Unicode inspector

Unicode inspector: uses and practical guidance

Each row represents one Unicode code point, which does not always correspond to one complete visible letter. A vowel with a combining accent may occupy two rows; joined emoji can occupy several. The first column displays the character as a JSON string to distinguish spaces, tabs and line breaks. The second shows hexadecimal U+ notation; the third shows the same code in decimal. The fourth indicates whether one or two UTF-16 units are needed. Input is not normalized: two visually identical texts may show different sequences. The limit is ten thousand UTF-16 units.

Unicode inspector. Prepare the input as plain text and distinguish what you see from what is stored. A letter can contain several code points, a line break can use two units, and an apparently ordinary space can be a different character. Rich text editors may also introduce curly quotes, special dashes or nonbreaking spaces. Test an accented word, a blank line and a symbol you normally use before processing a long document. The output contains textual content only: colors, styling, visual tables and pictures are outside this operation. When pasting the result into another application, check that it has not been reformatted automatically. Digits written in text do not acquire units or meaning merely because they are extracted or rearranged. Keep the original if you need to compare differences or recover its initial separation.

Unicode inspector. Start with the example and observe the relationship between input and output before pasting a complete document. The example is deliberately small so that you can check it without another application. Then replace its data with a representative sample of your case and adjust the options. The main button performs the operation; loading the example only fills the controls. If you modify any input after calculating, the previous result is hidden so that you do not copy a version that no longer corresponds to the data. Run the operation again after every change. Clear restores the initial form values and discards the result on the page. Copy places the output text on the clipboard when the browser allows it. Download creates a file only when you explicitly request it; calculating does not start downloads. Keep a separate copy of the input if you need to repeat the work later, because this form is not a project archive and does not maintain an operation history.

A practical check before using the result

Unicode inspector. Check a short sample whose result you can predict and another case containing the details that matter for your work. Inspect both the beginning and the end of the output; an apparently correct result may belong to an earlier input if you have saved several copies outside this page. If an error appears, reduce the sample until you find the offending data and review the stated limits. Do not remove information merely to dismiss a warning: first check whether the chosen operation represents what you need. Before using a download in another program, open it and inspect its characters, structure and values. The file contains the result rather than the form settings. If you need to explain how it was produced, retain the input and the options used as well.