Open a PDF document, select a URL within it and Copy. Then paste it into a webpage for publication. Simple – but the URL then broke. Why?
normalisation
Use Finder aliases at the command line, compare extended attributes of two files, and normalise Unicode strings.
Dystextia encodes and decodes obfuscated or spoofed Unicode text. Apfelstrudel analyses Unicode normalisation, ideal when working with text on computers.
iOS 10.3, released on 27 March 2017, thrust the new file system on a great many unsuspecting users. Apple chose a high risk strategy. Has it paid off?
Both apps have been notarized now, for added security protection, particularly when used in Mojave.
Trying to work with Unicode can be frustrating at times. Here’s an excellent free book with valuable practical tips for all users, and much more for linguists too.
Create and resolve Finder aliases from the command line, and convert Unicode strings into any of their normalised forms.
Apfelstrudel, which explores Unicode normalisation and string operations; Dystextia for obfuscating Roman text using spoofing; and Rosettavert for converting between text encodings.
Tools for examining Unicode normalisation, converting between text encodings, and for obfuscating text using similar Unicode characters.
Apple now states that APFS will handle the problems of normalisation of file and folder names. At least in iOS 10.3.3 and macOS 10.12.6, due shortly.
