Re: Discretionary hyphen

[cld@xxxxxxxx (Carl Distefano)]

Reply to note from Patricia M Godfrey  Thu, 6
Mar 2003 20:47:11 -0500

Patricia:

> Apparently, if one wishes to use a character not normally
> entered by a single keystroke (e.g., one one types in using
> CTRL+ALT and a keypad number), one must do it through the
> menus. Opening SETTINGS.DFL, finding dh=, and typing in the
> ASCII code doesn't seem to "take."

It "takes", alright. But once you set a given character as the DH,
entering that character by the Ctrl+Alt method produces, without
further ado, the *3-byte* version of that character, which, after
the new DH assignment, is the only available displayable/printable
form of that character. As you say, perfectly logical. Now, if you
want to make an assignment in your keyboard file that produces the
printable, 3-byte version, you've got to assign the *5-byte* version
of the character. In other words, normal rules apply: a 5-byter
coded in the KBD file produces the corresponding 3-byter on screen;
a 3-byter or 1-byter in the KBD file produces the corresponding
1-byte char on screen.

Here's an example: Suppose you set the DH to the 1-byte Ascii-241
plus-or-minus symbol. Ctrl+Alt+2,4,1 now produces a *3-byte* plus-
or-minus symbol (byte structure [255]+"F1"). To code a printable
plus-or-minus symbol in the KBD file, you've got to do nn=NO, ,F,1
(where the apparent space after func NO is actually a 3-byte Ascii-
255, produced with Ctrl+Alt+2,5,5). The 3-byte 255 plus the other 2
bytes, F1, make up the 5-byte version of the plus-or-minus symbol.
Once you've coded that in your KBD file, your chosen key will
produce the 3-byte, printable, non-DH version of that character.

Easy, no?

--
Carl Distefano
cld@xxxxxxxx
http://users.datarealm.com/xywwweb/