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Cuireadh an snáithe seo sa chartlann. Cuir ceist nua má tá cabhair uait.

Who can fix the fact that an apostrophe does not render?

  • 14 freagra
  • 34 leis an bhfadhb seo
  • 7 views
  • Freagra is déanaí ó cor-el

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I have been bugged by this for years and finally decided to do something about it. According to my Google search, this is a well known problem for many of us, and I cannot figure why Firefox has not done something about it.

Using Firefox 3.6 on my PC, the apostrophe does not render consistently.

If I write text for my web page using the standard key to the right of the semicolon ( the apostrophe, i.e., ‘), I then upload to my website with FTP and view the result: The text at that point usually appears as the square with a question mark, indicating that the code does not exist. This also happens on other source’s pages, but here I think I know the source of the apostrophe.

The Google results suggest work-arounds, but Firefox’s inability to render the apostrophe simply should not happen. Reading the same page as above on Internet Explorer shows the apostrophe correctly. So this is clearly a Firefox problem. Who can fix it?

I have been bugged by this for years and finally decided to do something about it. According to my Google search, this is a well known problem for many of us, and I cannot figure why Firefox has not done something about it. Using Firefox 3.6 on my PC, the apostrophe does not render consistently. If I write text for my web page using the standard key to the right of the semicolon ( the apostrophe, i.e., ‘), I then upload to my website with FTP and view the result: The text at that point usually appears as the square with a question mark, indicating that the code does not exist. This also happens on other source’s pages, but here I think I know the source of the apostrophe. The Google results suggest work-arounds, but Firefox’s inability to render the apostrophe simply should not happen. Reading the same page as above on Internet Explorer shows the apostrophe correctly. So this is clearly a Firefox problem. Who can fix it?

All Replies (14)

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Just because something works in Internet Explorer doesn't make it right. There is a specific character code to use for displaying the apostrophe character.
http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/html-spec/html-spec_13.html

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With all respect, I do not think that is the answer. First, look at common sites like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page or http://finance.yahoo.com/?u. They do not use a special character for the apostrophe; yet it shows on my screen as desired. Second, it should not be incumbent on the author of a web page to give special treatment to such a common character as the apostrophe. Third, even though there IS a special code for the ampersand (&), using the symbol, &, instead of ∧ still renders & on my screen - - why should the apostrophe cause so much trouble?

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Can you post a link to a page where you see that problem?

Did you check the page source via "View > Page Source" or the (re)generated page via the right-click context menu after selecting the text?

Which encoding is used to create those pages and what is send by the server?

  • Tools > Page Info > General

Athraithe ag cor-el ar

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The annoying thing is that the problem is not consistent. A page giving me the square with a question mark yesterday now renders the apostrophe. But I’m not dreaming. Look for example at these contributions: (1) http://css-tricks.com/forums/discussion/7137/apostrophe-doesn-t-render/p1 The response in that forum was: use the special character; that is, “replace the apostrophe in your html with &_ # 3 9;” [where I’ve added space to see the symbols, not the transcription] which again throws the responsibility for the problem onto the web site author.

And this general problem about rendering in Firefox; (2) http://superuser.com/questions/59734/why-does-firefox-not-render-some-characters

And this problem in SharePoint, likewise inconsistent: (3) http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en/sharepoint2010general/thread/466532d6-952d-4ad2-bdfb-8956da69224d

And here is someone with the problem in Google Voice: (4) http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/voice/thread?tid=572bfc08a52b8567&hl=en

. . . The problem seems to relate to character sets. Does Firefox assume some character set if the web page does not specify one? Just as a wild guess, the assumed character set might change according to browsing history. But that is wild. I presume that Firefox has not fixed the problem because it is so difficult.

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Some pages may use special Unicode quotes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quotation_mark

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As of today, PART of this web page shows the despised ?-square in place of the apostrophe:

http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/m/montgom2.html

To elaborate, as I read the “page source,” no character set is specified for the page. Part way down, there is a contribution [additional information] using "< span lang="en-gb" >" in which the apostrophe does not render.

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And I just looked at the same page with Internet Explorer. The apostrophes render correctly where Firefox breaks down. If IE can do it, why can't FF?

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I assume that you mean: “Montgomerie”

That are Unicode quotes: &#x201c;Montgomerie&#x201d; - &ldquo;Montgomerie&rdquo;
They display for me although the page is send as ISO-8859-1

Athraithe ag cor-el ar

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OK, cor-el, so even if they are Unicode, should not Firefox work?

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Are they working on this page? “Montgomerie”

If they aren't working then there is a problem with the font that is used on that particular website.
As a test you can also try to disable the website fonts and if that still doesn't work then try a different default font like Verdana.

  • Tools > Options > Content : Fonts & Colors > Advanced > [ ] "Allow pages to choose their own fonts, instead of my selections above"
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I’m afraid we are on different wave lengths. It is not just my problem As illustrated by my quoting web sites, many others see the apostrophe problem. As I said in my first post, there are work-arounds for the problem. My point is that the inconsistent rendering of the apostrophe is a 'Firefox problem' and Firefox should do something about it. I just do not know how to reach the technical staff of Firefox who should fix it. As I’ve said, Internet Explorer seems to overcome the apostrophe problem; so the inconsistencies in how web pages are written should not create an insurmountable obstacle. My question is who within Firefox can fix it.

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You didn't answer if you see the quotes on this page: (‘ ’ “ ”)

If you do not see them then you definitely have a font problem and you should check your fonts.

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I see all your quotes, cor-el, and that is not the point.

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If you can see them here, but not on other websites then that would suggest a problem with the font that is used on the other website(s).

As a test you can try to disable the website fonts and if that still doesn't work then try a different default font like Verdana or Arial.

  • Tools > Options > Content : Fonts & Colors > Advanced > [ ] "Allow pages to choose their own fonts, instead of my selections above"