Special Character Hunting - Libre Writer

users
#1

WordPerfect has reveal codes which display the numbers for a special
character so they're easy to find instead of scrolling down hundred of
symbols in a chart.

Ex. ►

Will any version of Libre Writer do that, including LO 6?

Thanks,

Charles.

#2

WordPerfect has reveal codes which display the numbers for a special character so they're easy to find instead of scrolling down hundred of symbols in a chart.

Surely this can happen only if you already have the character in your document? In that case it is a simple matter to copy it and paste it anywhere else you want it. If you need it often, you might consider typing a code for it and then using Find & Replace to substitute the required character. In any case, scrolling through the Special Characters chart can be inefficient, as the character you require may exist only in some fonts.

Ex. [solid right-arrow symbol]

It is usually fairy easy to discover Unicode code numbers by a simple web search. Searching for "right triangle unicode" throws up amongst the first few results:
o Unicode Character 'BLACK RIGHT-POINTING TRIANGLE' (U+25B6)
o Unicode Character 'BLACK RIGHT-POINTING SMALL TRIANGLE' (U+25B8)
o Geometric Shapes - HTML Unicode UTF-8
o Geometric Shapes - Wikipedia

Scrolling down to 25B6 in Special Characters is then a simple matter - and I can see at a glance that it is missing from the first font I try.

I trust this helps.

Brian Barker

#3

WordPerfect has reveal codes which display the numbers for a special
character so they're easy to find instead of scrolling down hundred of
symbols in a chart.

Ex. ►

Will any version of Libre Writer do that, including LO 6?

Oh no! Not the reveal codes’ flame war again, please! Search the archives
for ”reveal codes” and you'll probably have enough to read for a few weeks…

Kind regards

Johnny Rosenberg

#4

Hi Charles,

WordPerfect has reveal codes which display the numbers for a special
character so they're easy to find instead of scrolling down hundred of
symbols in a chart.

Ex. ►

Will any version of Libre Writer do that, including LO 6?

Yes, it is implemented at least since 5.4. The command is "Toggle Unicode Notation" and it has the shortcut key Alt+X. It toggles the character left from the cursor to U+number and back.

And in LO 6 a new special character dialog is implemented. It has a search field, where you can enter fragments of the Unicode name.

Entering the code point directly in the dialog does not work correctly, but you can enter U+number in the text and toggle it. If you have at least one font on your system, that has a glyph for it, you will get it, at least via font replacement.

If you only know the glyph, then you should use a tool, where you can draw the glyph and get the character. Such is not implemented in LO, but e.g. http://shapecatcher.com/ can help.

Kind regards
Regina

#5

This isn't the standard "Reveal Codes" request.
So the rational for the usual flamewar isn't present.

jonathon

#6

If you do not remember the "U+number" code, this is a good place to start.

http://unicode.org/charts/

This is my default site to search for Unicode characters via. its place in the standard placement. There are several Unicode fonts that I have used, but each have their own set of which characters are included. Since I do not use many Unicode characters/glyphs, I have to tried find/replace for these characters very often.

There are several free Unicode fonts that have a large percent of the Unicode character/glyph set. I tend look for good fonts every so often. I hope you get your needs met for this issue.

#7

Charles,

Do you have a specific style of font in mind?  Or a specific font name?

I use both Arial Unicode and Code2000 for my first font choice, if I do not have a specific style of font needed for the document. I also have others for specific needs, but those are the ones I deal with.

#8

Thanks to the Harfbuzz font renderer added about LO 5.3 or early 5.4, a
lot of special characters like ligatures, small caps and nut fractions
should be added automatically if the font includes them.

You can also set up software keyboard locales to use advanced
typographical features.

https://lwn.net/Articles/741722/

You can also set up a software keyboard locale that uses international
characters, so you can type

o ___o
Bruce Byfield (on Pacific time) 604-421-7189
Writer of "Designing with LibreOffice"
www.designingwithlibreoffice.com