Find and replace replacement characters - box with question mark

CynthiaBlue · 07-06-2015, 09:44 PM

I'm seeking to find and replace a "replacement character" within an ePub ebook edit conversion within the Calibre ebook editor. The character displaying is a box with a question mark within it. It is NOT a black diamond with a question mark within it. It is a box without a background, with a questions mark with in it. I've attached an image which reads it?was. Hopefully someone in this forum will be able to assist.

eschwartz · 07-06-2015, 10:18 PM

That isn't the actual character, that indicates the font being used does not have a glyph for the character.

In the lower right corner of the editor (statusline), calibre prints the value of whichever character precedes your cursor. You can insert that character using the Insert Special Character tool.

CynthiaBlue · 07-10-2015, 02:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eschwartz

That isn't the actual character, that indicates the font being used does not have a glyph for the character.

In the lower right corner of the editor (statusline), calibre prints the value of whichever character precedes your cursor. You can insert that character using the Insert Special Character tool.

Thank you for your assistance. I was unable to find the "statusline" in Calibre. Are you able to provide me with a screen shot of the Calibre screen, showing the "statusline"? I've attached an image of what my screen looks like. You can see the problem replacement character on line 94 where it reads: him[replacement character]used.
http://www.artuccino.com/Replacement-Character-2.png

CynthiaBlue · 07-10-2015, 02:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eschwartz

That isn't the actual character, that indicates the font being used does not have a glyph for the character.

In the lower right corner of the editor (statusline), calibre prints the value of whichever character precedes your cursor. You can insert that character using the Insert Special Character tool.

Please ignore my earlier request. I found the status line. Thank you for your help. The status line says 94 : 51 but doesn't describe the character.

eschwartz · 07-10-2015, 03:06 AM

I neglected to realize that this is actually due to a setting. I couldn't live without it

so I have always had it set.

Go to Edit ==> Preferences ==> Editor settings
and tick the box labeled "Show the name of the current character before the cursor along with the line and column number".

CynthiaBlue · 07-11-2015, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I neglected to realize that this is actually due to a setting. I couldn't live without it

so I have always had it set. Go to Edit ==> Preferences ==> Editor settings and tick the box labeled "Show the name of the current character before the cursor along with the line and column number".

Thank you! You've been very helpful.

eschwartz · 07-11-2015, 10:54 PM

Happy to help.

Did you manage to figure out which character it was, and fix it?

CynthiaBlue · 07-12-2015, 01:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Happy to help.

Did you manage to figure out which character it was, and fix it?

Yes, I'm pleased to report, I did, but not in a "normal" way. After I responded to your help with my thank you note, I returned to the problem, because we hadn't solved it, I just didn't want to lean on your generosity to assist me. Then, being a very tenacious person, that I am, I couldn't let the problem go. Then, and then, I cracked it. Whooppee! I had returned to this thread to let you know, then I noticed you'd asked whether or not I'd been able to fix it. So without waffling on any longer, I'd like to share with you my procedure to replace an unidentified glyph (replacement character). Hopefully this will be a helpful guide for those intrepid people who are working within the Calibre eBook editor.

Here 'tis:

OPEN Calibre and find the ebook you want to edit.

FIND the glyph you want to replace (mine was a white rectangle with a question mark within it)

SELECT and COPY the glyph and PASTE it into the FIND box at the bottom of the screen. IMPORTANT: sometimes the glyph will not display when you paste it into the find box. Don’t worry, keep going.

CLICK the Find button to see if the software will find the Glyph, if so, then

REPLACE the invisible glyph with what ever character you care to replace it with (I replaced the glyph with a comma and a space)

TEST with one replacement and if it works then do the lot.

FIND and REPLACE the glyph with the characters of choice.

It worked for me. Good luck!

eschwartz · 07-12-2015, 02:25 AM

Copy-paste can work too, of course. But it might also be interesting to know what was there originally. And copying the text can lead to problems like unnoticed zero-width characters.

If it works,

theducks · 07-12-2015, 11:14 AM

CB
They will all show AS the same box with a ?
That is just a SUBSTITUTE 'not found' GYLYPH

the real other issue was 'Original Character Set' of the source of the conversion.
Sometimes Calibre can not figure out what was used and YOU need to help the conversion along

Conversion (for a spot setting): Look and feel: Input Character encoding: <CP1252 is a common value for English documents>

NB
Preferences is used to make setting changes 'The Default" for ALL new conversions

eschwartz · 07-12-2015, 04:01 PM

Well, I think (and experience seems to show?) that copying will copy the character itself, not the displayed glyph.

But another reason why I would prefer the crystal clarity of entering the character myself.

CynthiaBlue · 07-18-2015, 12:31 AM

Thanks guys for your help and interest. I am now happily editing with the added knowledge. I discovered that the square glyph represented several different characters. So when I copied and pasted an invisible glyph into the find box, I replaced it with what I believed it to represent. And then, I went to search of more glyphs, within the same file, I realised that sometimes the glyph related to several different characters which required several find and replace actions. In one file I was replacing commas, semi-colons and single quotes.

07-06-2015, 09:44 PM	#1
CynthiaBlue Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: kindle	Find and replace replacement characters - box with question mark I'm seeking to find and replace a "replacement character" within an ePub ebook edit conversion within the Calibre ebook editor. The character displaying is a box with a question mark within it. It is NOT a black diamond with a question mark within it. It is a box without a background, with a questions mark with in it. I've attached an image which reads it?was. Hopefully someone in this forum will be able to assist. Last edited by CynthiaBlue; 07-06-2015 at 09:45 PM. Reason: Image was in the wrong place

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07-06-2015, 10:18 PM	#2
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,422 Karma: 85397180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	That isn't the actual character, that indicates the font being used does not have a glyph for the character. In the lower right corner of the editor (statusline), calibre prints the value of whichever character precedes your cursor. You can insert that character using the Insert Special Character tool.

07-10-2015, 03:06 AM	#5
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,422 Karma: 85397180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	I neglected to realize that this is actually due to a setting. I couldn't live without it so I have always had it set. Go to Edit ==> Preferences ==> Editor settings and tick the box labeled "Show the name of the current character before the cursor along with the line and column number".

07-11-2015, 10:54 PM	#7
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,422 Karma: 85397180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	Happy to help. Did you manage to figure out which character it was, and fix it?

07-12-2015, 02:25 AM	#9
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,422 Karma: 85397180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	Copy-paste can work too, of course. But it might also be interesting to know what was there originally. And copying the text can lead to problems like unnoticed zero-width characters. If it works,

07-12-2015, 11:14 AM	#10
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 29,801 Karma: 54830978 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	CB They will all show AS the same box with a ? That is just a SUBSTITUTE 'not found' GYLYPH the real other issue was 'Original Character Set' of the source of the conversion. Sometimes Calibre can not figure out what was used and YOU need to help the conversion along Conversion (for a spot setting): Look and feel: Input Character encoding: <CP1252 is a common value for English documents> NB Preferences is used to make setting changes 'The Default" for ALL new conversions

07-12-2015, 04:01 PM	#11
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,422 Karma: 85397180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	Well, I think (and experience seems to show?) that copying will copy the character itself, not the displayed glyph. But another reason why I would prefer the crystal clarity of entering the character myself.

07-18-2015, 12:31 AM	#12
CynthiaBlue Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: kindle	Thanks guys for your help and interest. I am now happily editing with the added knowledge. I discovered that the square glyph represented several different characters. So when I copied and pasted an invisible glyph into the find box, I replaced it with what I believed it to represent. And then, I went to search of more glyphs, within the same file, I realised that sometimes the glyph related to several different characters which required several find and replace actions. In one file I was replacing commas, semi-colons and single quotes.