Re: Changing the buffer encoding.

Hi

I got it and I can now reproduce the issue.

Case 1, my original one, the one that confused me.
Open buffer, paste stuff with UTF-8 characters (modeline may or may not say
LATIN-1), *change the encoding to UTF-8*, save.
Re-opening the file shows character as "multibyte" (that's what I call
them), not as originally pasted.

Case 2, new test, that points to the "solution".
Open buffer, *change the encoding to UTF-8*, *then* paste stuff with UTF-8
characters (modeline says UTF-8), save.
Re-opening the file shows the character as originally pasted.

All of this on LWM.  I can test it on Windows (and Linux).

Bottom line.  I think I will just globally set the encoding to UTF-8.  Do
you see any problem with that?

All the best

Marco




On Tue, Dec 2, 2025 at 5:27 PM Martin Simmons <[email protected]> wrote:

> Yes, that is because :latin-1 allows any sequence of bytes so it is always
> a
> "valid" encoding.
>
> The -*- Encoding: option at the start of the file should override
> system:*specific-valid-file-encodings* though when using the default order
> in
> system:*file-encoding-detection-algorithm*.
>
> --
> Martin Simmons
> LispWorks Ltd
> http://www.lispworks.com/
>
>
>
> >>>>> On Tue, 2 Dec 2025 08:29:20 -0700, David McClain said:
> >
> > I found, for myself a few years ago, that the order of external format
> specifications is significant. So my ordering is as follows in my
> .LISPWORKS file:
> >
> > #+:LISPWORKS
> > (progn
> >   (pushnew :LATIN-1 system:*specific-valid-file-encodings*)
> >   (pushnew :utf-8 system:*specific-valid-file-encodings*)
> >
> >   (lw:set-default-character-element-type 'cl:character))
> >
> >
> > > On Dec 2, 2025, at 08:13, Martin Simmons <[email protected]> wrote:
> > >
> > > Does the editor's modeline still start with LATIN-1 after closing and
> opening
> > > the file?
> > >
> > > The attached file containing the characters #\U+636E and #\U+646F
> works for
> > > me, with the modeline saying UTF-8.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Martin Simmons
> > > LispWorks Ltd
> > > http://www.lispworks.com/
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >>>>>> On Tue, 2 Dec 2025 13:40:19 +0100, Marco Antoniotti said:
> > >>
> > >> Hi
> > >>
> > >> I am fooling around and I did save it with Encoding: UTF-8
> > >>
> > >> No luck.
> > >>
> > >> MA
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> On Tue, Dec 2, 2025 at 1:39 PM Martin Simmons <[email protected]>
> wrote:
> > >>
> > >>> It should be UTF-8, not UNICODE (assuming that is how you saved it).
> > >>>
> > >>> --
> > >>> Martin Simmons
> > >>> LispWorks Ltd
> > >>> http://www.lispworks.com/
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>>>>>> On Tue, 2 Dec 2025 11:39:38 +0100, Marco Antoniotti (as marco
> dot
> > >>> antoniotti at unimib dot it) said:
> > >>>>
> > >>>> Thanks.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> I ended up RTFM 😏
> > >>>>
> > >>>> Now a different problem.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> I can now save the data in a file, but when I read it back, even
> adding
> > >>> the
> > >>>> "-*- Encoding: UNICODE -*- header, the characters are not displayed
> > >>>> correctly: read, their glyphs (*) are not used for display.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> MA
> > >>>>
> > >>>> (*) Pardon the use of incorrect terminology.
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>> On Tue, Dec 2, 2025 at 8:59 AM joswig <[email protected]> wrote:
> > >>>>
> >>>>> set external format
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>
> >>>>> Am 02.12.2025 um 08:34 schrieb Marco Antoniotti (as marco dot
> > >>> antoniotti
> >>>>> at unimib dot it) <[email protected]>:
> > >>>>>
> >>>>> Hi
> > >>>>>
> >>>>> asking is always faster and easier than RTFM.
> > >>>>>
> >>>>> I just pasted some code containing UTF-8 characters in a buffer (this
> > >>> is
> >>>>> LWM).  Now I cannot save it because the buffer is marked LATIN-1.
> > >>>>>
> >>>>> How do I change the buffer encoding in order to save as-is.
> > >>>>>
> >>>>> Thanks
> > >>>>>
> >>>>> Marco
> > >>>>>
> >>>>> --
> >>>>> Marco Antoniotti, Professor, Director         tel. +39 - 02 64 48 79
> 01
> >>>>> DISCo, University of Milan-Bicocca U14 2043
> > >>> http://dcb.disco.unimib.it
> >>>>> Viale Sarca 336
> >>>>> I-20126 Milan (MI) ITALY
> > >>>>>
> >>>>> REGAINS: https://regains.disco.unimib.it/
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>> --
> > >>>> Marco Antoniotti, Professor, Director         tel. +39 - 02 64 48
> 79 01
> > >>>> DISCo, University of Milan-Bicocca U14 2043
> http://dcb.disco.unimib.it
> > >>>> Viale Sarca 336
> > >>>> I-20126 Milan (MI) ITALY
> > >>>>
> > >>>> REGAINS: https://regains.disco.unimib.it/
> > >>>>
> > >>>> _______________________________________________
> > >>>> Lisp Hug - the mailing list for LispWorks users
> > >>>> [email protected]
> > >>>> http://www.lispworks.com/support/lisp-hug.html
> > >>>>
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> --
> > >> Marco Antoniotti, Professor, Director         tel. +39 - 02 64 48 79
> 01
> > >> DISCo, University of Milan-Bicocca U14 2043
> http://dcb.disco.unimib.it
> > >> Viale Sarca 336
> > >> I-20126 Milan (MI) ITALY
> > >>
> > >> REGAINS: https://regains.disco.unimib.it/
> > >>
> > > <utf8.txt>
> >
> >
>


-- 
Marco Antoniotti, Professor, Director         tel. +39 - 02 64 48 79 01
DISCo, University of Milan-Bicocca U14 2043   http://dcb.disco.unimib.it
Viale Sarca 336
I-20126 Milan (MI) ITALY

REGAINS: https://regains.disco.unimib.it/