Appendix > Advanced Topics > Advanced Text Topics

Sketchpad fully supports Unicode, so you can use Unicode characters and mathematical symbols in captions, labels, and names of custom tools and custom transformations. You can write in multiple alphabets, such as живая математика, in Russian, or 动感几何, in Chinese. Use Unicode to write mathematical symbols, such as .

Depending on your operating system and the fonts installed on your computer, not all Unicode characters can be displayed in all fonts. You may have to experiment to find a font that includes the particular Unicode characters you want to use.

Many Unicode characters cannot be typed directly, so you’ll need to use other methods to enter these characters.

When you're editing a caption, you can insert a variety of Unicode characters using the Text Palette. Press the Symbolic Notation button to show the mathematical notation choices. Then use the symbol buttons on the right to enter various mathematical symbols and Greek letters.

When you're editing a label, you can insert certain Unicode characters using special codes, such as {angle} to enter the symbol. See Subscripts, Symbols, Greek Letters, and Unicode for the list of codes you can use in labels.

If you want to type in a different language, it’s most convenient to set your keyboard to switch between languages, so that you can type to enter the desired Unicode characters in either language.

If you want to enter other mathematical symbols or special characters, it may be most convenient to use your operating system’s method for viewing and inserting Unicode characters from a table or palette.

Both Windows and Macintosh have methods for changing your keyboard so you can type in a variety of languages.

If you’re using Windows Vista or Windows XP, choose Start | Control Panel | Regional and Language Options.

If you’re using Mac OS X, choose System Preferences | International.

1.Open the Character Map by choosing Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Character Map.

2.In the Character Map, choose a font from the pop-up menu.

3.Highlight the character you want to insert into the document.

4.Click Select, and then click Copy.

5.Return to your Sketchpad document and position your cursor where you want the special character to appear.

6.Choose Edit | Paste.

In Windows XP, support for Unicode characters is limited: many fonts are missing important Unicode characters. If you enter a Unicode character not supported by the current font, it will appear as a square. Windows Vista has much better Unicode support in default fonts.

1.Set up your Macintosh to display the Character Palette in the Input menu. Open System Preferences. In OSX 10.5, click the International icon, go to the Input Menu panel, and check the box for Character Palette. In OSX 10.6, click the Language & Text icon, go to the Input Sources panel, and check the box for Keyboard & Character Viewer. In either case, also check Show input menu in menu bar. (You only need to do this once.) The Input menu icon appears on the right side of your menu bar.

2.Choose Show Character Palette (OSX 10.5) or Show Character Viewer (OSX 10.6) from the Input menu on the menu bar. (If the Input menu does not appear, you may be using an application whose menu bar is too long to allow the Input menu to show. In this case switch to the Finder, which has a short menu bar, and then choose Show Character Palette or Show Character Viewer from the Input menu.)

3.In Sketchpad, click in the label or caption where you want to enter the special symbol.

4.In the Character Palette or Viewer, double-click the Unicode character or symbol that you want to insert into your Sketchpad document.