https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=159000
Bug ID: 159000
Summary: WRITER: Insert Special Characters menu window only
shows a part of available characters in certain fonts
(But accessible through Unicode)
Product: LibreOffice
Version: 7.6.4.1 release
Hardware: All
OS: Windows (All)
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Severity: minor
Priority: medium
Component: Writer
Assignee: [email protected]
Reporter: [email protected]
Description:
Hello.
This problem is partly there because of my font of choice / preference, which
is Cavolini in all of its four supported forms (regular / italic / bold /
italic bold). At least in Arial and Times New Roman, the needed characters are
available in the Insert Special Characters menu window. However, even if some
sources claim that Cavolini wouldn't support these characters, Unicode does,
and provenly, they do exist within the font data. For some reason, OL Writer
doesn't recognize or show them, even if they are accessible through the
Unicode.
I would need to insert in my otherwise English text some foreign words, for
instance transliterated Mandarin words with the corresponding characters
denoting tones. The same goes for Turkish and the Turkic (family of) languages,
for instance.
It doesn't work in this font by inserting the (combining) diacritic through the
same window and typing the alphabetic character normally - or inserting the
alphabetic character also through the window. This would be the
standard(keyboard) typing order, if those "dead keys" would exist in the
configuration of your own keyboard. I tried the reverse order as well,
inserting the alphabetic character first and then the (combining) diacritic.
The same end result: an orphaned diacritic either preceding or superceding a
Latin character.
As it turns out, the diacritics given in the Insert Special Characters menu
aren't actually _combining_ diacritics.
For the best convenience, I'll demonstrate using a character that doesn't
appear in the most common language configurations or selections: the Latin
Small Letter O with a double acute accent. This is to avoid any system settings
that force a pre-formed combination character automatically after the specific
typing sequence occurs.
[This actually used to be an issue in the older versions of LO Writer (the one
I had in use, about three years ago), as well as the reverted character
appearing in the default application font, instead of the document default font
or the selected font inside that text block. (As an anecdote, some of these
strange reversions still appear in certain older drafts of my texts, retained
in the PDF conversions made for the sake of easier proofreading, as a funny
throwback.)]
Example: the double acute accent found in the menu is [U+02dd]. The correct,
combining acute accent ought to be [U+030b]. The actual combining diacritics
can't be found anywhere in the available selection in the Insert Special
Characters menu window - but, when typing them in the text in their Unicode
form followed by the combination key [alt+x], does bring out the correct
combined characters (the vowel with the diacritic correctly above it) - in the
used font, as a cherry on top. Therefore, they have to exist in the data of the
font files, so who don't they show in the menu window?
AND the alternative pre-formed combination characters can also be accessed
through typing in its Unicode "tag" (pardon me for the makeshift term, I
couldn't find the actual one anywhere, even on Wikipedia, and "Unicode code"
was too tautological for my own comfort) with [alt+x], even if they either
aren't anywhere visible or listed in the access menu.
I double-checked the actual identification through the [alt+x] command, and the
characters typed in through using the Latin character superceded by the Unicode
tag that form into the combination character aren't forced into reverting to
their special preformed combination characters, even if those exist in the data
and are accessible through typing the commands.
For users who often need combination characters or unusual combined characters,
not finding them in the Insert Special Character menu window (even if they
evidently exist in the currently used font!), or not being able to use the
combining diacritics through the same menu, is inconvenient. So is the constant
Unicode typing in the middle of a text.
There neither are adequate instructions for this method offered anywhere that
would be easily found or accessed. Only an hour of googling finally provided me
the solution, which is to write the Latin character _before_ inserting the
Unicode to the text, _without_ a [space], which adds in the inconvenience since
in the default settings, any [ctrl+v] automatically inserts a [space] after the
pasted piece. It requires an additional [backspace] to be used, before the
[alt+x] can be employed. This also is a bit counter-intuitive, already because
the usual *typing order on a keyboard* is the total *reverse* of this, the
diacritic preceding the alphabetic character.
I've fumbled with this countless times, until I now finally found the correct
answer through endless googling. And, using the Unicode for both of the parts
in the combination doesn't work, at least without something used to connect the
two Unicode tags together, and I couldn't find the specific command/code for
this, not being a coder. The Latin character needs to be in the typed form (use
[alt+x] if necessary, when applying a specific base character through
copy/pasting from a Unicode table, as is sometimes convenient), and the
combining diacritic in the Unicode tag form. I feel like a f:ng private
investigator, now. :D
Creating keyboard shortcuts is said to be possible, so I'm likely going to go
through that trouble next, but I'd be grateful if you could consider checking
the functionality of this feature, as it's a pretty essential component of word
processing.
Thanks!
Steps to Reproduce:
First, to produce the incorrect forms:
* Make certain of that the font is set as Cavolini. It doesn't matter if it's
the default document font, the default LibreOffice font, or just the font
you've selected either for the text, or only from the Insert Special Character
Menu, once you open it. I've tested all of these options, along the last few
months, if not today.
Test #1
1. Open the Insert Special Character menu window
2. Search for the needed diacritic
3. Browse for it, because search produces no results
4. Select the diacritic Double Acute Accent (it appears to be [U+02dd]) and
hope it's the correct one
5. Insert the diacritic to the text by using the respective button in the
window, and close the window if it doesn't do that by itself
6. Type in the Latin small character (o); it's [U+006f] if you need a specific
character for your convenience
7. Nothing happens. You should see ˝ and o separately in the text.
(Test #2)
8. Test the reverse order (phase 6 first, then 1 through 5)
9. Nothing still happens. You should see o and ˝ separately in the text, this
time in this order.
Test #3
Now, test the other technique.
1. Insert the Latin Small Letter O by simply typing it from the keyboard. It's
[U+006f], in case you're using Unicode definitions and need to be certain of
the right configuration / Unicode section.
2. Without leaving a [space], type down the Unicode tag [U+030b], which is the
correct Unicode for a Combining Double Acute Accent.
3. Use the combination key [alt+x]
4. You get a combined character in the text.
Test #4
You can also use the pre-formed combination key:
1. Type into the text the Unicode tag [U+0151], which is the correct Unicode
for the character ő (Latin Small Letter O with double acute accent)
2. Press combination key [alt+x]
3. You have the pre-formed combination character in the text.
This can all be repeated while using the Times New Roman or Arial fonts, and
the Insert Special Character menu window will show you a much larger variation
of choices for the characters. The tested characters will still be functional
also in Cavolini, despite not showing in the menu.
Actual Results:
The options Test #3 and Test #4 should produce the necessary combination
character in the used font (Cavolini).
Expected Results:
The Insert Special Character menu window ought to also offer the choices for
the _combining_ diacritics, and the rest of the combination characters -
especially since not all of the characters exist in the rather limited default
menu. I assume that the software somehow thinks that these characters aren't
supported, even if they clearly are. The possible solution in that case would
be to allow the software to recognize which options are available, instead of
limiting the choices to very few possibilities which don't cover the actual
needs.
Cavolini is a neat and cute, yet very legible handwriting style font that is
both airy and easy to read. It doesn't contain easily confused character forms
aside from the Latin Capital Letter I and the Latin Small Letter L, or the
numeral 1 in some cases, which makes it ideal for writing more accessible
texts, or longer pieces with a good spacing. It's a versatile font which is
only made more usable by its ability to appear legible and tidy even in its
variant forms and while using stylistic typographical tricks such as shadowing,
widening, spacing and altering the character height. Therefore, it's an
important font and deserves fully supported basic features in the software.
Reproducible: Always
User Profile Reset: No
Additional Info:
Version: 7.6.4.1 (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: e19e193f88cd6c0525a17fb7a176ed8e6a3e2aa1
CPU threads: 4; OS: Windows 10.0 Build 22621; UI render: Skia/Raster; VCL: win
Locale: fi-FI (fi_FI); UI: fi-FI
Calc: threaded
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