Can you read those? There’s a good chance you can! If you can’t (like if they all show up as hollow boxes) it’s because the font you’re reading this post in doesn’t support those kinds of characters, which are from the math symbols section of the Unicode character set.

It’s a command-line version of a web Unicode text converter, of the sort found at the other end of this link. It’s written in Python, and the source is at the end of this post. I saved it to a file named “fancypants” and put it in my home directory’s bin directory (which you’ll probably have to make first), where many Linux distributions are configured to look for things to execute if you type their names at the command prompt. (Yes, all of this assumes you’re running Linux. It’s not just for supergeeks anymore! If you’re running Windows you’ll have some adjustments to make, including figuring out how to add the script’s home to your path. It should work on Macs, although I don’t know if it’ll look in your home’s bin either.)

Oh, you will have to run a chmod +x fancypants on it. And the script as written assumes Python is at /usr/bin/python, where most distros will put it.

The script expects to be executed in the form:

fancypants [style] [text to convert]

The text should probably be in quotes if there’s any spaces in it, as should the style just in case. So to produce the first text mentioned at the start of the post, I entered:

fancypants "=" "This weird text was constructed with the utility mentioned in the title."

Usable style specifiers are “=” for double-stroke, “/” for script, “!” for a boldface kind of thing, “f” for the medieval script-looking fractur, and a few others that you can pretty easily see in the source code below. In fact each specifier has some synonyms if the single-character versions are too obscure for you to remember. And hey, if you don’t like the names I gave them you can use your own! The moment you paste it into a text file, this all becomes yours to do with as you please. Think of it as the blog version of a type-in program from an 80s computer magazine.

As a bonus, the names “r”, “rot” or “rot13” will perform a ROT13 code on the letters, useful for encoding spoiler text that readers can decode at ROT13.com. There are utilities that you can use to send the generated text directly to the clipboard, for pasting wherever you want, but since those differ if you’re using X.org or Wayland for your display manager (or, sure, Windows or Mac) I’ll leave those for you to figure out.

And if you can’t read the characters above, then I’m sorry that you’re missing out on the fun. It’s all pretty whimsical really, it’s not some huge thing that you’re missing. Come back tomorrow, I’m sure we’ll have a post about Mario or somesuch.

#!/usr/bin/python
import sys

base = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890!@#$%^&*()-_=+[]{};':\",./<>?~"
equals = "𝔸𝔹ℂ𝔻𝔼𝔽𝔾ℍ𝕀𝕁𝕂𝕃𝕄ℕ𝕆ℙℚℝ𝕊𝕋𝕌𝕍𝕎𝕏𝕐ℤ𝕒𝕓𝕔𝕕𝕖𝕗𝕘𝕙𝕚𝕛𝕜𝕝𝕞𝕟𝕠𝕡𝕢𝕣𝕤𝕥𝕦𝕧𝕨𝕩𝕪𝕫𝟙𝟚𝟛𝟜𝟝𝟞𝟟𝟠𝟡𝟘!@#$%^&*()-_=+[]{};':\",./<>?~"
script = "𝓐𝓑𝓒𝓓𝓔𝓕𝓖𝓗𝓘𝓙𝓚𝓛𝓜𝓝𝓞𝓟𝓠𝓡𝓢𝓣𝓤𝓥𝓦𝓧𝓨𝓩𝓪𝓫𝓬𝓭𝓮𝓯𝓰𝓱𝓲𝓳𝓴𝓵𝓶𝓷𝓸𝓹𝓺𝓻𝓼𝓽𝓾𝓿𝔀𝔁𝔂𝔃1234567890!@#$%^&*()-_=+[]{};':\",./<>?~"
bold = "𝐀𝐁𝐂𝐃𝐄𝐅𝐆𝐇𝐈𝐉𝐊𝐋𝐌𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐐𝐑𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐕𝐖𝐗𝐘𝐙𝐚𝐛𝐜𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐠𝐡𝐢𝐣𝐤𝐥𝐦𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐪𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐯𝐰𝐱𝐲𝐳𝟏𝟐𝟑𝟒𝟓𝟔𝟕𝟖𝟗𝟎!@#$%^&*()-_=+[]{};':\",./<>?~"
bolditalic = "𝑨𝑩𝑪𝑫𝑬𝑭𝑮𝑯𝑰𝑱𝑲𝑳𝑴𝑵𝑶𝑷𝑸𝑹𝑺𝑻𝑼𝑽𝑾𝑿𝒀𝒁𝒂𝒃𝒄𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒈𝒉𝒊𝒋𝒌𝒍𝒎𝒏𝒐𝒑𝒒𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒗𝒘𝒙𝒚𝒛1234567890!@#$%^&*()-_=+[]{};':\",./<>?~"
monospace = "𝙰𝙱𝙲𝙳𝙴𝙵𝙶𝙷𝙸𝙹𝙺𝙻𝙼𝙽𝙾𝙿𝚀𝚁𝚂𝚃𝚄𝚅𝚆𝚇𝚈𝚉𝚊𝚋𝚌𝚍𝚎𝚏𝚐𝚑𝚒𝚓𝚔𝚕𝚖𝚗𝚘𝚙𝚚𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚟𝚠𝚡𝚢𝚣𝟷𝟸𝟹𝟺𝟻𝟼𝟽𝟾𝟿𝟶!@#$%^&*()-_=+[]{};':\",./<>?~"
block = "𝗔𝗕𝗖𝗗𝗘𝗙𝗚𝗛𝗜𝗝𝗞𝗟𝗠𝗡𝗢𝗣𝗤𝗥𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗩𝗪𝗫𝗬𝗭𝗮𝗯𝗰𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗴𝗵𝗶𝗷𝗸𝗹𝗺𝗻𝗼𝗽𝗾𝗿𝘀𝘁𝘂𝘃𝘄𝘅𝘆𝘇𝟭𝟮𝟯𝟰𝟱𝟲𝟳𝟴𝟵𝟬!@#$%^&*()-_=+[]{};':\",./<>?~"
fraktur = "𝕬𝕭𝕮𝕯𝕰𝕱𝕲𝕳𝕴𝕵𝕶𝕷𝕸𝕹𝕺𝕻𝕼𝕽𝕾𝕿𝖀𝖁𝖂𝖃𝖄𝖅𝖆𝖇𝖈𝖉𝖊𝖋𝖌𝖍𝖎𝖏𝖐𝖑𝖒𝖓𝖔𝖕𝖖𝖗𝖘𝖙𝖚𝖛𝖜𝖝𝖞𝖟1234567890!@#$%^&*()-_=+[]{};':\",./<>?~"
rot = "NOPQRSTUVWXYZABCDEFGHIJKLMnopqrstuvwxyzabcdefghijklm1234567890!@#$%^&*()-_=+[]{};':\",./<>?~"
tilde = len(equals)-1

def convert(convertchar, intext):
  outlist = []
  match convertchar:
    case "=" | "equal" | "equals":
      clist = equals
    case "/" | "slant" | "script":
      clist = script
    case "!" | "bold":
      clist = bold
    case "!/" | "bolditalic" | "boldital":
      clist = bolditalic
    case "m" | "mono" | "monospace":
      clist = monospace
    case "b" | "block" | "mathbold":
      clist = block
    case "f" | "fraktur":
      clist = fraktur
    case "r" | "rot" | "rot13":
      clist = rot
    case _:
      raise ValueError("Unknown charset " + convertchar)
      return intext
  for char in intext:
    try:
      index = base.index(char)
    except:
      outlist.append(char)
      continue
    outchr = clist[index]
    if outchr != "~":
      outlist.append(outchr)
    else:
      outlist.append(base[index])
  return "".join(outlist)

if __name__ == "__main__":
  convertchar = sys.argv[1]
  intext = sys.argv[2]
  print(convert(convertchar, intext))

rodneylives

Amiga Topaz Unicode Nerd Font (gitlab.com)

rodneylives