How do you echo a 4-digit Unicode character in Bash?

Question

I\'d like to add the Unicode skull and crossbones to my shell prompt (specifically the \'SKULL AND CROSSBONES\' (U+2620)), but I can\'t figure out the magic incantation to m

Answer 1

You may need to encode the code point as octal in order for prompt expansion to correctly decode it.

U+2620 encoded as UTF-8 is E2 98 A0.

So in Bash,

export PS1="\342\230\240"

will make your shell prompt into skull and bones.

Answer 2

% echo -e '\u2620'     # \u takes four hexadecimal digits
☠
% echo -e '\U0001f602' # \U takes eight hexadecimal digits
                                                                    

                                                        
            

Answer 3

Here's a fully internal Bash implementation, no forking, unlimited size of Unicode characters.

fast_chr() {
    local __octal
    local __char
    printf -v __octal '%03o' $1
    printf -v __char \\$__octal
    REPLY=$__char
}

function unichr {
    local c=$1    # Ordinal of char
    local l=0    # Byte ctr
    local o=63    # Ceiling
    local p=128    # Accum. bits
    local s=''    # Output string

    (( c < 0x80 )) && { fast_chr "$c"; echo -n "$REPLY"; return; }

    while (( c > o )); do
        fast_chr $(( t = 0x80 | c & 0x3f ))
        s="$REPLY$s"
        (( c >>= 6, l++, p += o+1, o>>=1 ))
    done

    fast_chr $(( t = p | c ))
    echo -n "$REPLY$s"
}

## test harness
for (( i=0x2500; i<0x2600; i++ )); do
    unichr $i
done

Output was:

─━│┃┄┅┆┇┈┉┊┋┌┍┎┏
┐┑┒┓└┕┖┗┘┙┚┛├┝┞┟
┠┡┢┣┤┥┦┧┨┩┪┫┬┭┮┯
┰┱┲┳┴┵┶┷┸┹┺┻┼┽┾┿
╀╁╂╃╄╅╆╇╈╉╊╋╌╍╎╏
═║╒╓╔╕╖╗╘╙╚╛╜╝╞╟
╠╡╢╣╤╥╦╧╨╩╪╫╬╭╮╯
╰╱╲╳╴╵╶╷╸╹╺╻╼╽╾╿
▀▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█▉▊▋▌▍▎▏
▐░▒▓▔▕▖▗▘▙▚▛▜▝▞▟
■□▢▣▤▥▦▧▨▩▪▫▬▭▮▯
▰▱▲△▴▵▶▷▸▹►▻▼▽▾▿
◀◁◂◃◄◅◆◇◈◉◊○◌◍◎●
◐◑◒◓◔◕◖◗◘◙◚◛◜◝◞◟
◠◡◢◣◤◥◦◧◨◩◪◫◬◭◮◯
◰◱◲◳◴◵◶◷◸◹◺◻◼◽◾◿

Answer 4

Quick one-liner to convert UTF-8 characters into their 3-byte format:

var="$(echo -n '☠' | od -An -tx1)"; printf '\\x%s' ${var^^}; echo

Answer 5

In Bash:

UnicodePointToUtf8()
{
    local x="$1"               # ok if '0x2620'
    x=${x/\\u/0x}              # '\u2620' -> '0x2620'
    x=${x/U+/0x}; x=${x/u+/0x} # 'U-2620' -> '0x2620'
    x=$((x)) # from hex to decimal
    local y=$x n=0
    [ $x -ge 0 ] || return 1
    while [ $y -gt 0 ]; do y=$((y>>1)); n=$((n+1)); done
    if [ $n -le 7 ]; then       # 7
        y=$x
    elif [ $n -le 11 ]; then    # 5+6
        y=" $(( ((x>> 6)&0x1F)+0xC0 )) \
            $(( (x&0x3F)+0x80 ))" 
    elif [ $n -le 16 ]; then    # 4+6+6
        y=" $(( ((x>>12)&0x0F)+0xE0 )) \
            $(( ((x>> 6)&0x3F)+0x80 )) \
            $(( (x&0x3F)+0x80 ))"
    else                        # 3+6+6+6
        y=" $(( ((x>>18)&0x07)+0xF0 )) \
            $(( ((x>>12)&0x3F)+0x80 )) \
            $(( ((x>> 6)&0x3F)+0x80 )) \
            $(( (x&0x3F)+0x80 ))"
    fi
    printf -v y '\\x%x' $y
    echo -n -e $y
}

# test
for (( i=0x2500; i<0x2600; i++ )); do
    UnicodePointToUtf8 $i
    [ "$(( i+1 & 0x1f ))" != 0 ] || echo ""
done
x='U+2620'
echo "$x -> $(UnicodePointToUtf8 $x)"

Output:

─━│┃┄┅┆┇┈┉┊┋┌┍┎┏┐┑┒┓└┕┖┗┘┙┚┛├┝┞┟
┠┡┢┣┤┥┦┧┨┩┪┫┬┭┮┯┰┱┲┳┴┵┶┷┸┹┺┻┼┽┾┿
╀╁╂╃╄╅╆╇╈╉╊╋╌╍╎╏═║╒╓╔╕╖╗╘╙╚╛╜╝╞╟
╠╡╢╣╤╥╦╧╨╩╪╫╬╭╮╯╰╱╲╳╴╵╶╷╸╹╺╻╼╽╾╿
▀▁▂▃▄▅▆▇█▉▊▋▌▍▎▏▐░▒▓▔▕▖▗▘▙▚▛▜▝▞▟
■□▢▣▤▥▦▧▨▩▪▫▬▭▮▯▰▱▲△▴▵▶▷▸▹►▻▼▽▾▿
◀◁◂◃◄◅◆◇◈◉◊○◌◍◎●◐◑◒◓◔◕◖◗◘◙◚◛◜◝◞◟
◠◡◢◣◤◥◦◧◨◩◪◫◬◭◮◯◰◱◲◳◴◵◶◷◸◹◺◻◼◽◾◿
U+2620 -> ☠

Answer 6

If hex value of unicode character is known

H="2620"
printf "%b" "\u$H"

If the decimal value of a unicode character is known

declare -i U=2*4096+6*256+2*16
printf -vH "%x" $U              # convert to hex
printf "%b" "\u$H"