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Asked: 2024-09-26T01:26:43+05:30 In:

I recently encountered an issue where the Unicode character representing disapproval no longer displays correctly in Ubuntu 16.04. Can anyone provide guidance on how to resolve this problem?

I’m running into a frustrating issue with my Ubuntu 16.04 system, and I could really use some help from the community. So, here’s the situation: I was working on a project that requires me to display some Unicode characters, especially the ones associated with disapproval (like the thumbs down, I think it’s U+1F44E). They used to show up just fine, but recently, I’ve noticed that they’ve gone completely haywire, or worse, they just display as empty boxes!

At first, I thought it might be a font issue, so I checked the fonts installed on my system. I even tried switching between a couple of different fonts, but nothing seems to work. It’s kind of ironic because I’ve done a bunch of updates recently, and I wonder if that might’ve affected my font rendering settings. Has anyone else had this problem after an update?

I’ve tried flushing the font cache and reinstalling the fonts, and while that felt promising for a second, I still can’t get those Unicode characters to behave. I even searched the internet and came across some posts suggesting tweaks in the fontconfig settings, but I don’t want to go messing around with configurations unless I’m sure it’s the right way to fix this.

It’s really annoying because I need these characters for my work, and without them displaying properly, it’s like I’m missing a tool in the box. Plus, I’ve heard that some applications can handle Unicode better than others—maybe that’s part of the problem too? Do I need to adjust something within a specific application, or is it all on the system side?

If anyone has had a similar experience, or even knows a possible solution, I’d greatly appreciate your insights. I’m not the most tech-savvy person, so any step-by-step guidance would be super helpful. Thanks in advance for any advice you can throw my way!

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    2 Answers


    1. It sounds like you’re experiencing a common issue with font rendering and Unicode support in Ubuntu 16.04, particularly after updates. This can often happen if the system fonts used for text rendering get inadvertently changed or if the font cache has some inconsistencies. Since you’ve already attempted flushing the font cache and reinstalling the fonts, I recommend checking if you have the appropriate font packages installed that support the Unicode characters you’re trying to display. For instance, fonts like Noto Sans or DejaVu Sans should generally support a broad range of Unicode characters. You can install these fonts by using the following commands in your terminal:
      sudo apt-get install fonts-noto and sudo apt-get install fonts-dejavu. After installing, remember to update your font cache again with fc-cache -f -v.

      If the issue persists, you can explore the fontconfig settings as a possible solution. Open the configuration file using a text editor with superuser privileges:
      sudo nano /etc/fonts/local.conf or create one if it does not exist. Ensure that the following snippet is added to provide better Unicode support:

      <?xml version='1.0'?>
      <!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM 'fonts.dtd'>
      <fontconfig>
      <match target='font'>
      <edit name='family' mode='prepend'>
      <string>Noto Sans</string>
      </edit>
      </match>
      </fontconfig>

      This will prioritize the Noto Sans font for rendering. Finally, applications like web browsers or text editors may have their own font settings; check if they are properly set to use system fonts. If you are still experiencing issues, it may help to restart these applications or even the entire system to apply the changes.







    2. Unicode Issue on Ubuntu 16.04

      Experiencing Issues with Unicode Characters

      Totally get where you’re coming from! It can be super annoying when Unicode characters just won’t show up properly. Here are a few ideas that might help you out:

      1. Check Your Fonts

      First, have you tried installing fonts specifically known for supporting a wide range of Unicode characters? Fonts like Noto Sans or DejaVu Sans can be good options. You can install them with:

      sudo apt-get install fonts-noto fonts-dejavu

      2. Clear and Rebuild Your Font Cache

      You mentioned that you’ve tried flushing the font cache, but just in case, here’s how to do it:

      fc-cache -f -v

      3. Adjusting Fontconfig Settings

      About those fontconfig settings you were looking at—sometimes tweaking the files in /etc/fonts/ can help. Look for local.conf or create one if it doesn’t exist, and try adding:

      <match>
    <edit name="family">
        <add>Noto Sans</add>
    </edit>
    </match>

      4. Application-Specific Settings

      Some applications might have their own settings for fonts, so check those if you haven’t already. Sometimes making sure they’re set to use system fonts can do wonders!

      5. Updates and Revert If Needed

      If it started after an update, sometimes rolling back to a previous version can help. But I’d recommend to weigh that carefully since updates usually fix problems too.

      Hopefully, one of these tips helps get those Unicode characters back on track! Reach out if you have more questions, and don’t hesitate to experiment a bit. Good luck!


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