All mappings in the mapping file are applied in a consistent way. The only things that change from one mapping to the next is the source of input strings and what the output from the mapping is used for.

A mapping operation always starts off with an input string and a mapping table. The entries in the mapping table are scanned one at a time from top to bottom in the order in which they appear in the table. The left hand side of each entry is used as pattern and the input string is compared in a case-blind fashion with that pattern.