emacs encoding vs FC2

[Ian Malone]

(I've spent a while googling this, and searched the list archives,
because I was sure it would have happened to someone already.
I get the feeling the answer is some incredibly obvious setting.
My reasoning for posting to fedora-list rather than the Emacs
mailing list is that the following seem like integration issues,
but ICBW.)

$ echo $LANG
en_GB.UTF-8

I'm having two (connected?) problems with unicode characters and
(GNU) Emacs.  The first is loading emacs to visit a file:

$emacs Kölsch&

In gnome-terminal (or xterm) will visit the file 'Kölsch',
regardless of whether 'Kölsch' exists, or whether I'm on an ext3 fs
or my -o utf8 mounted vfat fs.  Once running emacs I have no
difficulty opening/creating the file from C-x C-f, and it shows up
correctly in emacs directory listing.  'ö' could result from
interpreting utf-8 encoded 'ö' as ISO-8859-1, I've also checked
with one other character (ü I think) that the incorrect name is a
latin-1 interpretation.  I've tried to find some emacs setting for
the encoding of command line arguments but haven't spotted it yet.

The second problem is pasting from other applications, notably the
gucharmap.  Here most Latin characters seem to work alright,
but accented Greek characters like alpha-tonos (U+03AC) do not.
In Emacs I end up with an escaped sequence which displays as
'^[%Gά^[%@', but works properly if re-pasted into Ximian or
OpenOffice.  I've tried various settings X selection coding systems
in Emacs (C-x RET x), including utf-8 and utf-16 be and le.  Again,
using the Greek keyboard layout via Gnome keyboard preferences, it's
possible to enter this character into Emacs.  M-x ucs-insert also
works for any character I've tried.

This is using GNU Emacs, GNOME, FC2 and the United Kingdom and Greek
keyboard layouts.  libgnome is 2.6.0-3.  Any thoughts?  Would the
above work on XEmacs, and would I have to get rid of GNU Emacs to
install it?  (Add/remove applications isn't allowing me to select
XEmacs or de-select Emacs, and before I go to the command line I
wonder whether there's a rational explanation)

[James Wilkinson]

Ian Malone wrote:
> $ echo $LANG
> en_GB.UTF-8
>
> I'm having two (connected?) problems with unicode characters and
> (GNU) Emacs.  The first is loading emacs to visit a file:
>
> $emacs Kölsch&

There are a number of other environment variables that can be set:
type "set", and take a look through. In particular, look at any
beginning LC.

Hope this helps,

James.

[Jens-Ulrik Petersen]

Ian Malone wrote:
> $emacs Kölsch&
> In gnome-terminal (or xterm) will visit the file 'Kölsch',
> regardless of whether 'Kölsch' exists

I believe this is a bug in Emacs 21.3 and fixed in upstream cvs.
It is already in our bugzilla too.
> The second problem is pasting from other applications, notably the
> gucharmap.  Here most Latin characters seem to work alright,
> but accented Greek characters like alpha-tonos (U+03AC) do not.

I think this is probably also an Emacs: may be better in cvs emacs too.
> Would the above work on XEmacs,

Probably not the latter, not sure for the former - please try. :)
> and would I have to get rid of GNU Emacs to
> install it?  (Add/remove applications isn't allowing me to select
> XEmacs or de-select Emacs, and before I go to the command line I
> wonder whether there's a rational explanation)

Nope, you can install both.  How about:

up2date -i xemacs

say.

Jens

[Ian Malone]

Jens Petersen wrote:
> Ian Malone wrote:
> > $emacs Kölsch&
> > In gnome-terminal (or xterm) will visit the file 'Kölsch',
> > regardless of whether 'Kölsch' exists
>
> I believe this is a bug in Emacs 21.3 and fixed in upstream cvs.
> It is already in our bugzilla too.

Sorry, missed it. 
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=113126
> > The second problem is pasting from other applications, notably the
> > gucharmap.  Here most Latin characters seem to work alright,
> > but accented Greek characters like alpha-tonos (U+03AC) do not.
>
> I think this is probably also an Emacs: may be better in cvs emacs too.

(One co later.  I _really_ hate being on a dial-up connection...)

Builds first time from cvs and corrects both problems.  It's
necessary to use the standard (not default) fontset to get the
filename to display properly in the window, but that's probably
as it should be.  Pasting is still a little odd  - in that non-
Latin characters arrive in a different font than if typed
directly into emacs, but both are now recognisable and save as
the same utf-8.
> > Would the above work on XEmacs,
>
> Probably not the latter, not sure for the former - please try. :)

In fact neither work on XEmacs from the standard repos, and
typing accented Greek characters using gnome keyboard map is
broken too: alpha-tonos just gives 'U03AC not defined' in the
minibuffer.  It may be I'm missing a package or haven't
configured it right though, as I just did 'yum install xemacs'.
I'll play with that a little more, but I much prefer that
GNU Emacs is working.
> > and would I have to get rid of GNU Emacs to
> > install it?  (Add/remove applications isn't allowing me to select
> > XEmacs or de-select Emacs, and before I go to the command line I
> > wonder whether there's a rational explanation)
>
> Nope, you can install both.  How about:
> up2date -i xemacs
>
> say.

Thanks very much for the help, will search bugzilla more thoroughly
in future.

I think I'll have to come to terms with the fact that Unicode support
in emacs is still being worked on.  Time for yet another mailing list
I think.