[Tutor] a question about symbol

[Danny Yoo]

>> Let's compare the output to what we think is producing it.  The very 
>> last statement in the program looks like the thing we want to watch:
>>
>>     print '%i\260F = %i\260C' % (int(fahrenheit), int(celsius+.5))
>>
>> One thing that caught me off guard is the '\260' thing.  Can you explain
>> what that is for?
>
> It is a sample code i downloaded. I think it is the symbol put before F 
> or C ( should be a small circle)...\I do not know why it appeared "?"


Hi Linda,

Ok, let's restate the question then.  The question really seems to be: 
"How do I print a 'degree' symbol on the screen?"  Does that sound right 
to you?


Unfortunately, this is not such a fun problem to solve.  It really depends 
on our output device --- the terminal --- and the support that our output 
device gives us.  Some terminal displays don't provide much graphical 
support at all.  In this case, you're seeing a question mark because the 
terminal has no clue how to render the character we're trying to display. 
Other terminals accept and display Unicode or other extended character 
sets, but it sounds like yours may not.

You may want to read "The Absolute Minimum Every Software Developer 
Absolutely, Positively Must Know About Unicode and Character Sets (No 
Excuses!)" because it gives more background information on this ugly 
mess:

     http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/Unicode.html

If it isn't too much of a deal for you, just change '\260' to 'degrees'. 
*grin*


Best of wishes!