[tex-k] \write writes out TeX's `^^' quartets instead of 8-bit chars

[Olaf Weber]

geolsoft  writes:

> Can anybody give me more information or maybe links to information
> on this subject?  Was this new behavior of \write a bug or a
> feature?  Is this behavior intended to stay?  Is it possible to
> re-enforce the old behavior?

It's a feature, sort of.  It's also been exceedingly contentious, and
has since been revised.  (We've settled on a way to specify on a
per-format basis what characters should be considered printable, and
what should be subject to ^^-isation.  And ways to override the
per-format setting.)

Check whether there is a file cp8bit.tcx:

$ kpsewhich -format='web2c files' cp8bit.tcx
/usr/local/share/texmf/web2c/cp8bit.tcx

If it exists, you can add '-translate-file=cp8bit' to the command line
and should get the desired behaviour back (it will tell TeX to
consider all characters except the 0..31 printable).  I've also
attached a copy.

You should be able to add a first line as follows to get the
cp8bit.tcx file pulled in without using the command-line option,
provide the 'parse_first_line' variable in texmf.cnf is set to 'true'.

%& -translate-file=cp8bit

-- 
Olaf Weber

               (This space left blank for technical reasons.)

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%% cp8bit.tcx: transparent encoding translation table for TeX
%% input:     any 8-bit text encoding
%% internal TeX: the same encoding (nothing changes, but teTeX will display
%%		8-bit messages on console and in logfile)
%% comment:     This is required in teTeX to see 8-bit messages at console and
%%		in logfile (they are displayed in ^^xx form by default).
%%		Usage: add
%%		  %& --translate-file=cp8bit.tcx
%%		as a first line of your document.
%%
%%		Prepared by Alexander Bokovoy <bokovoy at minsk.lug.net>
%%              (1999) Public domain
%%              
%%              This file was the default in TeX Live 2003.  As of 2004,
%%              we use cp227.tcx instead.
%%              
%%              This file is misnamed, because it does not make codes
%%              <32 printable, thus is not really "8 bit".  cp224.tcx or
%%              cp75bit.tcx would have been better, but it doesn't seem
%%              worth changing now.
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