[XeTeX] a package for transition ryles based on unicode block (allowing amongst other things automatic font switching between languages)

[Jonathan Kew]

On 19 Oct 2009, at 10:28, Michiel Kamermans wrote:

> Will Robertson wrote:
>> Looks quite handy, well done. Glad to hear that those code tables  
>> are being generated automatically :)
> Technically they're not =/
>
> Every class's tex file was auto-generated, but is a series of  
> [\XeTeXinterchar \'... \RelevantBlockClass] commands. I couldn't  
> quite figure out how to easily go from integers to hexacdecimal, so  
> that I could generate them in xetex by using \char"XXXX, plus of  
> course this approach wouldn't allow autogeneration of any glyphs  
> from the unicode blocks above FFFF, which actually covers a decent  
> number of blocks.

I haven't examined your actual code, but if I'm understanding this,  
there's no problem. You can specify character numbers in decimal just  
as readily as hex. You can replace

   \XeTeXintercharclass `\�� = \AncientGreekNumbersClass

with either

   \XeTeXintercharclass "10140 = \AncientGreekNumbersClass

or

   \XeTeXintercharclass 65856 = \AncientGreekNumbersClass

and the effect is exactly the same; these are just alternate ways of  
specifying numbers to TeX.

And you can use a loop to set ranges, using a TeX \count register.  
Something like

   \def\AssignClassRange#1#2#3{% #1 = start of range, #2 = end of  
range, #3 = class
     \count@=#1
     \loop
       \XeTeXintercharclass\count@=#3
       \ifnum\count@<#2
         \advance\count@ by 1
         \repeat}

   \AssignClassRange{"10140}{"1018A}{\AncientGreekNumbersClass}

(untested Mail.app code, but the idea should be ok). I'm sure LaTeX  
has prettier loop constructs....

JK