what char encoding are plain text files?

External Since: Sep 25, 2005 Posts: 8

Can someone please explain to me what type of character encoding (Unicode
UTF8, ISO whatever, etc) plain vanilla text files are (I am talking text
files as created for example with a linux vi or gedit or vim editor, the
simplest text files)?

I have been running into problems with HTML files I made, uploaded to a
proprietary Content Management System (online campus software), that has
an online html editor; when I then download my html, it seems to be funked
somehow by the online software system so that when I try to look at my
downloaded html with linux 'less' command or the vi editor, I get a
warning that it is a binary file and all I see is gibberish (binary funky
characters) rather than the text based html tags. I can still open and
view the html in Mozilla Composer, and if I save it with e.g. Unicode UTF8
character encoding I can then see it with less command or the vi editor or
some other plain text editor. I can also open the funked html in
Openoffice, where I see the html source as tags, but just before the first
<HTML> tag there are two funky binary characters (a y with two dots over
it, followed by a vertical line with a backwards c attached to it); if I
delete those two funky characters, then save the file with OpenOffice, I
can then view the saved html with vi editor, etc.

Very odd, I do not understand what is going on. If anybody can enlighten
me I will be very greatful.

External Since: Sep 25, 2005 Posts: 8

On Mon, 26 Sep 2005 08:15:44 +0100, Toby Inkster wrote:
...
> That depends on what character encoding the files are in.
>..

Ok, fair answer. Then is there some utility or way to easily determine
what type of char encoding a text file is in? I mean, if I have
somefile.txt or somewebpage.html, how can I know what char encoding is
embedded in the file? Is there some utility (hopefully in linux) to look
at the type of encoding used?