Charachter suddenly replaced in html/chm output

[Almtuna]

I'm practicing with CourierNew box drawings characters.

Before, looking just fine:

Then I replaced the XYZ with new "light horizontal" characters. (copy and paste from same line.) The html5 (or chm) output suddenly has replaced the "down and horizontal" character with something unknown - even though I didn't touch any of the characters in that area.

I can't understand why this happens, and how to avoid it.

[Bob_Niland]

That glyph almost certainly is a "replacement" character, meaning that the font at the final client doesn't populate that code point in Unicode.

Unless you can control this, for all clients (browsers, help engines) on all platforms, it's going to remain a risk, and why users here such as myself have suggested converting the art to vectors (SVG), which today has more support than user clients do for way too much of Unicode.

[FieryPantone]

Here's a screenshot of svg output to encourage you :-} send me a private message if you're curious about the code, which only needed a text editor.

syntax railroad – .svg in browser

[Almtuna]

Thanks, the svg solution is tempting. However, can those really include (clickable) cross references/links?

The reason I've been considering this Courier New based syntax is to have e.g. interval-literal and integer-literal above as clickable links.

[Bob_Niland]

Links in SVG can likely be done by two or more methods:

1. Leave the alpha text as text (only vectorize the linedraw text), and use xlink:href tags.
2. Apply traditional HTML image hotspots.
3. {various overlay hacks}

[Almtuna]

Interresting. If I switch to SVG's - and leave the alpha as text, how do I create a FM cross reference? (Today I import image files as reference.)

We have hundreds of files. For each release, at least some of them are updated.

Target formats are pdf, chm and html5.

[Bob_Niland]

re: If I switch to SVG's - and leave the alpha as text, how do I create a FM cross reference?

Well doing it in the SVG, as xlink:href tags, could be somewhere between nightmare and impossible (for arbitrary work flows).

I'd be inclined to use my vague suggestion #3 above: overlay hack.

Include a Text Frame in each Anchored Frame.
Put an invisible Table in it.
Use cell text color visible only during edit (various hacks).
With enough rows and column to have grid spots for every flow chart text area.

Might need non-breaking spaces in cells.
Cell text can now be ordinary Xrefs, and become hot spots in final output...

...assuming all workflows preserve the table/SVG registration.

Individual Text Frames over chart text would also work. Of course, if you're going to that effort, these TFs might as well BE the chart text.

There may be other methods.

[Almtuna]

The invisible table sounds fun! However, I'll think about for a while before I do anything like that.