Add keyboard labels symbols#164
Conversation
|
I'm really not a fan of adding generic symbols with such specific names. Only symbols clearly intended to represent keyboard keys should be introduced this way. |
|
You can see the table linked in the initial message to get all informations but quick recap :
Feel free to tell me what you think, which among those (maybe all of them or more) you wish to see removed from this PR. |
MDLC01
left a comment
MDLC01
left a comment
There was a problem hiding this comment.
In general, I feel like a lot of symbols can be removed (for most of them, I left a comment asking for evidence of the symbols being used on actual contemporary people, i.e., being what users expect). Some can be added in a separate PR so that they can be discussed separately as a set.
To answer the various points you made in your OP:
- Let's think when we have a smaller set of symbols to consider.
- Addressed as a separate comment.
- I agree that we should not use
.struckfor that. - Addressed as separate comments.
- Let's keep a single name for each symbol, especially when the alternate name would be as an
.altof a different symbol. - I also agree they shouldn't be in this submodule.
- I don't think there is a point giving hyper-specific semantic names to symbols that already have descriptive names in Codex. Also, various arrows fit this semantic, so let's let the end user choose the ones they want instead of having opinionated ones.
- I don't like having different words for the same thing. I understand the problem: when multiple symbols have essentially the same semantic, there is a naming conflict. But I think the solution here is to simply choose one and give descriptive names to the others (in this case, ↵ currently does not have a semantic name but let's keep that for a separate PR adding more arrows1).
- Addressed as separate comments.
- Addressed as a separate comment.
I did not go into a lot of details when reviewing this PR as I first want to reduce its scope to make it more manageable. Feel free to point out any oversight.
Footnotes
-
See also the huge Arrows section in the Symbol List for
symdocument. ↩
|
|
||
| // Characters commonly used as keyboards labels | ||
| keyboard { | ||
| linefeed ↴ |
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Is this symbol present on actual keyboards?
| home ↸ | ||
| .alt ⭶ |
There was a problem hiding this comment.
I don't like that we have two subtly different symbols for the same thing. How did you choose which one to be the .alt variant? Also, why not simply ↖ as suggested by French Wikipédia?
There was a problem hiding this comment.
As explained in the linked document, the default one is in a group called "Keyboard symbols and circle arrows" while the other is in a random group (here, "triangle-headed arrows"), but both mention the "home key" and are cross-referenced. So they clearly meant to describe the same key, but the first one is primarily meant to be a key label.
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Then I think let's only keep U+21B8 and remove the .alt variant. The way I understand it, U+2B76, as a specifically triangle-headed arrow, is a more specific version of U+21B8, a generic arrow.
| .corner ⇱ | ||
| .phone ⌂ |
There was a problem hiding this comment.
There could be many more variations (like ↖ which I noted previously).
In general, I feel like if a semantic name doesn't fit a single symbol (with perhaps a few variants, like phi and phi.alt), it would be better to simply abandon the semantic name and use descriptive names for all variants instead.
There was a problem hiding this comment.
The difference is that ↖ is not described as "home" in the unicode chart. But if you want we can remove home altogether.
There was a problem hiding this comment.
I think that would be better indeed. If the need for a keyboard.home symbol arises in the future, we can always add it at that point.
| end ⇲ | ||
| .alt ⭸ |
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Why is the default for this one not the same as for home?
| tab ↹ | ||
| .alt ⭾ | ||
| .alt.v ⭿ | ||
| .l ⇤ | ||
| .l.alt ⭰ | ||
| .r ⇥ | ||
| .r.alt ⭲ | ||
| .t ⤒ | ||
| .t.alt ⭱ | ||
| .b ⤓ | ||
| .b.alt ⭳ |
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Do you have evidence for any variant other than tab and tab.alt being used in practice?
There was a problem hiding this comment.
My Apple keyboard has U+21E5 on it.
| newline | ||
| .alt ↵ | ||
| .l ⮒ | ||
| .r ⮓ |
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Is there any contemporary keyboard that has a separate key for newline that is not just the Enter key?
| eject ⏏\vs{text} | ||
| // Music/Video player buttons | ||
| forward ⏵ | ||
| .fast ⏩\vs{text} | ||
| backwards ⏴ | ||
| .fast ⏪\vs{text} | ||
| nexttrack ⏭\vs{text} | ||
| prevtrack ⏮\vs{text} | ||
| playpausetoggle ⏯\vs{text} | ||
| alarm ⏰\vs{text} | ||
| stopwatch ⏱\vs{text} | ||
| timer ⏲\vs{text} | ||
| hourglass ⏳\vs{text} | ||
| increase ⏶ | ||
| decrease ⏷ | ||
| pause ⏸\vs{text} | ||
| .alt ⎉ | ||
| stop ⏹\vs{text} | ||
| record ⏺\vs{text} | ||
| shuffle 🔀 | ||
| repeat 🔁 | ||
| .once 🔂 | ||
| reload 🔃 | ||
| .alt 🔄 |
There was a problem hiding this comment.
I think let's exclude those from this PR. they can be added in a separate PR so that this one can focus on actual keyboard symbols.
| // Adjust sound and brightness | ||
| brightness | ||
| .decrease 🔅 | ||
| .increase 🔆 | ||
| speaker 🔈\vs{text} | ||
| .mute 🔇 | ||
| .lower 🔉 | ||
| .higher 🔊 |
There was a problem hiding this comment.
I feel like those symbols can be interpreted in a more general way than just keyboard symbols. Let's add them in a separate PR.
| // Power symbols | ||
| power ⏻ | ||
| .on ⏽ | ||
| .off ⭘ | ||
| .on.off ⏼ | ||
| .sleep ⏾ |
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Those are redundant with sym.power.standby, sym.power.on, sym.power.off, sym.power.on.off and sym.power.sleep. also they are not keyboard symbols, so I don't think they belong here.
| .discontinuous ⎂ | ||
| emph ⎃ | ||
| center ⎅ | ||
| alt ⎇ |
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Do you have evidence of contemporary keyboards that use this symbol?
4 participants
This PR aims at naming symbols that are often used as keyboard labels.
This regroups within a submodule - as was suggested in this PR - symbols coming from across several unicode blocks : Arrows, Supplemental Arrows - B, Control Pictures, Miscellaneous Technical, Miscellaneous Symbols and Arrows, Miscellaneous Symbols and Pictographs.
There are probably some other I've missed, if you know some, I'll add them.
I've tried to add a large proportion of symbols that may be in the submodule in the end. Some I've considered and did not add, some I'm not convinced should stay but I put anyway to open the discussion. See this table to see all the symbols I considered.
Here are some remarks about the choices of names that I think needs to be discussed :
↸/⭶,⇲/⭸,↹/⭾,⇤/⭰, ...) both exists as simple arrows, and yet a very similar arrow exist with the main purpose of designating a keyboard label in the Unicode chart. I chose to put arrows resembling-but-whose-main-purpose-is-not-being-a-keyboard-label asalt. However this becomes weird for three tab symbols:↹/⭾/⭿; the third one is a vertical tab, and is rotation of the second one, being itself an arrow but not primarily a keyboard label, while the actual designated symbol for keyboard is↹and has no vertical counterpart. For now,tab.alt.vis set to the⭿, sotab.vfalls back to it.capslock. Only one of them is not designated as capslock in the Unicode chart (⮸), but I put it for its resemblance, and the fact that it's a combination of variation on other symbols designated as capslock.struckfor some capslock to designate a horizontal bar inside the stroked arrow e.g.⇫/⇬although it does not correspond to what is calledstruckfor other arrows. I'm looking for a better name for this variant.␥,⌦, and⌫, respectively nameddel,erase.randerase.l. The first name is for consistence with the control pictures block (it's an alternate symbol for a symbol named del in the control submodule here), however there is alsoerase.lthat I think is used to designate the same key (namely, the one deleting characters to the left of the cursor, so the naming feels weird here.⌥is also sometimes used for the alt key (description of the Unicode chart). There is another symbol for the alt key:⎇and I don't know if it's a good idea to put the first one a second time in the module as an alternate symbol for thealtname (Unrelated butalt.altwould be a bit weird and I have no idea what the name could be otherwise).keyboard.keyboardwhich, in my opinion, feels off likealt.alt).↵(from the Arrow block) is described as "may represent return or newline on keyboards" in the Unicode chart. Since there are other symbols for both these keys, I put it with both namesreturn.altandnewline.alt.spacebarfor␣and moved this symbol in the submodule, whose full name is nowkeyboard.space. Plus, I think it should be noted that a similar symbol called SHOULDERED OPEN BOX⍽(the previous one is OPEN BOX) exists, although I did not name it here since I don't know if it's used as a keyboard label, tell me if it is used as such.