Handle unicode characters

[Micko]

Hello, I've downloaded PythonWin as a better IDE for writing Python code.
I came across an interesting issue (as vegaseat pointed out)
When I try to write this sentence in my native language
"Ja sam ia vorak!"
PythonWin automatically convert my language's charater to something other because it cannot handle them. However if I start Python default IDE (which came with installer - IDLE) this code works fine

# -*- coding: cp1250 -*-
str1 = u"Ja sam ia vorak!"
print str1

How this is possible? Do IDE's yuse different font or what?
HOW IT IS POSSIBLE THAT ONE EDITOR SHOWS CORRECT CHARACTER AND OTHER DOESN'T?
I must admit that I don't understand how to use UNICODE and will UNICODE will help at all?

if I copy that changed text form PythonWin and paste it here changed characters are back again in what I've expected.

Maybe because of your windows local settings you cannot see exact characters, that's why I send two pictures.

I hope someony can clearfy this

Thanks

[bumsfeld]

I thinks IDLE uses Tkinter (TCL) and that is more internationally than PyWin's wxPython based code.

If you want portability of your code on the internet, don't use these special characters. I have the same problem with other non-english characters too.

[vegaseat]

I think just to start out with any computer language, the foreign character issue is hot tar on the road to progress. As a beginner, try to do without it for a while.

The following should scare anybody. ASCII admittedly is only a 7-bit character set (0 to 127), originally defined for the American dialect. The basic 8-bit extension (128 to 255) is considered to be the international standard ISO 8859-1.

This standard is adulterated with other ISO sets for other languages and many proprietary 8-bit sets. The Microsoft set is different than IBM and so on.

The ISO standard that does not define characters 0-31 and 127-159. The Microsoft 8-bit characters set is close but is not the same as ISO 8859-1 which explains the difference between wxWindows (Unix) and Windows.

There is detailed information at:
http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/chars.html

All in all an imperfect computer world, unicode with up to 64,000 characters should ultimately come to the rescue.

[Micko]

Thank you very much

[vegaseat]

Here is another web site that deals with unicode in Python:
http://www.amk.ca/python/howto/unicode

[Micko]

Here is another web site that deals with unicode in Python:
http://www.amk.ca/python/howto/unicode

Thank you vegaseat, it seems you're becoming my personal tutor :)
Cheers