Jun 17 2008
PopChar X 4.0 makes typing obscure characters easy
Ergonis Software has announced the release of PopChar X 4.0, their tool for easily finding and typing those special characters.
I remember recommending PopChar back when I was still using Mac OS 9 and it has improved greatly since then. PopChar 4 introduces a new view that allows users to search for special characters without being limited to the characters available in a particular font.
Say you want to type the copyright symbol (the C in the circle), but you don’t know the keyboard combination, much less which of your many fonts actually includes that symbol. With PopChar X 4 you just type “copyright” in the search field and switch to the “All” view. If any of your installed fonts contains the copyright symbol (and most do), PopChar will show it to you, and will allow you to insert it into your document with a single click. (By the way, Option-g gets you the copyright symbol)
Some of PopChar X’s features are duplicated by the free Character Palette that comes with Mac OS X and can be activated from the Input Menu of the International preferences in the System Preferences. I’ve found that PopChar X 4.0 is much faster and more user-friendly. If you have to access a lot of special characters, you might consider grabbing a copy.
The upgrade to PopChar X 4.0 is free for anyone who purchased PopChar in the last 2 years. Licenses for PopChar X 4.0 cost EUR29.99.
Note:
