Re: squares in buffer instead of utf-8 characters

[Tim X]

rahed <raherh@gmail.com> writes:

> Hi,
>
> I created a file using input method and saved as utf-8. The file is
> rendered ok in a browser but in an emacs buffer all unicode characters
> are mere boxes.
>
> Unicode characters have typically this property:
>
> character: ? (331835, #o1210073, #x5103b, U+011B)
> charset: mule-unicode-0100-24ff (Unicode characters of the range 
> U+0100..U+24FF.)
> code point: #x20 #x3B
> syntax: w     which means: word
> category: l:Latin
> buffer code: #x9C #xF4 #xA0 #xBB
> file code: #xC4 #x9B (encoded by coding system mule-utf-8-unix)
> display: no font available
>
> Don't know how to remedy unavailability of the font. OS is Solaris and
> emacs version 22.0.91.1.
>

At a guess, I suspect you are running under X. This means you have either a
fontpath setting that points to directories containing the fonts your X server
is able to provide or you have a font server configured. The boxes indicate
that emacs wants to display the characters with a specific font, but it cannot
find that font (either in your font path or from the font server). 

There are a couple of points to keep in mind here. If your connecting to the
solaris box from a remote system, such as a workstation, then the fonts need to
be available to your local workstation X server, not on the solaris X server.
In this case, the issue is with your local X configuration or the fonts it has
available. 

You can use a program like xfontsel, which will allow you to select fonts from
those which are available to the X server. Use this program and try to identify
a suitable font. Set the font for emacs to this font and things should work.
This can be done in a number of ways, but to begin with and for
experimentation, set it on the command line using the -fn option (I think its
-fn, check the manual). Don't forget that since the font names contain *, you
will need to quote the font string to prevent the shell from trying to expand
the *. Once you have a font that works, set it in either your .Xresources file,
your .emacs file or via customize. 

HTH

Tim



-- 
tcross (at) rapttech dot com dot au