Using the Hobogirin font with the Windows operating system

The Hobogirin font arrives in a self-extracting file called hobogirin.exe. Running this file will produce the four (4) Hobogirin True Type font (.TTF) files and a freeware font character mapping program called chmap. After closing all running applications, the Hobogirin TTF files should be moved (dragged and dropped) into the “fonts” folder in the “Windows” folder. See below for more on the chmap program.

How the user accesses the special characters (eg., characters with macrons) included in the Hobogirin font depends on the operating system being used. The following treats some of the more common operating systems.

MS Word

Users of MS Word can view the special characters available to them via the Insert|Symbol command. To view the characters in the Hobogirin font, first choose the Hobogirin font for the working document. Next, Click on Insert and then Symbol, which opens a window in which characters are displayed. In the box at the top of the Symbol window, choose (normal text). As long as the working document is set to Hobogirin, the Hobogirin character group will be displayed. Highlighting the character desired by clicking on it and then clicking on Insert will insert the selected character at the cursor in the document. Also, the keystrokes that can be used to insert the highlighted character are displayed at the bottom of the Symbol window. The Symbol window also permits the user to assign keystrokes of his or her choice to any character, by clicking on the Shortcut key� button at the bottom of the Symbol window. So, for example, ctrl+o can be assigned to the macron o character, though this will supercede the Open command that is usually assigned to ctrl+o.

alt + character code

Special characters can be inserted into any kind of document by holding down the alt key and typing the character code on the number pad (with num lock on). For example, typing alt+244 in this way yields �, the circumflex o. In order to determine the character code of a particular character, the chmap program must be used. The chmap program can be copied or moved into the Program files folder, and double-clicking it will cause it to run. The chmap window displays the characters available in the font. Clicking on a particular character causes that character’s code to be displayed in the lower lefthand corner of the window. 

WordPerfect

Unfortunately, assigning characters to particular keystrokes is more difficult in WordPerfect than in MS Word. In WordPerfect, you must create a special keyboard and add the desired keystrokes to the characters in that keyboard. To create a new keyboard, click on Tools|Settings, and then choose Customize. When the window appears, click on the Keyboards tab and click Copy. Click on the WP 8 or 9 keyboard the window and click on Copy. A box will open, where you can give your keyboard a name, such as “Hobogirin keyboard.” Next, return to the Keyboard window and edit the new keyboard that has been created. Highlight the new keyboard and click Edit. The Keyboard Shortcuts window will appear, with a list of every possible keystroke on the keyboard. Move through the list, assigning characters to keystrokes as you prefer. To assign a character to a keystroke, first click on the keystroke you wish to assign and highlight it, then click on keystroke tab to the right of the window, and then place the cursor in the window below the keystroke tab. To enter a special character in the window, use alt + character code as described above. Once the character has been entered, click Assign Keystrokes to Key. When editing of the keyboard is complete, close the Keyboard Shortcuts window and be sure to select your newly created keyboard by highlighting the keyboard and clicking on Select so that it is the default keyboard for your word processor.