Re: how to work with utf-8

[Peter Dyballa]

Am 18.04.2005 um 00:16 schrieb Paul Tremblay:

> 1. Is there an easier way to open a utf-8 file than with:
>
> C-x C-m c utf-8 C-x C-f ?
>
> For example, what if I want to create a new utf-8 file from scratch?

You can set these things in .emacs:

        (set-language-environment               'UTF-8)
        (set-default-coding-systems             'utf-8)
        (setq file-name-coding-system           'utf-8)
        (setq default-buffer-file-coding-system 'utf-8)
        (setq coding-system-for-write           'utf-8)
        (set-keyboard-coding-system             'utf-8)
        (set-terminal-coding-system             'utf-8)
;       (set-clipboard-coding-system            'utf-8)
;       (set-selection-coding-system            'utf-8)
        (set-language-environment               'German)
        (prefer-coding-system                   'iso-8859-15)
        (modify-coding-system-alist 'process "\\*shell\\*\\'" 'utf-8-unix)

and/or set locales like LC_ALL, LC_CTYPE, LANG to contain UTF-8 as for 
example: LANG=de_DE.UTF-8. Modern Emacsen, I think 21.3 at least, 
derive their mode of operation from this.

You can start your text files à la: ;;; -*- mode: Text; coding: utf-8; 
-*-
Once you've done that you can C-x RET r: 
revert-buffer-with-coding-system.

And what you might need most are fontsets of fonts that allow you to 
see these glyphs.


> 2. How do I enter utf-8 characters directly in emacs? In vim, there is
> a serier of sequences to do this: control k, and then u to indicate a
> hexidecimal that has a width of 4, and then something like 201c for a
> right curly quote.

Happily I can input these with my keyboard, either directly or with 
simultaneously pressing the alt key. But for the future I'd like to 
know a more general method too ...

--
Greetings

  Pete

  Basic, n.:
        A programming language.  Related to certain social diseases in
that those who have it will not admit it in polite company.