Is there a site that lists character map symbols and their names ? example: * is asterisk or asterisk = *?

Are you looking for a codepage?
look at wikipedia discussion of codepages
you may be looking for ASCII, ANSI or a variety of unicode pages [usually utf8]

@NRO
I shouldn’t have put it in the computer section. It has nothing to do with compter language.
If I see the asterisk, and the others on the computer keyboad, for the first time and I want to know what they are all called, but without having to do it one sign at a time. Would, you help me with what section I should put it in? Or maybe you know the answer.

I’m not sure what you mean by “character map symbols” other than Windows’ own “Character Map”, which contains all of the commonly available symbols (and letters) in the various fonts you have installed, and includes their names.

There’s always this.

http://www.computerhope.com/keys.htm

That site lists the key names.

Do you mean, across the top of a keyboard are the following:
tilde, exclamation point, ‘at’ sign, hash mark or ‘number’ sign, dollar sign, percent sign, caret, ampersand, asterisk,left parenthesis, right parenthesis, underline, plus sign?

@CyanoticWasp @Kraigmo @NRO (alphabetical)
Thank you, you guys are helpful. Yes a lot of them are on the keyboard, but some are not. Like “Nothing”, the sign for it is an O over a slash – I can’t think which way the slash goes.
I am thinking the journalists who are seen using pen and paper,. although they also have a recorder running, but if they don’t…
Till next time.

@flo are you talking about shorthand? That’s another topic entirely.

@CyanoticWasp You are absolutely right, that is another story. Next year I will find the site that would teach me shorthand. But in the meantime I need to know as many signs as possible. But these reporters where do they learn shorthand?

I’m sure there are still “secretarial” schools, or courses of study in vocational schools and some high schools. I know a computer programmer at work who participates in design and brainstorming meetings by taking shorthand… she can write faster than we can speak (and way faster than we can think).

Look up “Gregg shorthand” and see where that gets you.

I looked at the shorthand site. Thanks.

http://www.tedmontgomery.com/tutorial/ALTchrc.html
A friend just sent me that. For example I see the Alt with 0216 the number pad gives you the “nothing” sign, but then it doesn’t tell you what the signs stand for. The shorthand, I don“t think I can memorize it like I can easily memorize the kind of signs I am talking about.
I am going to make the “nothing sign”. ....Nothing is typed.
Till next time.

@flo I’m still confused. You do realize, don’t you, that the screenprint you started with in your Q is the Windows ‘Character Map’ utility that comes with every edition of Windows that I’ve ever seen.

If you have a normal setup, it should be located at Programs / Accessories / System Tools / Character Map. It is clickable, and it does give the names, descriptions and mapping to the characters for the various fonts.

Your “nothing” sign, as you put it, is listed there as: “Latin capital letter O with stroke” ... though I don’t know if it’ll render in the font that Fluther uses: Ø. Apparently it does.

@CyanoticWasp
I don’t have the Character Map”, under the Accessories, there is the Paint, Notepad and all kinds of other things but not that. I am using public library computer. I woud rather not ask them about downloading it if I don’t have to.
What about the Alt with the 0216?

Same character: Ø

I’m surprised that the library computers are crippled by not having the Character Map application. You might ask a librarian if it can be made available or if it’s in another location. (Or maybe “System Tools” have been disabled in the public computers there.)

So that’s the application you want.

Edit: Try this:

Start / Run / “charmap.exe” (without the quotation marks)

If it’s available on the system that should run it. If not, talk to the librarian or the librarian’s IT person. That’s a harmless application that should be available to ‘normal’ users.

the 256 original ASCII characters [which include everything on your keyboard and other characters] can still be accessed through the[alt][codenumber] if [numlock] is turned on. You must used the number pad to the right of the main keyboard, or if a smaller keyboard, the keys designated to represent those numbers and not the top-line numbers.

this site lists all the code numbers of the ascii characters

@CyanoticWasp I don’t see “run” either. Thanks for all the info.
Did you get the ”Ø”(I copy and pasted yours) using Alt and 0216 in the number pad, or through the Character Map? It just occured to me I can just do copy and paste from the the site that NRO gave above, except I can’t enlarge the font.
I don’t see “Run” under accesories either.

@NRO Thanks. I was /am using the number pad on the right side and the light was/is turned on (it is the default position here) and it is not working Alt and 2016 is not working.
Till next time.

@CyanoticWasp
. Thanks for all the info.
Did you get the ”Ø”(I copy and pasted yours) using Alt and 0216 in the number pad, or through the Character Map? It just occured to me I can just do copy and paste from the the site that NRO gave above, except I can’t enlarge the font.
I don’t see “Run” either. under “accesories”

@NRO Thanks. I was /am using the number pad on the right side and the light was/is turned on (it is the default position here) and it is not working Alt and 2016 is not working.
Till next time.

@flo I got the characters both ways. (I should have been more clear about that as I posted each one.) I’m not surprised that “Run” isn’t an option on the public computer you’re using. It seems to be pretty well hobbled by intention. Save up a couple hundred dollars and you can get yourself a very nice used laptop that will have all of Windows functionality available for you to use as you see fit. (Of course, that also means that you’ll have to be aware of what you’re doing so you don’t blow it up.)

@CyanoticWasp I can’t imagine having my own computer, it is just too much work. No thanks. And I am sure it would blow up on my lap.

More importantly, why woudn’t it work for me when I try to use Alt and 0216 though? That is what I am curious about? There is a friend who is using her computer, it is also not working for her. So, what is it that you have in your computer that allows you do that? You don’t activate the Character Map before you do the Alt thing do you?

@CyanoticWasp @NRO My friend, says it works now. I am trying to get her let me know to what made it work.

@flo you are using the wrong number. If you look sat the site I posted you will see that there are only 256 different characters.
Each number code has 4 digits but they all begin with zerp, 0001 to 0256.
Try again

@NRO Wouldn’t typing the wrong number just give me the wrong symbol? Also, the typo and the correct number both have 4 digits.
You saw where I typed 2016, here, a typo. The other times if you notice, I typed the number right. 0216.

Would you see this exchange between my friend and me?

MY friend: Try holding ‘Alt’ and type 0248…..it didn’t work for me – it took me off this message -.....but I read it on Yahoo Answers and another site.
It might work for you….or it might not :)
I’ll keep looking.
Till next time :)

Me: The Alt 0248, didn’t work either

My friend: I just read the question and answers.
Try NRO’s suggestion…..push the ‘num lock’ and then hold down alt and type 0248 or 0216.
It might not have worked because the number pad wasn’t turned ‘on’. Perhaps ‘num lock’ turns it on and off. The ‘num lock’ is at the top of the number pad on my computer….it might be somewhere else on yours.

Me: Your last message was that it didn’t work for you either, an that you will keep looking. So, now it works? Is it because of the light?

My friend: The alt 0216 worked for me without the ‘num lock’. But alt 0248 didn’t work as Ø – it worked as a ‘back arrow’....I don’t know why. I haven’t tried alt 0248 with the ‘num lock’.
Ø ø.....okay I just did both with the ‘num lock’ on. The larger is 0216 and the smaller is 0248.
So both work with the ‘num lock’ but are different sizes. Good to know :)

The online character map site that I gave you a few messages ago, has the zero slash. It’s in the 8x column (I don’t remember how many down). But that is a tedious way of using it.
Did you try pressing the ‘num lock’ key ? I don’t understand what ‘default position’ means….my keyboard is different – I don’t have a light to indicate it’s on or off.

Me: What /do you mean ”... without the num lock”? I would have thought that it meant “without the num lock light on”. Please tell me what that means. Okay, on the keyboards that I use there is a light above the num lock key. When it is on, it types the numbers, when it is off it does the other things on the key. For example 8 key shows an arrow showing up, so it takes you directly above the line you are on. How do you do that on your keyboard? When someone turns the computer on the light is on (it used to be off but the library(?)changed it. I think because newbies didn’t know that when they entered their password for eg. it wouldn’t work if it was off).
What did you do do to make it work though? Remember you said it doesn’t work. Do you mean that the num lock key goes down and stays down when you press it?

My friend: My keyboard doesn’t have a light to indicate the num lock is on or off.
12 (that is with the num lock on(?)) Now I will press it and try to type numbers. I just did and no numbers would type. Now I’m going to try the alt 0216 Ø....okay that worked but typing numbers didn’t with the num lock in it’s present position (off – I guess). I’m going to copy this and try alt 0248. I just did (good thing I copied this) and it acted like ‘back arrow’. But if I press the num lock – it will type the 2 sizes of zero slash (I did that in my last message).
I wish my computer had a light or something to let me know whether it is on or off. The num lock key doesn’t stay depressed….it looks like all the other keys.
I use the number keys at the top of the keyboard and not the number pad so I’m not really familiar with what it does. I mean I know it type numbers and it’s lay out is like a calculator but I don’t use it. And I see all the arrows and words on the number keys.

My number pad also has arrows, home, pg up, pg dn, del.
My keyboard has arrow keys in between the alphabet keys and number pad….also € $ and keys to lighten and darken computer screen – in addition to the arrow keys.

I hope you can interpret this message :) I typed it as I was trying different things (num lock on and off) and describing the results. It would be difficult to edit it to clarify (I’m not sure I would understand it – if I hadn’t written it)

So there it is. Help.

@flo What don’t you understand? There are only 256 characters—the numbers 001 to 256 preceded by a zero. Any number larger than 0256 doesn’t have a number.

Did your friend use the number keypad and not the numbers on top? Did your friend set ‘numlock’ to ‘on’—so it lights up?

@NRO I guess you mean “Any number larger than 0256 doesn’t have a symbol to go with it” right? I get it, you are right, it doesn’t. But I as I refered to it, it is a typo here in the thread. You can see that, because the other times I typed in the 0216. I have tried it again anyway.

In the private message section you asked me, “Is the keyboard you used a full sized keyboard with number pad on right?” I don’t know if it is full size or not, but I am using the numbers pad, and the light is on, and I have tired it with off as well.

Re. “Did your friend use the number keypad and not the numbers on top? Did your friend set ‘numlock’ to ‘on’—so it lights up?”
If you read the exchange with my friend above you can see, there is no such thing as light that goes on and off. That is interesting, right?
It works for her when the numb lock is in a position when it shouldn’t work to type the mumbers – which means light off, right? Let me quote her from approx. midway of the exchange:

“My friend: My keyboard doesn’t have a light to indicate the num lock is on or off.
12 (that is with the num lock on(?)) Now I will press it and try to type numbers. I just did and no numbers would type. Now I’m going to try the alt 0216 Ø....okay that worked but typing numbers didn’t with the num lock in it’s present position (off – I guess).
Till next time.

“I use the number keys at the top of the keyboard and not the number pad so I’m not really familiar with what it does. I mean I know it type numbers and it’s lay out is like a calculator but I don’t use it. And I see all the arrows and words on the number keys.”

your friend said this. It will not work with the top row of numbers!!!!!

@NRO I thought I didn’t need to write it. I wrote it and then cancelled it from my last message. She means (from the context) that she ordinarily uses the top of the keyboard for numbers, she doesn’t mean this time. By the way, sometimes the exclamation point, especially many of them in a row says “you are so dumb”. Ethiquette says this should be avoided. Any time you feel like doing that you can just drop off the thread.

@flo sorry, that was never intended—it was just an indulgence in punctuation flair. :-(

@NRO no problem. Re, my friend’s statement, context is very important, right?
The Character Map is missing some more signs though. If you come accross another site please let me know.

@flo the Windows program “Character Map” isn’t missing any characters whatsoever. Not a one. It contains characters from every language that Windows supports, in every font. The screenshots that you showed in your initial Q contained 200 characters from Times New Roman and another 200 from Cambria. I can also access characters from Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, Cyrillic and other languages and alphabets that I can’t even recognize—and that’s before we get to Wingdings, Webdings (which I frankly hadn’t even heard of until I decided to write this paragraph, but I recognize the symbols easily enough) map and math symbols and other printer’s marks and symbols.

If it’s a character that can be typed from a keyboard and is contained in a font that you have on your system (and maybe even if you don’t), then Character Map has it.

You just need to work on a computer that isn’t so hobbled as the one available to you at the library and find this out for yourself.

@CyanoticWasp Thank you. I will find a computer as you suggested.
By the way have you read the exchange between my friend and me? I wanted to put my part of the exchange, or my friend’s (indented?), not just the first line but the whole thing. How do I do that?

Formatting on Fluther is pretty simple. There are no indents or hanging indents, so that’s out. You might have attempted to italicize your friend’s part of the conversation, or introduce me and my friend with bold-facing… but in any case, no, I didn’t read it all.

@CyanoticWasp so, for someone who prefers to do indenting, that is not possible anywhere?

As well, I meant to ask you, re.” ...Character Map” isn’t missing any characters whatsoever. Not a one” ....“If it’s a character that can be typed from a keyboard and is contained in a font that you have on your system (and maybe even if you don’t), then Character Map has it.” That is just it, I am not only refering to the ones on computer keyboard/s.

@flo you really need to play with a real computer and stop wasting time on this. I’m talking about characters which can be produced with keystrokes as opposed to, say, logos, signatures and other graphics that are essentially “drawn” characters.

This is the edited version. I am going to remove the above posting.
@CyanoticWasp You have taught me 3 lessons.
1) To just answer the question the person asked. Don’t tell the asker what the question should be about. “I am talking about characters which can be produced with keystrokes….” The question is about what the asker is talking about. I am talking about even if I am using pen and paper, and I am not talking about short hand or drawings.
I may end up straying away from the Q that I am answering, sometimes, but not on purpose. I have to look at myself more. It is easy to say “I don’t know the answer to this.

2)To read what is very likely to be very relevant in the thread, esp. if it doesn’t require searching. Read all of of the exchange with my friend and you will see.

3)Make sure not to sound like you are undermining people “you really need to play with a real computer… i.e, what you have, or using is a fake/third rate, item.

Fuck it. I give up. The answer to your question is “no”. Happier now? Or the answer is “yes”, but you’ll never find it.