Displaying apostrophes gets ugly

[CDurkee]

I'm using RoboHelp HTML X5 and I am hearing from some of my end users that the are seeing question marks where there should be apostrophes. Has anyone experienced this? Seems that most are seeing them using Firefox. I cannot reproduce this, but I have now heard it from 2 uesrs. Obviously it makes it difficult to read a sentence when you have a question mark pop up when there should be an apostrophe.

Help!

[Linux Rules · Accepted solution]

Hello CDurkee -

Been there, done that too many times...the problem is Microsoft. You are using the "smart" apostrophe (same problem with "smart" quotes) which is NOT a valid HTML character. Use character 39 NOT character 146.

Stop using the Microsoft character set and stay within TRUE standards not "Our Way Because We Said So" sudo-standards from Microsoft. The problem will go away.

Regards,
gewb

see:
http://tatumweb.com/typerat/ansirodent.htm

[CDurkee]

Thanks!

[Linux Rules]

8^)

Please mark as "solved" for future reference to others with the same problem.

Regards,
gewb

[Kim_N_]

How do you tell RoboHelp to not use the "smart quotes"? I'm using RoboHelp HTML and have the same problem. When I manually change the HTML code to ' for a double quote, RoboHelp changes it to a &#quo; instead. Is there a way to turn this off? (Nothing is mentioned in the help files.)

RoboHelp changes the left-facing quote to a "smart quote" that faces to the right. This causes RoboHelp to also insert a r; just after the quote in the preview pane. It is a reproducible bug. If I'm in the HTML and enter “ or “, switch back to preview, back to HTML, and then back to preview the correct left-facing quote has changed to a right-facing quote and the additional r; is inserted.

Thanks.

Kim N.

[Peter Grainge]

Just delete the smart quotes and type the quote in Design view.

[Guest]

It might also be helpful to go into the Microsoft Word Tools menu, select AutoCorrect Options > AutoFormat as You Type, and deselect Replace as you type: "Straight quotes" with "smart quotes." This makes it less likely that they will sneak in.

Also, just for grins, Linux Rules: I agree that character 146 is a pseudo-ASCII standard enforced by the 800-pound gorilla of the computing industry. But it isn't a pseudo-standard. Those stupid curly quotes have been the standard for printers since long before the computer was thought of!

Elisa

[Linux Rules]

Hello Elisa -

"Smart quotes" have been around for the print media and is a standard for that media. It is not a standard for use in html (reference W3C, the body responsible for maintaining many of the core standards and protocols of the Internet).

Regards,
GEWB

[Guest]

Absolutely! That's the point I was trying to make.

Hey, I'm on your team here. I go completely nuts dealing with non-standard stuff like legacy fonts that were developed before W3C. Of course, their users insist on including them in their web sites.

How are we ever going to be able to find information (harder and harder, as more of it gets out there) if we can't store it in a standard way?

But I thought the print world deserved a nod, if only in a historical context. "A hundred copies, Brother Dominic..."

Elisa

[Linux Rules]

Hello Elisa -

Go team!

You're dating yourself with that quote...I still like that series of commercials!

Hmm, I remember writing my own printer driver for WordStar in DOS (2.2?)...now I'm dating myself!

Regards,
GEWB