZT) 1.01|date=2001-12-28|first1=Sarmad|last1=Hussain|first2=Muhammad|last2=Afzal}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02163-n2413-4-urdu.pdf L2/02-163]}} | N2413-4 (pdf,}} doc) | title=Proposal to add Marks and Digits in Arabic Code Block (for Urdu)|date=2002-04-30}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02011R-kew.pdf L2/02-011R]}} | title=Comments on L2/02-006: Towards Unicode Standard for Urdu|date=2002-01-12|first=Jonathan|last=Kew}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02197-urdu.pdf L2/02-197]}} | title=Urdu Feedback from Bidi Committee|date=2002-05-01|first=Asmus|last=Freytag}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/consortium/utc-minutes/UTC-091-200205.html L2/02-166R2]}} | title=UTC #91 Minutes|date=2002-08-09|first=Lisa|last=Moore|section=Motion 91-M3}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02372-n2453-minutes.pdf L2/02-372]}} | [https://www.unicode.org/wg2/docs/n2453.pdf N2453 (pdf],}} [https://www.unicode.org/wg2/docs/n2453.doc doc]) | title=Unconfirmed minutes of WG 2 meeting 42|date=2002-10-30|first=V. S.|last=Umamaheswaran|section=7.9 Urdu contribution}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02466-n2567-basmalah.pdf L2/02-466]}} | [https://www.unicode.org/wg2/docs/n2567.pdf N2567] | title=Towards resolution on the name of U+FDFD|date=2002-12-09|first1=Michael|last1=Everson|authorlink1=Michael Everson|first2=Roozbeh|last2=Pournader}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02467-n2568-bismallah-consensus.pdf L2/02-467]}} | [https://www.unicode.org/wg2/docs/n2568.pdf N2568] | title=Consensus on the name of U+FDFD|date=2002-12-10|first1=Michael|last1=Everson|first2=Roozbeh|last2=Pournader|first3=Sarmad|last3=Hussain|first4=Muhammad|last4=Afzal}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2004/04196-n2653.pdf L2/04-196]}} | [https://www.unicode.org/wg2/docs/n2653.pdf N2653 (pdf],}} [https://www.unicode.org/wg2/docs/n2653.doc doc]) | title=Unconfirmed minutes of WG 2 meeting 44|date=2004-06-04|first=V. S.|last=Umamaheswaran|section=a-3}} |
| 6.0 | U+FBB2..FBC1 | 16 | L2/98-274}} | title=Proposed Arabic Script Additions for Minority Languages|date=1998-07-28|first1=Mark|last1=Davis|authorlink1=Mark Davis (Unicode)|first2=Kamal|last2=Mansour}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L1998/98409.pdf L2/98-409]}} | title=Proposal to add 25 Arabic characters to the BMP|date=1998-12-01|first1=Mark|last1=Davis|first2=Kamal|last2=Mansour}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L1998/98419.pdf L2/98-419 (pdf],}} [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L1998/98419.doc doc]) | title=Approved Minutes -- UTC #78 & NCITS Subgroup L2 # 175 Joint Meeting, San Jose, CA -- December 1-4, 1998|date=1999-02-05|first=Joan|last=Aliprand|section=Additional Arabic characters}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2002/02021-arabic.pdf L2/02-021]}} | title=Proposal To Amend Arabic repertoire|date=2002-01-17|first1=Mark|last1=Davis|first2=Kamal|last2=Mansour}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2003/03154-gen-arabic-prop.pdf L2/03-154]}} | title=Proposal to encode productive Arabic-script modifier marks|date=2003-05-16|first1=Jonathan|last1=Kew|first2=Kamal|last2=Mansour|first3=Mark|last3=Davis}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2006/06039-urdu-arabic-prelim.pdf L2/06-039]}} | [https://www.unicode.org/wg2/docs/n3460-a.pdf N3460-A]}} | title=Preliminary Proposal to add Nuqta Characters to Arabic Block|date=2006-01-29|first=Attash|last=Durrani|authorlink=Attash Durrani}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2006/06240-durrani.pdf L2/06-240]}} | title=Letter to Dr. Durrani|date=2006-07-19|first=Jonathan|last=Kew}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2006/06322-durrani-nuqtas.pdf L2/06-322]}} | title=Letter to Jonathan Kew re Nuqtas|date=2006-10-04|first=Attash|last=Durrani}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2007/07094-regarding-nuqta.pdf L2/07-094]}} | title=Regarding Nuqta Characters|date=2007-04-03|first=Attash|last=Durrani}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2007/07174-nuqta-disc.pdf L2/07-174]}} | title=The Case Folding Solution for the Arabic Script|date=2007-05-14|first=Attash|last=Durrani}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2008/08159-arabic.pdf L2/08-159]}} | title=Proposal to Encode 22 Characters for Arabic Pedagogical Use|date=2008-04-18|first1=Attash|last1=Durrani|first2=Kamal|last2=Mansour|first3=Rick|last3=McGowan}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2008/08230-cmt-arabic.pdf L2/08-230]}} | title=Comments on Proposal to Encode 22 Characters for Arabic Pedagogical Use|date=2008-05-23|first=Deborah|last=Anderson}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2008/08159r-arabic.pdf L2/08-159R]}} | [https://www.unicode.org/wg2/docs/n3460.pdf N3460R] | title=Proposal to Encode 16 Characters for Arabic Pedagogical Use|date=2008-06-24|first1=Attash|last1=Durrani|first2=Kamal|last2=Mansour|first3=Rick|last3=McGowan}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2009/09011-arabic-names.pdf L2/09-011]}} | title=Consistent naming and better properties for Arabic Pedagogical Symbols|date=2009-01-13|first=Roozbeh|last=Pournader}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2009/09110-n3606-arabic-ped.pdf L2/09-110]}} | [https://www.unicode.org/wg2/docs/n3606.pdf N3606] | title=Proposal to Advance the Renaming of Arabic Pedagogical Symbols|date=2009-03-30|first=Anshuman|last=Pandey}} |
| [https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2009/09104.htm L2/09-104]}} | title=UTC #119 / L2 #216 Minutes|date=2009-05-20|first=Lisa|last=Moore|section=119-C25}} |
1. ^{{cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org|title=Unicode character database|work=The Unicode Standard|accessdate=2016-07-09}}
2. ^{{cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/versions/enumeratedversions.html|title=Enumerated Versions of The Unicode Standard|work=The Unicode Standard|accessdate=2016-07-09}}
3. ^The Unicode Consortium. [https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode6.0.0/ The Unicode Standard, Version 6.0.0], (Mountain View, CA: The Unicode Consortium, 2011. {{ISBN|978-1-936213-01-6}}), [https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode6.0.0/ch08.pdf Chapter 8]
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