Sometimes we need to use special characters in the content. 

In the past, some of these symbols have been created by applying styling, such as subscript and superscript, to give text such as CO₂ or m³. 

Others require the insertion of a special character, such as © or Ω.


Why use symbols, not formatting?

For all special characters, we now recommend you use the correct symbol.

Chorus now supports the full Unicode character set. This is an internationally agreed collection of characters. By using the Unicode characters, our data will be more accurate and robust.

For example, if we create m3 by adding superscript styling to the "3" character:

  • The styling could be lost, reverting the text to m3.
  • The "3" could be interpreted in automatic data analysis as “three” rather than as “cubed”.

More robust data means we’re laying the foundations for specification analysis tools in the future.

How to add a symbol

To add a symbol, use an operating system-based picker, such as Character Map.

  1. In the Windows task bar search, start to type Character Map:
  2. When the Character Map app appears in the results, select it to open it.
  3. Scroll through the list of characters
    or
    Search for a character using the name or the Unicode reference
  4. Click on the character to select it.
  5. Press the Copy button.
  6. Return to Chorus and paste it (Ctrl+v) into the correct location.
Note: Character Map seems to default to Arial, but this font doesn’t contain the full set of Unicode symbols. If you can’t find the symbol you need, try the Verdana font.


How to add an emoji

Note: We currently don’t expect to use any emojis in the content that the customers see. However, the Technical Team might find them useful in bundle notes, as part of the content production process.


  1. To open the Windows emoji menu, use the keyboard shortcut Windows key + semicolon.
  2. Search for a term that describes the image you’re looking for
    or
    Browse the collection.
  3. Select the emoji you want. It will be added to the guidance note
    The menu will stay open in case you wish to add another emoji.
  4. When you’re done, close the menu by clicking the X on the top right of the menu, or selecting Esc on the keyboard.


Why can’t I apply styles to my symbol?


Some of the legacy content contains symbols that look correct but are not Unicode characters. This means they sometimes behave unpredictably. If a symbol is ignoring styling such as italic or the example text style, replace the symbol with the Unicode version and reapply the style. 

If this method doesn’t work and the Unicode replacement won’t take the style either, please contact the development team.  


Known limitations

  1. For some characters, the font style is slightly different to the font used throughout Chorus. We can’t change this; the style of the font is an integral part of the symbol.
  2. Character Map’s search function is a bit hit and miss.