[tip/offtopic] A function to describe the characters of a word at point

[tip/offtopic] A function to describe the characters of a word at point

[Juan Manuel Macías]

Sorry for the slight offtopic.

Since Unicode and character issues come up here from time to time, I'm
sharing this 'homemade' function that I wrote a long time ago for my
work, in case someone finds it useful. It Shows a brief descriptive list
of all characters in a word at point. Each character includes the
Unicode name, code, and canonical decomposition. Example:

ἄρχοντα >>

ἄ (#1f04) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH PSILI AND OXIA ... descomp: #1f00 #301
ρ (#3c1) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO ... descomp: #3c1
χ (#3c7) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER CHI ... descomp: #3c7
ο (#3bf) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON ... descomp: #3bf
ν (#3bd) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER NU ... descomp: #3bd
τ (#3c4) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU ... descomp: #3c4
α (#3b1) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA ... descomp: #3b1


#+begin_src emacs-lisp
  (defun describe-chars-word-at-point ()
    (interactive)
    (setq chars-in-word nil)
    (if
        (not (current-word t t))
        (error "Not in a word at point...")
      (let
          ((word (current-word t t)))
        (save-excursion
          (with-temp-buffer
            (insert word)
            (goto-char (point-min))
            (while (re-search-forward "\\(.\\)" nil t)
              (let* ((char-name (save-excursion
                                  (backward-char)
                                  (get-char-code-property (char-after (point)) 'name)))
                     (char-desc (save-excursion
                                  (backward-char)
                                  (get-char-code-property (char-after (point)) 'decomposition)))
                     (char-format (concat (match-string 1) "\s" "("
                                          (format "#%x" (string-to-char (match-string 1)))
                                          ")\s...\s" char-name "\s...\sdecomp:\s"
                                          (mapconcat (lambda (cod)
                                                       (format "#%x" cod))
                                                     char-desc " "))))
                (push char-format chars-in-word)))
            (when (get-buffer "*chars in word*")
              (kill-buffer "*chars in word*"))
            (get-buffer-create "*chars in word*")
            (set-buffer "*chars in word*")
            (insert (mapconcat 'identity
                               (reverse chars-in-word) "\n"))
            (view-mode)
            (temp-buffer-window-show "*chars in word*"
                                     '((display-buffer-below-selected display-buffer-at-bottom)
                                       (inhibit-same-window . t)
                                       (window-height . fit-window-to-buffer))))
          (pop-to-buffer "*chars in word*")))))
#+end_src

Re: [tip/offtopic] A function to describe the characters of a word at point

[Marcin Borkowski]

On 2022-07-13, at 12:49, Juan Manuel Macías <maciaschain@posteo.net> wrote:

> Sorry for the slight offtopic.

Not off-topic at all, as far as I'm concerned!  (Though sending this to
help-gnu-emacs might be an even better idea.)  I use `C-u C-x =' pretty
often, so I fully understand why someone might want to code something
like this.  Very nice, thanks for sharing!

You might want to extend it and create a minor mode which would display
data about the current character in the echo area, Eldoc-style, or in
a tooltip when you hover the mouse pointer over a character.  Depending
on what exactly you need, these ideas might be more or less useful, of
course.

Also, since the answer to quite a few org-related issues seems to be
"just insert a zero-width space", making those stand out (like
non-breaking spaces already are) could also be useful.  FWIW, I have
this function in my init.el:

(defun insert-zero-width-space ()
  "Insert Unicode character \"zero-width space\"."
  (interactive)
  (insert "​"))

(of course, the 0-width space is invisible between the quotes).

Best,
mbork



> Since Unicode and character issues come up here from time to time, I'm
> sharing this 'homemade' function that I wrote a long time ago for my
> work, in case someone finds it useful. It Shows a brief descriptive list
> of all characters in a word at point. Each character includes the
> Unicode name, code, and canonical decomposition. Example:
>
> ἄρχοντα >>
>
> ἄ (#1f04) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH PSILI AND OXIA ... descomp: #1f00 #301
> ρ (#3c1) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO ... descomp: #3c1
> χ (#3c7) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER CHI ... descomp: #3c7
> ο (#3bf) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON ... descomp: #3bf
> ν (#3bd) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER NU ... descomp: #3bd
> τ (#3c4) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU ... descomp: #3c4
> α (#3b1) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA ... descomp: #3b1
>
>
> #+begin_src emacs-lisp
>   (defun describe-chars-word-at-point ()
>     (interactive)
>     (setq chars-in-word nil)
>     (if
>         (not (current-word t t))
>         (error "Not in a word at point...")
>       (let
>           ((word (current-word t t)))
>         (save-excursion
>           (with-temp-buffer
>             (insert word)
>             (goto-char (point-min))
>             (while (re-search-forward "\\(.\\)" nil t)
>               (let* ((char-name (save-excursion
>                                   (backward-char)
>                                   (get-char-code-property (char-after (point)) 'name)))
>                      (char-desc (save-excursion
>                                   (backward-char)
>                                   (get-char-code-property (char-after (point)) 'decomposition)))
>                      (char-format (concat (match-string 1) "\s" "("
>                                           (format "#%x" (string-to-char (match-string 1)))
>                                           ")\s...\s" char-name "\s...\sdecomp:\s"
>                                           (mapconcat (lambda (cod)
>                                                        (format "#%x" cod))
>                                                      char-desc " "))))
>                 (push char-format chars-in-word)))
>             (when (get-buffer "*chars in word*")
>               (kill-buffer "*chars in word*"))
>             (get-buffer-create "*chars in word*")
>             (set-buffer "*chars in word*")
>             (insert (mapconcat 'identity
>                                (reverse chars-in-word) "\n"))
>             (view-mode)
>             (temp-buffer-window-show "*chars in word*"
>                                      '((display-buffer-below-selected display-buffer-at-bottom)
>                                        (inhibit-same-window . t)
>                                        (window-height . fit-window-to-buffer))))
>           (pop-to-buffer "*chars in word*")))))
> #+end_src


-- 
Marcin Borkowski
http://mbork.pl

Re: [tip/offtopic] A function to describe the characters of a word at point

[Samuel Wales]

good idea for command.  i like the additional ideas too like the help
text [i hae that put in echo area even in gui].

for even more blue sky stuff, i was thinking along the lines of
information about characters, such as en/locale meanings for cjk.  or
furigana [ruby text] for the echo area.  requires lookup though.  (to
go along with meanings for input method. :))


On 7/14/22, Marcin Borkowski <mbork@mbork.pl> wrote:
>
> On 2022-07-13, at 12:49, Juan Manuel Macías <maciaschain@posteo.net> wrote:
>
>> Sorry for the slight offtopic.
>
> Not off-topic at all, as far as I'm concerned!  (Though sending this to
> help-gnu-emacs might be an even better idea.)  I use `C-u C-x =' pretty
> often, so I fully understand why someone might want to code something
> like this.  Very nice, thanks for sharing!
>
> You might want to extend it and create a minor mode which would display
> data about the current character in the echo area, Eldoc-style, or in
> a tooltip when you hover the mouse pointer over a character.  Depending
> on what exactly you need, these ideas might be more or less useful, of
> course.
>
> Also, since the answer to quite a few org-related issues seems to be
> "just insert a zero-width space", making those stand out (like
> non-breaking spaces already are) could also be useful.  FWIW, I have
> this function in my init.el:
>
> (defun insert-zero-width-space ()
>   "Insert Unicode character \"zero-width space\"."
>   (interactive)
>   (insert "​"))
>
> (of course, the 0-width space is invisible between the quotes).
>
> Best,
> mbork
>
>
>
>> Since Unicode and character issues come up here from time to time, I'm
>> sharing this 'homemade' function that I wrote a long time ago for my
>> work, in case someone finds it useful. It Shows a brief descriptive list
>> of all characters in a word at point. Each character includes the
>> Unicode name, code, and canonical decomposition. Example:
>>
>> ἄρχοντα >>
>>
>> ἄ (#1f04) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH PSILI AND OXIA ... descomp:
>> #1f00 #301
>> ρ (#3c1) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO ... descomp: #3c1
>> χ (#3c7) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER CHI ... descomp: #3c7
>> ο (#3bf) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON ... descomp: #3bf
>> ν (#3bd) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER NU ... descomp: #3bd
>> τ (#3c4) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU ... descomp: #3c4
>> α (#3b1) ... GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA ... descomp: #3b1
>>
>>
>> #+begin_src emacs-lisp
>>   (defun describe-chars-word-at-point ()
>>     (interactive)
>>     (setq chars-in-word nil)
>>     (if
>>         (not (current-word t t))
>>         (error "Not in a word at point...")
>>       (let
>>           ((word (current-word t t)))
>>         (save-excursion
>>           (with-temp-buffer
>>             (insert word)
>>             (goto-char (point-min))
>>             (while (re-search-forward "\\(.\\)" nil t)
>>               (let* ((char-name (save-excursion
>>                                   (backward-char)
>>                                   (get-char-code-property (char-after
>> (point)) 'name)))
>>                      (char-desc (save-excursion
>>                                   (backward-char)
>>                                   (get-char-code-property (char-after
>> (point)) 'decomposition)))
>>                      (char-format (concat (match-string 1) "\s" "("
>>                                           (format "#%x" (string-to-char
>> (match-string 1)))
>>                                           ")\s...\s" char-name
>> "\s...\sdecomp:\s"
>>                                           (mapconcat (lambda (cod)
>>                                                        (format "#%x"
>> cod))
>>                                                      char-desc " "))))
>>                 (push char-format chars-in-word)))
>>             (when (get-buffer "*chars in word*")
>>               (kill-buffer "*chars in word*"))
>>             (get-buffer-create "*chars in word*")
>>             (set-buffer "*chars in word*")
>>             (insert (mapconcat 'identity
>>                                (reverse chars-in-word) "\n"))
>>             (view-mode)
>>             (temp-buffer-window-show "*chars in word*"
>>                                      '((display-buffer-below-selected
>> display-buffer-at-bottom)
>>                                        (inhibit-same-window . t)
>>                                        (window-height .
>> fit-window-to-buffer))))
>>           (pop-to-buffer "*chars in word*")))))
>> #+end_src
>
>
> --
> Marcin Borkowski
> http://mbork.pl
>
>


-- 
The Kafka Pandemic

A blog about science, health, human rights, and misopathy:
https://thekafkapandemic.blogspot.com

Re: [tip/offtopic] A function to describe the characters of a word at point

[Juan Manuel Macías]

Hi, Marcin and Samuel, thanks for your comments,

Marcin Borkowski writes:

> You might want to extend it and create a minor mode which would display
> data about the current character in the echo area, Eldoc-style, or in
> a tooltip when you hover the mouse pointer over a character.  Depending
> on what exactly you need, these ideas might be more or less useful, of
> course.

I also have written a smaller function to display a quick information of
a single character at point, something much simpler and not as verbose
as describe-char. But it had never occurred to me to do something
eldoc-like with it. In my case, although for those contexts I prefer
quick information (describe-char also has its relaxing moment), I don't
feel such an urgency :-).

In any case, something quick and dirty, just as a proof of concept,
could be this:

(define-minor-mode char-info-at-point-mode
  "TODO"
  :init-value nil
  :lighter ("chinfo")
  (if char-info-at-point-mode
      (add-hook 'post-command-hook #'char-name-at-point nil t)    
    (remove-hook 'post-command-hook #'char-name-at-point 'local)))

(defun char-name-at-point ()
  (interactive)
  (let* ((char-name (get-char-code-property (char-after (point)) 'name))
	 (code (format "#%x" (char-after (point))))
	 (dec (get-char-code-property (char-after (point)) 'decomposition))
	 (info (concat
		char-name
		" / "
		code
		" / descomp: "
		dec
		"\s"
		(mapconcat (lambda (cod)
			     (format "#%x" cod))
			   dec "\s+\s"))))
    (message info)))

Best regards,

Juan Manuel