Is iconv Still Necessary for Converting Strings for EE Games?

[Bartimaeus]

  And if so, how do I include an em-dash, as it keeps corrupting them to...

–

...in-game instead of actual em-dashes.

[Lava]

I suppose it depends. If the mod is for both old BG and EE, then you need to use conversion - either classic iconv (ANSI=>UTF-8) or use AL|EN's way to handle it. 

If the mod is EE only, then those .tra, .d, .tp2 and other files that include text, should be saved in UTF-8 and you do not need any conversions.

The corrupted symbold - like those you mentioned - may happen if you use conversion (like iconv) on a text that already is UTF-8 and/or has symbols that do not show properly in ANSI. So, such thing may pop out if you're using — (in place where "-" symbol was most commonly used) and then treat it with conversion. That can cause weird things to happen.

[Bartimaeus]

28 minutes ago, Lava said:

I suppose it depends. If the mod is for both old BG and EE, then you need to use conversion - either classic iconv (ANSI=>UTF-8) or use AL|EN's way to handle it. 

If the mod is EE only, then those .tra, .d, .tp2 and other files that include text, should be saved in UTF-8 and you do not need any conversions.

The corrupted symbold - like those you mentioned - may happen if you use conversion (like iconv) on a text that already is UTF-8 and/or has symbols that do not show properly in ANSI. So, such thing may pop out if you're using — (in place where "-" symbol was most commonly used) and then treat it with conversion. That can cause weird things to happen.

Okay, cool, that answers that - just have to convert these files to ANSI and not have them already in UTF-8, then. Let's see if that works...and that does seem to have done the trick. Thanks!

I can only assume that whatever issue(s) ToB has with UTF-8, there must not have had a special character that would cause a problem, since a bunch of my strings were already in UTF-8.

[Lava]

If the mod is EE only, then do not convert it to ANSI. Leave them in UTF-8, but get rid of conversion (iconv)

Edited October 7, 2021 by Lava

[subtledoctor]

I've just stopped using en-dashes everywhere and replaced them with hyphens instead. It's the biggest source of these text issues, and the visual sacrifice of doing this - like, one or two pixels - is so minor as to be unnoticeable. Well, fine it's noticeable. But just not worth the effort IMHO.

Edited October 7, 2021 by subtledoctor

[Bartimaeus]

5 minutes ago, subtledoctor said:

I've just stopped using en-dashes everywhere and replaced them with hyphens instead. It's the biggest source of these text issues, and the visual sacrifice of doing this - like, one or two pixels - is so minor as to be unnoticeable. Well, fine it's noticeable. But just not worth the effort IMHO.

But...that would mean my descriptions wouldn't be consistent with descriptions that aren't mine. And that would be...

Spoiler

 

[Cahir]

3 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

But...that would mean my descriptions wouldn't be consistent with descriptions that aren't mine. And that would be...

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Ouch, you hurt me to the core Let's call it my personal OCD. I've seen weirder