William Overington continued: > Then, in order to apply the classification system to any plain text file, > the file needs to contain some classification characters near the start. > > For a file using the Egyptian hieroglyphics characters, the following > sequence would be needed. > > U+F35B U+F333 U+F330 U+F330 U+F331 U+F35D
Why not simply insert the following text at the top of the file or page: "This text includes PUA characters which require the use of the font XXX.ttf for proper display, accessible at http://xxx/yyy/"; This accomplishes everything you indicate below, without the need for a semi-standard agreement on U+FE.. characters, without any "findpuac.ttf" font required to read the labelling, and without any need for maintenance of a "type tray" registry someplace that people would have to apply to to get their type tray identification code. > Suppose then that one day someone comes across a plain text file and within > that plain text file are character codes from the Private Use Area and that > person has no idea as to which character set those character codes may be > intended to represent. Problem obviated by the alternative approach. > > So, the person looks at that file using a word processing program and > chooses to use a specially made fount named findpuac.ttf (that is, the find > private use area classification fount) which has all characters as zero > width except for the eighteen characters in the U+F3.. block which I > mentioned in my previous posting, those eighteen characters being > implemented in the findpuac.ttf fount as having analysis glyphs as detailed > in my previous posting. Unneeded in the alternative approach. > The screen display gives a code of C001 which the > person can look up in a web based reference list Unneeded in the alternative approach. > and there finds out that it > is in fact a particular character set for cuneiform characters. The web > based reference list contains a link to a website from which the person > downloads a copy of a special fount that contains the cuneiform characters. Directly readable in the original document using the alternative approach. > The plain text file is then displayed using that fount. Same in both approaches. > That fount has the > eighteen characters in the U+F3.. block which I mentioned as being zero > width, so that they do not affect the display at all when the file is > displayed. Unnecessary in the alternative approach. > So, I suggest that the system is not too complex at all to implement and > use. The existence of a *much* simpler alternative approach indicates to me that it is indeed too complex, and that the availability of the obvious alternative will preclude heading in this direction. --Ken
