Double cross (characters)
The Double Cross ( # ), and pound sign or short hash or hash (English for, chop '), is used in many areas and with correspondingly different meanings. When naming, there are also (similar to English names) number sign and hash marks or - even jokingly - (pork) gate , cross bar and picket fence . The designation diamond is preferred in connection with screen text , computer keyboards and telephones and does not refer to the (non -diamond-shaped ) character shape. On some large PBXs, the name is square . In Switzerland the name Gartenhag (Swiss German for garden fence ) is common, in southern Germany also garden fence . In northern Germany the term "gate fence" is also used. It is not the same sign as the cross in musical notation ♯ (to increase a tone by a semitone) in music.
In the age of the Internet medium, the # symbol also became known in the media through Twitter and marks a highlight in the text. On some websites, for example, there is a double cross as a symbol for meta tags or hashtags . It is also used in advertising, but also in news.
As a number sign , it is used particularly in Canada and the USA to identify numbers in numbering; it is placed in front of the number. Another use is as a unit symbol for the American pound as the so-called pound sign ; in this case it is placed after the number. Accordingly, the telephone key marked with the symbol is sometimes referred to as a pound key . In other English-speaking regions, the term hash sign is used alongside others .
Emergence
One theory claims that the double cross was developed from the ligature lb for pound (℔ for Latin libra : "scales, balance, pound").
Meanings and Uses
In computer science and IT
- In some programming languages (e.g. C ) as a prefix for preprocessor directives
- Comment characters in many programming languages , for example Perl , the Computer Algebra System Maple and in .htaccess files
- In ColdFusion , all variables (including database fields ) are placed between two double crosses
- In URL information as a separation of jump labels on an HTML anchor from the rest of the information
- is prefixed with a hexadecimal color definition in HTML and CSS
- As a unique ID in CSS compared to the class designation with a preceding point
- Under Unix-like operating systems , the character combination
#!
(called shebang ) at the beginning of a file identifies it as a script program , provided that the path to the associated interpreter program follows. - Under Unix-like operating systems, it indicates as a prompt in the shell that it is a root shell
- leads, entered in the search bar , in many wikis back to the main page
- In the name of the programming language C # (pronounced “C-Sharp”, which corresponds to the German “Cis”) and F # , the pound sign is used instead of the (musically correct) character ♯ .
In technology
- The “rhombus” symbol on the telephone keypad , actually a separate character ⌗ (Unicode: U + 2317 viewdata square ), is often represented by the hash symbol .
- One of several prefixes for names of IRC channels.
- For on- screen text as a terminator for addresses.
- On calculating machines , the “non- calculating key” is marked with a double cross. It has the effect that the digit sequence entered last appears on the printout as a "number" without being taken into account in the calculation result (in accordance with the term "number symbol"). In this function, the symbol is standardized in DIN ISO 7000 “Graphic symbols on facilities” as the symbol ISO-7000-0657 Non-Add .
In math
- Especially in North America to indicate the ordinality of a number, for example "# 1", read "Number 1"
- As an alternative to a pair of vertical bars ("||") to indicate the thickness of a set
- As a substitute for a parallelogram
Others
- The double cross is not identical to the cross ♯ in musical notation, but is often used as a substitute symbol, see below .
- In chess notation , the # means mating the opponent
- In medicine , the # is used as a symbol for broken bones. For example, a metatarsal fracture is abbreviated with MFK- #.
- In heraldic jargon, the double cross is used as a symbol for the color black.
- In tables or similar, # is often used as a replacement for the word "number". For example, “# = 10” then means “Number = 10”.
- When taking down interviews, the pound sign serves as a substitute for swear words or vulgar expressions if the journalist does not want to reproduce the interviewee's outbursts in the original. It thus takes on the role of the beep in audio recordings.
- The double cross is often used as a hashtag in microblogging services such as Twitter in combination with keywords .
- In administration, # is used as an abbreviation for the minister.
Representation in computer systems
In the international Unicode character coding system , “#” is in position U + 0023 and is called “Number sign” there. In the ASCII character set the character is in the same position; in the EBCDIC character set at code position 7B hex . The HTML character reference is #
.
keyboard
On the German keyboard , the pound sign is usually on the key between Äand the enter key. On the Swiss keyboard, it is the third assignment on the number key 3.
On the British keyboard, the double cross is in the same position as on the German keyboard; here, however, between the apostrophe key and the enter key. The American keyboard has the pound sign above the number 3key in the upper row of keys.
Replacement
Since all modern computer systems and fonts are based on Unicode or the older ASCII standard, the character can be displayed, processed, transmitted and archived worldwide without any problems. A replacement for technical reasons is therefore hardly necessary. However, it can be replaced by " ?? = " in texts in the C programming language , as it is not part of the core set of ISO 646 characters . Even if the keyboard used does not have the character, it can usually be inserted using a corresponding function of the operating system or the respective text editor .
Similar characters
- The musical sharps ♯ (U + 266F, "Musical Sharp Sign"), called " Cross is called," is its own character. So the pound does not belong to musical notation ( music ), but as a surrogate for ♯ used.
- In heraldry , the lattice cross is a heraldic figure .
Table with variants and similar characters
character | Unicode position |
Unicode designation |
designation | block | Latex |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | U + 0023 | number sign | Double cross | Basic Latin |
\#
|
⋕ | U + 22D5 | equal and parallel to | same and parallel | Mathematical operators | |
⌗ | U + 2317 | viewdata square | “ Hash ” on telephone and on- screen text keyboards | Various technical signs | |
♯ | U + 266F | musical sharp sign | Cross (musical notation) | Different symbols |
\sharp
|
ⵌ | U + 2D4C | tifinagh letter tuareg yazh | (Letter of the Tifinagh script) | Tifinagh | |
井 | U + 4E95 | a CJK symbol, Chinese "fountain" (jǐng), see also fountain field system | Unified CJK ideograms | ||
ꖛ | U + A59B | vai syllable pu | (Sign of the Vai - syllabary ) | Vai | |
﹟ | U + FE5F | small number sign | Small double cross | Small variations in shape | |
# | U + FF03 | fullwidth number sign | Full-width double cross | Half-width and full-width shapes | |
? | U + 10139 | aegean weight second subunit | Aegean symbol for second weight sub-unit | Aegean numerals | |
? | U + 10995 | meroitic hieroglyphic letter se | (Sign of the Meroitic script ) | Meroitic hieroglyphs | |
? | U + 1D130 | musical symbol sharp up | Microtonal accidentals "cross raised" | Musical notation | |
? | U + 1D131 | musical symbol sharp down | Microtonal accidentals "cross lowered" | Musical notation |
Web links
- Carpet & Co. - A list of more or less common incorrect names for the pound sign and other special characters.
Individual evidence
- ↑ pound sign. Duden, accessed on June 23, 2015 . : “Characters in a text, on a keyboard, which consists of a cross made up of two horizontal and two oblique vertical lines: #; Short form: diamond "
- ↑ diamond. Duden, accessed on June 23, 2015 . : “Meanings: 1. Rhombus; 2. (EDP, telephony) Short form for hash sign “.
- ↑ Hashtag and pound sign. welt.de, June 13, 2013, accessed June 23, 2015 .
- ↑ Keith Houston: Shady Characters. New York 2013, ISBN 978-0-393-06442-1 , p. 42.
- ↑ Computer dictionary: Walther Multa 32. Retrieved on July 31, 2012 .
- ↑ Erich Ruhland: The secretary. A teaching, work and reference book for questions and answers. 5th edition. Frankfurt am Main 1972, p. 144: 64. What does the do not calculate key do? - It stops the activity in the counter and prints the keyed in value: for example the date, receipt and number, ...
- ↑ Maximilian Gritzner: Principles of heraldic art, combined with a manual of heraldic terminology. Bauer & Raspe, Nuremberg 1889–1890 (facsimile edition 2012: ISBN 3-226-00671-1 ), p. 39, illustration panel 6, no. 71.
- ↑ Scott Pakin: The Comprehensive LaTeX Symbol List. (PDF, 8.7 MB) January 19, 2017, archived from the original on September 28, 2017 ; Retrieved on September 28, 2017 (English, linking the original results in a mirror of CTAN , the archive link compare file: Comprehensive LaTeX Symbol list.pdf ).