repertoiremap(5)

💖 repertoiremap — bestie edition 💖

okay so this is the repertoiremap(5) page, file formats manual energy, and it's literally about teaching your computer the ✨names✨ of characters instead of just their numbers.

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🌸 NAME 🌸

repertoiremap — map symbolic character names to Unicode code points 🦋

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✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

So a repertoire map is this little file that defines the mappings between symbolic character names (aka mnemonics, the cute nicknames) and Unicode code points (the actual numbers). You use it when you're compiling a locale with localedef(1).

And like… using a repertoire map is optional, bestie. It's only needed when symbolic names are used instead of the now preferred Unicode code points. so basically legacy vibes, iykyk 💅

🎀 Syntax 🎀

The repertoiremap file starts with a header that may consist of the following keywords:

• comment_char — is followed by a character that will be used as the comment character for the rest of the file. It defaults to the number sign (#). 💬
• escape_char — is followed by a character that should be used as the escape character for the rest of the file, to mark characters that should be interpreted in a special way. It defaults to the backslash (\). 🪄

The mapping section starts with the keyword CHARIDS in the first column. (yes, first column. it's picky like that, not me tho 😭)

The mapping lines have the following form:

<symbolic-name> <code-point> comment

This defines exactly one mapping, comment being optional. one line, one mapping, no sharing, not me being monogamous with the syntax 🙈

The mapping section ends with the string END CHARIDS. 🏁

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📁 FILES 📁

• /usr/share/i18n/repertoiremaps — Usual default repertoire map path. the home base, fr fr 🏡

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👑 STANDARDS 👑

POSIX.2. she's certified, she's official, periodt. ✨

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💀 NOTES 💀

Repertoire maps are deprecated in favor of Unicode code points.

bestie I need you to hear me on this one: they're deprecated!! not gone, not broken, but the Unicode code points are the main character now and this is lowkey the supporting cast 💅

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🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

A mnemonic for the Euro sign can be defined as follows:

<Eu> <U20AC> EURO SIGN

look at her go 💶 ate that.

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

• locale(1)
• localedef(1)
• charmap(5)
• locale(5)

go read those too, they're giving the same energy 🫶

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and that's the whole thing bestie!! this page is from Linux man-pages 6.20, dated 2025-05-17 — shoutout to the man-pages girlies for keeping the lore alive 🌸💖 mwah, stan, bye!! 💅✨