Template talk:Chset-tableformat

Uses

This template is to be used in character set tables, together with Template:Chset-left and Template:Chset-cell. For an example, see Code page 437. — Monedula 04:33, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I've added simplified {{chset-cell3}} and {{chset-ctrl3}} cell templates for including the Unicode code, the displayed character itself, and the decimal code in a given character table cell. I've also added cell color templates {{chset-color-alpha}}, {{chset-color-punct}}, {{chset-color-ctrl}}, and {{chset-color-intl}}. Typical use of these templates can be seen in the tables in the EBCDIC, ISO 8859-1, and Windows-1252 articles. — Loadmaster (talk) 23:55, 1 January 2008 (UTC)

How do the color templates map to Unicode categories? DanBishop (talk) 22:47, 14 March 2010 (UTC)

I am unsure if we really need the hex and decimal equivalents to numbers. They make the tables huge and hard to read. It would also be useful in some cases to not list the Unicode equivalent, though it really does help to determine exactly what character is implied. Is it possible to fix the templates so these are all optional?Spitzak (talk) 20:49, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Further clarification: I really think the "octal" version should go, it is extremely confusing as it looks just like decimal. Thus I recommend against "chset-cell4". I also do not think the decimal number should be there either, and the templates fixed so that the table is shorter vertically if this is done. The hex unicode can probably remain, and I see now it is being used by the template to actually pick the correct displayed character.Spitzak (talk) 21:25, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Another common requirement is a "different than the base set" indicator, usually shown as bold or some different color. Lots of tables want to clearly show where they differ from ASCII or some other standard.Spitzak (talk) 20:49, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

The grid with first and second byte is not particularly easy to use. Judging by some of the people on the talk page over there, I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in thinking that the chart given for the non-printable characters on ASCII is superior to the chart given for printable characters, and the first one should be extended. (See the talk page [[1]] ) Lukeschlather (talk) 16:04, 20 August 2010 (UTC)

U+00xx notation for Unicode values

For consistency and clarity, I would suggest that WP use U+ notation (e.g. U+0041) for all Unicode values in these tables. That would of course involve updating many of the pages that use {{Chset-tableformat}} as well as the description pages for the 6 versions of {{Chset-cell}}; all in all not much work.

The advantages are obvious: At a glance you'd see which numbers in the table refer to Unicode values and which refer to local code points, and the U+ notation would follow the Unicode Consortium's recommendation and be consistent with all other use I've seen of Unicode values on WP, for example all pages for the various Unicode blocks. It appears that in these character set tables there is already a de-facto practice of implementing the part of the U+ notation that says numbers should be prepended with 0s to 4 digits, but not the U+ part itself.

I don't find any word re U+ use at WP:MOS, but I would suggest adding a note endorsing U+00xx there, consistent with the vast majority of current use on WP.

It appears that normally this wouldn't even make the table wider on screen; a quick test at Atari ST character set shows that the table stayed 1038 pixels wide before and after adding U+ when viewed in IE11/Win7, 100% scale. Of course there may be other viewers that would render the table slightly wider the the U+ notation though.—WinTakeAll💬 23:29, 13 March 2016 (UTC)

Origin of colour coding of characters

Hello,

I am curious what are the origins of the colour coding choices in this template? Are they based on some pre-existing conventions, or are they entirely arbitrary?

Thanks.

--Cliftwoc (talk) 17:27, 9 June 2018 (UTC)

Re-adding class="wikitable"

This edit removed wikitable from the classes provided by this header. This was ostensibly done to reduce the amount of padding these tables get, but has various side-effects, most prominently that it removes the styling for table titles. It should be re-added; centralising style rules is strongly recommended, and the additional padding here is an aesthetic quibble at best.

See the sandbox for the proposed change. Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 06:39, 24 August 2020 (UTC)

I've now re-added the class. Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 18:23, 4 September 2020 (UTC)

Holy crap, thats HUGE!!!!! I do hope somebody can figure out the proper fix for this, it looks horrible.Spitzak (talk) 18:27, 4 September 2020 (UTC)

It's not out of line with any other table content. The underlying issue is that people feel the need to insert absolutely huge tables into articles, when most of the time they belong in reference sheets or other supporting documentation. Chris Cunningham (user:thumperward) (talk) 18:58, 4 September 2020 (UTC)

True, the real problem is the absolute impossibilty of removing the bloat (ie the Unicode numbers, the decimal numbers, the useless colors that force "box" to be used to actually convey information, etc). I have tried but it is hopeless, always being reverted as "deleting vital information". I would greatly prefer the Unicode number and the code point name!!! be added to a tooltip like most other character tables but cannot get anywhere near this...).