If I send 123^123 as an HTML-format message, the received message is unchanged, but if it's sent as a plain-text message, the second 123 is superscripted. If the HTML-format message is viewed with View/Message Body As/Plain Text, the second 123 is superscripted.

If you want to send HTML messages that display as superscripts, whatever the setting for View/Message Body As, use the Format/Text Style/Superscript menu item.

No, I don't want to display as superscripts. Instead, I want to be able to have TB not do anything to the text I enter.

So, in the email body, I enter something like "123^123". I want that text to be sent just like that. But instead, TB is doing an unwanted transformation by super-scripting the part after the ^ and leaving the ^ out of the sent message.

Sorry if my original posting wasn't clear.

Thanks,

TB is apparently applying ^ to make a superscript in a plain text message. Whether that happens with all fonts, I do not know. If you send in HTML format, it renders the text as you desire. If plain text is your default format for the account, switch to HTML on a per-message basis by holding Shift when you click Write, Reply etc.

Not to make this more complicated, but you may have to pay attention to the preferred format for contacts (in Address Book) or Send Options in Tools/Options/Composition/General. To avoid an HTML message being converted to plain text, there is also the Options/Delivery Format menu in the HTML Write window.

Appreciate your follow up.

We have two macs. Same exact configuration. One Mac super-scripts the text using TB. The other Mac, using TB, sends the text, as expected undisturbed.

I have seen a similar conversation in the newsgroup. The issue there was something like github version numbers which were using the ^ symbol and as here, Thunderbird was interpreting these as instructions to render as superscript.

In general Thunderbird takes markup using asterisks, underlines and slashes to create *bold*, _underlined_ and /italic/ text. This capability can be disabled via the config editor, though I seem to recall that it failed to address the superscript issue.

Right, here we are. There are (were) three specific settings for the enhancements listed above, but none (as far as I know) that affects superscripts. :-(

This example is intended to be used in a userChrome.css file, but the same identifiers can be used in the Config Editor too. ..moz-txt-star {font-weight: normal;} ..moz-txt-underscore {text-decoration: none !important;} ..moz-txt-slash {font-style: normal;}

Since TB works correctly on one iMac and incorrectly on another, and since everything else seems TB-related seems to be the same, I'm leaning toward a computer font issue of some kind.

It's clearly a message display issue on that one iMac.

Weird.

Thanks for your help.

Please note ^ is a mathematical sign. https://www.w3.org/MarkUp/html3/maths.html

I can force my Thunderbird to use and display it as a mathematical sign or not when displaying in Plain Text. It would seem you have one computer set up different to the other.

Please try the following: For a MAC look here: 'Thunderbird' > 'Preferences' > 'Display' > 'Formatting' tab Section : 'Plain text Messages' To set plain text to use ^ as maths sign for superscript Select 'Display emotions as graphics'

To stop this: Uncheck the checkbox: 'Display emotions as graphics' click on 'OK'

Both computers have this setting already checked.

Thanks for your posting.

re :this setting already checked.

Sorry this response is not totally clear. Have you unchecked ...not selected.....'Display emotions as graphics' on problem computer? I'm on a Windows OS, but changing that setting will change what I see on my computer.

Please confirm some details because as yet nothing has been mentioned about what you are using.

1. Are you Composing email as HTML or Plain Text?
2. Are you Sending as only Plain Text or as Plain Text and HTML?
3. Is recipient in your Address Book set to get emails formatted as 'HTML', 'Plain text' or 'unknown'?
4. Are you reading received emails as 'original HTML' or 'Simple HTML' or 'Plain Text'?

Note: If you have an email selected showing subscript in a plain text email and you uncheck/deselect 'Display emotions as graphics', it will not immediately show in that email, you need to select another email and then reselect email to force a change of the view of the content.

morkafur said

Since TB works correctly on one iMac and incorrectly on another, and since everything else seems TB-related seems to be the same, I'm leaning toward a computer font issue of some kind. It's clearly a message display issue on that one iMac. Weird. Thanks for your help.

The most likely source of the disparity is that one computer's default is HTML format, the other plain text. Check under Composition & Addressing in Tools/Account Settings in TB. The setting is per-account. Report on that setting before considering more arcane options.

Thanks, unchecking display emoticons as graphics solved the problem on the problem computer. The other TB installation has that checked and it still works OK.

Still strange, but fixed.

Thanks to all for the great responses and help!

Much appreciated.