Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!cadre!pitt!unix.cis.pittsburgh.edu!dcarson
From: dcarson@unix.cis.pittsburgh.edu (David  Carson)
Newsgroups: comp.editors
Subject: Can "vi" handle chars above 127 ASCII?
Message-ID: <18473@unix.cis.pittsburgh.edu>
Date: 15 Jun 89 20:48:23 GMT
Reply-To: dcarson@unix.cis.pittsburgh.edu (David  Carson)
Organization: Univ. of Pittsburgh, Comp & Info Sys
Lines: 35

I work on a Sun 3/50 and have a font which is bilingual in nature.
The low order characters (the normal 7-bit ASCII chars) are English
and the high order chars (top bit set) are Greek.  Therefore, I should be 
able to switch nicely between the two without having to change fonts.

I have figured out how to enter and display the high order chars
on the Sun (see note at end on this, for those interested). 
Now I want to be able to do something useful with the font
like edit a file with it!!!

I will have to admit that I use "vi" and take my chances on the 
flames that will result.  Does anyone know how to set up "vi"
so that it can handle a file that contains chars with the 8th bit 
set as an ASCII file.  (By default, "vi" calls
this a non-ASCII file, and therefore it cannot be edited.)

I don't think I'm quite ready to be converted to another editor
yet, though soon I will be (when I finish my master's).  Do
other editors allow editing of such files?


* What I know about accessing the high order chars:

Open a window specifying the appropriate font.
Run the Bourne shell (Yes that's right.  For some reason, the C shell
	chokes on this.)
Allow 8 bit chars by typing: stty pass8
Type any letter with the "Left" or "Right" key depressed.  The resulting
	character output will be the char in the same position in the
	high order of the font.
If you have a file with such characters in it, these will be displayed
	as such also, when, for example, you do a "cat."
Type: stty -pass8 to terminate 8-bit mode
Kill the Bourne shell (unless you are some kind of masochist and like the
	Bourne shell).