[ILUG] Editing unicode text files.

[Conor McDermottroe]

On Fri, 2007-02-16 at 16:31 +0000, Aine Douglas wrote:
> Can anyone recommend a commandline text editor that is capable of
> editing unicode text files?

vim with the right compiled-in options should do the job.

My vim --version looks approximately like this:

VIM - Vi IMproved 7.0 (2006 May 7, compiled Jan  9 2007 12:28:39)
Included patches: 1-4, 6-26, 29-31, 33-44, 46-56, 58-64, 66-73, 75-107, 109-129, 131, 133-137, 139-155, 157-160, 162-169, 172-178
Big version without GUI.  Features included (+) or not (-):
+arabic +autocmd -balloon_eval -browse ++builtin_terms +byte_offset +cindent 
-clientserver -clipboard +cmdline_compl +cmdline_hist +cmdline_info +comments 
+cryptv +cscope +cursorshape +dialog_con +diff +digraphs -dnd -ebcdic 
+emacs_tags +eval +ex_extra +extra_search +farsi +file_in_path +find_in_path 
+folding -footer +fork() -gettext -hangul_input +iconv +insert_expand +jumplist
 +keymap +langmap +libcall +linebreak +lispindent +listcmds +localmap +menu 
+mksession +modify_fname +mouse -mouseshape +mouse_dec -mouse_gpm 
-mouse_jsbterm +mouse_netterm +mouse_xterm +multi_byte +multi_lang -mzscheme 
-netbeans_intg -osfiletype +path_extra -perl +postscript +printer -profile 
-python +quickfix +reltime +rightleft -ruby +scrollbind +signs +smartindent 
-sniff +statusline -sun_workshop +syntax +tag_binary +tag_old_static 
-tag_any_white -tcl +terminfo +termresponse +textobjects +title -toolbar 
+user_commands +vertsplit +virtualedit +visual +visualextra +viminfo +vreplace 
+wildignore +wildmenu +windows +writebackup -X11 -xfontset -xim -xsmp 
-xterm_clipboard -xterm_save

and I'm able to see multibyte characters.

You'll also need to have your terminal set up such that you'd be able to see the characters correctly.

-C