man(1) Manual page archive


     CHAR(1)                                                   CHAR(1)

     NAME
          char, ½char, rschar - browse the Unicode Standard

     SYNOPSIS
          char [ font ]
          ½char [ -s file ] [ font ]
          rschar [ -bgj ] [ -s file ] [ font ]

     DESCRIPTION
          Char displays two square arrays of characters on the screen.
          The left square shows the first character of each 256-
          character page of the Unicode Standard.  The right square
          shows the contents of one page.  Using button 1 or 2 to
          select a character in the left square changes the right
          square to display the corresponding page and displays the
          offset and name of the page in the upper left corner of the
          screen.  Selecting a character in the right square displays
          its hexadecimal value and name.  In addition, any characters
          selected with button 2 are added to the end of 8½'s snarf
          buffer.  Button 3 pops up a menu containing an exit button,
          whose selection must be confirmed by pressing button 3 again
          and a clear snarf button that empties the snarf buffer.

          The optional argument indicates which font to use (default
          $font).

          ½char is intended for a smaller window and displays only a
          single 256-character panel.  Clicking button 1 on a charac-
          ter displays its code and, if possible, description; button
          2 works similarly, but also writes the character to file,
          default /dev/snarf (8½'s snarf buffer), which it displays
          near the bottom of the window.  Clicking button 3 selects
          the page corresponding to the cursor position in the panel.
          Typed characters are added to the file, except: backspace
          deletes the last character; control-U clears the buffer;
          control-D exits.

          Rschar is the radical/stroke chart from Volume 2 of the Uni-
          code Standard.  Flags can be used to restrict the display to
          one or more Asian character sets:

          -b   Big Five (traditional Chinese).

          -g   GB 2312-80 (simplified Chinese).

          -j   JIS X 0208-1990 (Japanese).

          By default, all characters are shown.  Button 3 controls a
          menu to change flag selections.  Radicals are shown in a
          panel on the left side of the window.  Clicking on a radical

     CHAR(1)                                                   CHAR(1)

          with button 1 or 2 brings up, on the right, a panel of char-
          acters ordered by stroke count.  If the window is too small
          to contain them all, one may scroll through successive pan-
          els by clicking on arrows that appear at the top.  Clicking
          on a character with button 1 displays its code; clicking
          with button 2 adds the character to the snarf buffer.  Typed
          characters behave as in ½char.

     FILES
          /lib/unicode contains the names of the unicode characters.
          Many characters have no name.

     SOURCE
          /sys/src/cmd/char.c
          /sys/src/cmd/½char.c
          /sys/src/cmd/rschar

     SEE ALSO
          8½(1), 8½(4)

     BUGS
          Char needs a largish window to work properly and doesn't
          complain if it doesn't get it.