Off-Topic: Fun With 'Fonts'!

by FOG, Thursday, January 10, 2013, 02:59 (4282 days ago)
edited by FOG, Thursday, January 10, 2013, 03:05

If you're running a PC, there is a little-known but still very useful Windows utility program called 'Character Map' (charmap.exe) that gives you access to the 'full' character sets for all of the fonts installed on your machine.

For example, modern PCs usually come with a font called 'Verdana' - and this board uses that font by 'default' - but your keyboard only shows you part of the story.

Let's say you want to type a 'degree symbol' (as in temperature), or a common fraction, such as one-quarter or one-half.

JMO, but 'Character Map' (charmap.exe) is a pretty slick way of doing that and more.

Screenshot (degree symbol)

[image]

Typed (ALT+0176 = Old Skool)

It's a sunny 72° in San Diego.

Common Fractions (also 'typed' = copied from Character Map)

⅛, ¼, ⅜, ½, ⅝, ¾, ⅞

'More'

I'm bored. Can you tell? :-D

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[image]

Off-Topic: Fun With 'Fonts'!

by Hobie ⌂ @, Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Thursday, January 10, 2013, 07:37 (4281 days ago) @ FOG

Note that in the lower right corner it shows what numbers to use with the ALT key depressed to insert that character without having to open the character map. It is neat. I use it often.

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Sincerely,

Hobie

Off-Topic: Fun With 'Fonts'!

by Paul ⌂, Thursday, January 10, 2013, 08:48 (4281 days ago) @ FOG

I notice they also include such things as ä ë ï ö ü á é í ó ú and ç and... anyway, the accent marks over standard letters are easily done by simply changing your keyboard layout to US International. The ' and " then become "dead keys". You type them and then either the space key to use them "as is" or type a letter key to get either the single or double (á or ä) Interestingly enough, the ' works with c to give you ç instead of the comma which seems "more intuitive" since it hangs down below the letter. :-D These are handy for hablando español and falando português as well as for various western european languages that incorporate such markings. The US International keyboard layout works just the same as a regular keyboard in English except that it allows you to, well, type internationally.

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