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MouseText

{{More citations needed|date=April 2023}}

{{Short description|Character set}}

MouseText is a set of 32 graphical characters designed by Bruce Tognazzini and first implemented in the Apple IIc. They were then retrofitted to the Apple IIe forming part of the Enhanced IIe upgrade. A slightly revised version was then released with the Apple IIGS.

By including box-drawing characters, MouseText made it possible to display simple text user interfaces resembling the Macintosh graphical user interface. Since the Apples lacked the ability to display user-defined characters in text mode, all GUI-like displays beyond crude ASCII art approximations had to use the slower and more memory-hungry graphical mode before MouseText was available. MouseText resulted in an eightfold increase in display speed for mouse applications, bringing such text-based applications as word processors up to the same speed as the original Macintosh. Word processors running on the two computers would not be confused with one another, however, as the mouse under MouseText would move in discrete jumps from character cell to character cell, rather than the smooth movement of the Macintosh, and text was still monospaced.

Running Man

The original version of MouseText in the Apple IIc included a depiction of a figure running, perhaps to portray the action of running a program. This icon was later found to be unnecessary, and Tognazzini sent a letter to Call-A.P.P.L.E. magazine warning developers not to use them, as they would be replaced.{{cite web|url=http://apple2history.org/history/ah08/|title=8-The Apple IIc|date=23 June 2010}}

The MouseText characters replaced a redundant set of inverse uppercase characters (@,A..Z,[,\,],^,_) in the Alternate character set.

Image:mousetext-original.png|Original MouseText with Running Man

Image:mousetext-revised.png|Revised MouseText found in Apple IIGS

Accessing MouseText characters

There are two main ways to put MouseText characters on the screen.

  • Enable the alternate character set by writing to location 0xC00F (49167). Then write values in the 0x40 (64) through 0x5F (95) range to the screen.
  • Enable the 80-column firmware (which also enables the alternate character set), and use the control character sequence 0x0F, 0x1B (15, 27) to turn inverse and MouseText printing on, followed by characters in the @,A..Z,[,\,],^,_ set, followed by the sequence 0x18, 0x0E (24, 14) to turn MouseText and inverse printing off. (Other methods of turning inverse printing on and off may also be used.)

For example, in Applesoft BASIC the following code fragment will display the MouseText representation of a folder:

]PR#3

]INVERSE : PRINT CHR$(27);"XY";CHR$(24); : NORMAL

Inclusion in Unicode

{{Contains special characters|Uncommon Unicode|section=section}}

Version 13.0 of the Unicode Standard, released March 2020, includes all of the MouseText characters except the two Apple logos, mostly in the Symbols for Legacy Computing block.{{cite book |title=The Unicode Standard, Version 13.0 |date=March 2020 |publisher=The Unicode Consortium |isbn=978-1-936213-26-9 |chapter-url=https://unicode.org/charts/PDF/Unicode-13.0/U130-1FB00.pdf |chapter=Symbols for Legacy Computing}}{{cite web |last1=Ewell |first1=Doug |last2=Bettencourt |first2=Rebecca |last3=Bánffy |first3=Ricardo |last4=Everson |first4=Michael |last5=Marín Silva |first5=Eduardo |last6=Mårtenson |first6=Elias |last7=Shoulson |first7=Mark |last8=Steele |first8=Shawn |last9=Turner |first9=Rebecca |title=Proposal to add characters from legacy computers and teletext to the UCS |url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2019/19025-terminals-prop.pdf |publisher=The Unicode Consortium |date=2019-01-04}}

{{chset-table-header1|Original MouseText with Running Man{{cite web |last1=Ewell |first1=Doug |last2=Bettencourt |first2=Rebecca |last3=Bánffy |first3=Ricardo |last4=Everson |first4=Michael |last5=Marín Silva |first5=Eduardo |last6=Mårtenson |first6=Elias |last7=Shoulson |first7=Mark |last8=Steele |first8=Shawn |last9=Turner |first9=Rebecca |title=LegacyComputingSources |work=Proposal to add characters from legacy computers and teletext to the UCS |url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2019/19025-aux-LegacyComputingSources.pdf |publisher=The Unicode Consortium}}{{cite web |last1=Bettencourt |first1=Rebecca G. |title=Apple II MouseText to Unicode Mapping |url=https://www.kreativekorp.com/charset/map/mousetext/ |website=Kreative Korp |access-date=2019-01-04}}}}
{{chset-left1|4x}}

|{{chset-cell1

�|fn={{efn|name=logo|The Apple logo. Not included in Unicode.}}}}

|{{chset-cell1

�|fn={{efn|name=logo}}}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBB0 ARROWHEAD-SHAPED POINTER|🮰}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+231B HOURGLASS|⌛︎}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+2713 CHECK MARK|✓}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBB1 INVERSE CHECK MARK|🮱}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBB2 LEFT HALF RUNNING MAN|🮲}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBB3 RIGHT HALF RUNNING MAN|🮳}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+2190 LEFTWARDS ARROW|←}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+2026 HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS|…}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+2193 DOWNWARDS ARROW|↓}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+2191 UPWARDS ARROW|↑}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FB76 HORIZONTAL ONE EIGHTH BLOCK-2|🭶}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+21B5 DOWNWARDS ARROW WITH CORNER LEFTWARDS|↵}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+2589 LEFT SEVEN EIGHTHS BLOCK|▉}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBB5 LEFTWARDS ARROW AND UPPER AND LOWER ONE EIGHTH BLOCK|🮵}}

{{chset-left1|5x}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBB6 RIGHTWARDS ARROW AND UPPER AND LOWER ONE EIGHTH BLOCK|🮶}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBB7 DOWNWARDS ARROW AND RIGHT ONE EIGHTH BLOCK|🮷}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBB8 UPWARDS ARROW AND RIGHT ONE EIGHTH BLOCK|🮸}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FB78 HORIZONTAL ONE EIGHTH BLOCK-4|🭸}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FB7C LEFT AND LOWER ONE EIGHTH BLOCK|🭼}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+2192 RIGHTWARDS ARROW|→}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FB96 INVERSE CHECKER BOARD FILL|🮖}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FB95 CHECKER BOARD FILL|🮕}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBB9 LEFT HALF FOLDER|🮹}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBBA RIGHT HALF FOLDER|🮺}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+2595 RIGHT ONE EIGHTH BLOCK|▕}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+25C6 BLACK DIAMOND|◆}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FB80 UPPER AND LOWER ONE EIGHTH BLOCK|🮀}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBBB VOIDED GREEK CROSS|🮻}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBBC RIGHT OPEN SQUARED DOT|🮼}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+258F LEFT ONE EIGHTH BLOCK|▏}}

{{chset-table-header1|Revised MouseText found in Apple IIGS}}
{{chset-left1|4x}}

|{{chset-cell1

�|fn={{efn|name=logo}}}}

|{{chset-cell1

�|fn={{efn|name=logo}}}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBB0 ARROWHEAD-SHAPED POINTER|🮰}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+231B HOURGLASS|⌛︎}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+2713 CHECK MARK|✓}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBB1 INVERSE CHECK MARK|🮱}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBB4 INVERSE DOWNWARDS ARROW WITH TIP LEFTWARDS|🮴}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FB81 HORIZONTAL ONE EIGHTH BLOCK-1358|🮁}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+2190 LEFTWARDS ARROW|←}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+2026 HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS|…}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+2193 DOWNWARDS ARROW|↓}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+2191 UPWARDS ARROW|↑}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FB76 HORIZONTAL ONE EIGHTH BLOCK-2|🭶}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+21B5 DOWNWARDS ARROW WITH CORNER LEFTWARDS|↵}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+2589 LEFT SEVEN EIGHTHS BLOCK|▉}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBB5 LEFTWARDS ARROW AND UPPER AND LOWER ONE EIGHTH BLOCK|🮵}}

{{chset-left1|5x}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBB6 RIGHTWARDS ARROW AND UPPER AND LOWER ONE EIGHTH BLOCK|🮶}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBB7 DOWNWARDS ARROW AND RIGHT ONE EIGHTH BLOCK|🮷}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBB8 UPWARDS ARROW AND RIGHT ONE EIGHTH BLOCK|🮸}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FB78 HORIZONTAL ONE EIGHTH BLOCK-4|🭸}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FB7C LEFT AND LOWER ONE EIGHTH BLOCK|🭼}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+2192 RIGHTWARDS ARROW|→}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FB96 INVERSE CHECKER BOARD FILL|🮖}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FB95 CHECKER BOARD FILL|🮕}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBB9 LEFT HALF FOLDER|🮹}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBBA RIGHT HALF FOLDER|🮺}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+2595 RIGHT ONE EIGHTH BLOCK|▕}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+25C6 BLACK DIAMOND|◆}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FB80 UPPER AND LOWER ONE EIGHTH BLOCK|🮀}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBBB VOIDED GREEK CROSS|🮻}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+1FBBC RIGHT OPEN SQUARED DOT|🮼}}

|{{chset-cell1|U+258F LEFT ONE EIGHTH BLOCK|▏}}

{{notelist}}

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

  • Apple Technote Mouse #6
  • Apple IIc Technical Reference Manual
  • Apple IIGS Hardware Reference Manual
  • [https://apple2history.org/history/ah08/#04 Apple II History Chap 8]

Category:Apple II family

Category:Character sets