Re: Saving FE as FE

["Martin J. Osborne" osborne@xxxxxxxx]

Sorry for my inadequate explanation. Here's what I'm doing:

In documents, I use character 254. I map it to a key, and enter it
normally. That works fine in Xy4 (as it did in Xy3). [I use a screen
font that displays the character as a right brace; I use character 125
for a different type of right brace.]


When processing a document, I translate each character in it to a string
using a (non-XyWrite) external program. (For example, every character
130 becomes

\'{e}
if I'm outputting to LaTeX, or
é
if I'm outputting to HTML.)

The program that does the translation reads a file that contains the
substitutions. The format of this file is the same as that of the SU:
sections of a XyWrite printer file. [When I posted my initial message,
I was confused in thinking that the file *is* a XyWrite printer file.
It isn't.] So it has lines like

é=\'{e}
or
é=é

In particular, given my use of character 254, one line says
[254]=}
(where [254] is character 254). Now here's the problem: When I edit
this file and save it in Xy4, that line gets translated to

[255]FE=}
whereas Xy3 preserves
[254]=}
Is there a way to preserve [254]=} when using Xy4?

I've known about the problem ever since switching to Xy4 in 199?. Up
till now, I've dealt with it by editing the "substitution files" using
Xy3. I'm asking now about the possibility of a workaround for Xy4
because I don't have Xy3 installed on all my computers and it's a bit of
a nuisance to switch to Xy3 for this one type of file. (Yes, it's been
a nuisance since 199?. I am prompted to ask now because I am belatedly
writing a "substitution table" for unicode.)


Martin

Robert Holmgren wrote:


** Reply to message from "Martin J. Osborne"
 on Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:47:38 -0400


I have a substitution file that contains a substitution
for ASCII 254 (hex FE). When saving this file, Xy4
translates FE to FF 46 45 (hex)


FF 46 45 = "{255}FE". 254|FEx is a reserved XyWrite control
character. You canNOT insert it into text as a one-byte
character! Period. XyWrite will crash ("STACK STACK STACK
STACK ...").


If you explain more of what you're trying to do, and
procedurally how you do it -- maybe it can be arranged. What do
you mean, a "substitution file"? An SU: table in a PRN file?
An auto-correct file, which changes a *single* character?? If

you have hundreds of files that "rely" on this character, how
did you just discover that it doesn't work in Xy4 (after lo
these many years)?



It was probably unwise to use a subsitution for
ASCII 254 to begin with



254 has been a control character for a long time! Even under
Xy3.

-----------------------------
Robert Holmgren
holmgren@xxxxxxxx
-----------------------------


--
Martin J. Osborne
Department of Economics
150 St. George Street
University of Toronto
Toronto
M5S 3G7
Canada
http://www.economics.utoronto.ca

martin.osborne@xxxxxxxx
http://www.economics.utoronto.ca/osborne
+1 416-978-5094

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