Can't use extended ASCII chars for pi, rho, etc.

[NascentOxygen]

This has been true since I joined PF about 5 months ago. My posts cannot contain any extended ASCII characters, whether I type them in or quote another post that contains them. If one does slip in unnoticed, then the message appearing on PF is truncated at the first such character, omitting that character and everything following.

I can insert such characters while composing the article, and it's usually only when I view the actual posted article that I realize I inadvertently included an extended ASCII character. Then it's too late, and most of my carefully crafted message is lost. It's lost because I always forget to make a copy (using the mouse) before I click on Submit.

If I wish to quote text that contains an extended ASCII character, I must delete that character or change it, e.g., change the rho character to a "p", or change the Pi character to the string "Pi", or else resort to itex.

Any idea what is imposing this restriction? I'm using Firefox 3.6.9 on Linux. I haven't tried any other browser. The restriction is not exactly crippling; I'm managing to live with it.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

This happens when you try clicking on the quick symbols in the right side box next to the post message box?

 

[dlgoff]

Interesting. I just "checked" by using the Preview Post function and the character Omega showed up as javascript:vB_Editor['vB_Editor_001'].insert_text('%CE%A9','','');

Earlier I had, and still trying to figure out, while relying with a string of capital letters but could only see lower case after posting. I just assumed it was my Firefox 8.0 browser font set-up.

 

[NascentOxygen]

This happens when you try clicking on the quick symbols in the right side box next to the post message box?

Yes, I can include them during the drafting/composing stage. But regardless of where I get them from, the resulting post gets truncated right before the first one.

 

[NascentOxygen]

No one else encounters this problem? That makes it even more of a mystery.

 

[nvn]

Testing lowercase pi: π, π, π.
Testing lowercase rho: ρ, ρ, ρ.
Testing uppercase pi: Π, Π, Π.

To post the above lines, I used the following actual input.
Testing lowercase pi: π, [noparse]&[/noparse]#960;, π.
Testing lowercase rho: ρ, [noparse]&[/noparse]#961;, ρ.
Testing uppercase pi: Π, [noparse]&[/noparse]#928;, Π.​

NascentOxygen: I don't seem to see what you described. Or else I do not understand what character entities you are referring to. Notice, the html named character entities fail on PF (which is bad), but the html decimal character entities work. The third character entity on each line is an actual glyph I pasted in, which also renders on PF. I currently don't see any truncation of my post. Is there any way you could show your actual input?

Perhaps try selecting Firefox > View > Character Encoding > Unicode (UTF-8), or something like that (?).

 

[NascentOxygen]

Testing lowercase pi: π, ÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔÒÿÒÔ

<edited and truncated>

 

[NascentOxygen]

Thanks for your reply. The above mess is what sometimes results when one of the "troublesome" characters makes its way into my post. There is no way to retrieve what I composed, and I shan't write it all out again.

My main comment was that View>Character Encoding shows it is set to Western(ISO-8859-1). I shall now set it to Unicode and see whether there's a difference.

LATER EDIT: It sets itself back to Western. If I go to Customize, I find no encodings available. So I'd say I lost something when I installed Firefox.

I also have seamonkey, and just looked there. It has both Western and Unicode encodings available, so I shall try seamonkey on PF and see if that solves the problem.

Thanks.

 

[NascentOxygen]

Using extended ASCII in seamonkey: β γ δ ε

Problem identified! Thanks nvn.

 

[dlgoff]

Earlier I had, and still trying to figure out, while relying with a string of capital letters but could only see lower case after posting. I just assumed it was my Firefox 8.0 browser font set-up.

Testing with all caps: ABCDEFGHIJKLMONP

"ABCDEFGHIJKLMONP"

Working now.

 

[nvn]

If I go to View > Character Encoding > Customize, I find no encodings available.

Perhaps try uninstalling and reinstalling Firefox (?). Or perhaps try updating Firefox to a newer version (?).

 

[Evo]

Testing with all caps: ABCDEFGHIJKLMONP

"ABCDEFGHIJKLMONP"

Working now.

DL, try typing all caps without any other text in your post, the forum software won't allow it. It will change the all caps back to lower case when you submit. The only reason it appears to work in your last post is that you typed other text.

 

[dlgoff]

DL, try typing all caps without any other text in your post, the forum software won't allow it. It will change the all caps back to lower case when you submit. The only reason it appears to work in your last post is that you typed other text.

Ah ha. That's exactly what I did when experiencing the problem. Thank you.