<html><head></head><body><div style="font-family: Verdana;font-size: 12.0px;"><div>Bug-report:</div>
<div> </div>
<div>--- I don't know whether this has been reported before. ---</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Via \tracinglostchars=2 one can have TeX write messages<br/>
about missing characters in font to the .log-file.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Within the message in question the missing character is<br/>
displayed.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The problem is:</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The newlinechar-mechanism is applied to the character which<br/>
is to be displayed:</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Try:</div>
<div> </div>
<div> \tracinglostchars=2<br/>
\nullfont<br/>
\hbox{ABCDEFGHIJ}<br/>
\newlinechar=`\D<br/>
\hbox{ABCDEFGHIJ}<br/>
\bye</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The .log-file tells:</div>
<div><br/>
This is TeX, Version 3.14159265 (TeX Live 2020) (preloaded format=tex 2021.2.27) 21 JUL 2021 16:50<br/>
**test.tex<br/>
(./test.tex<br/>
Missing character: There is no A in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no B in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no C in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no D in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no E in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no F in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no G in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no H in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no I in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no J in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no A in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no B in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no C in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no <br/>
in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no E in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no F in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no G in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no H in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no I in font nullfont!<br/>
Missing character: There is no J in font nullfont!<br/>
[1] )<br/>
Output written on test.dvi (1 page, 196 bytes).</div>
<div> </div>
<div> </div>
<div>With \newlinechar=`\D the message is not any more</div>
<div> </div>
<div> Missing character: There is no D in font nullfont!</div>
<div> </div>
<div>, but it is:</div>
<div> </div>
<div> Missing character: There is no <br/>
in font nullfont!</div>
<div> </div>
<div>This is because the newlinechar-mechanism was applied to<br/>
the character D .</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I think this should not be done in this situation.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>--- I don't know whether this has been reported before. ---</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Sincerely</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Ulrich Diez<br/>
</div></div></body></html>