In computing and telecommunication, a control character or non-printing character is a code point (a number) in a character set, that does not in itself represent a written symbol. It is in-band signaling in the context of character encoding. All entries in the ASCII table below code 32 (technically the C0 control code set) and 127 are of this kind, including BEL (which is intended to cause an audible signal in the receiving terminal), SYN (which is a synchronization signal), and ENQ (a signal that is intended to trigger a response at the receiving end, to see if it is still present). The Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC) character set contains 65 control codes, including all of the ASCII control codes as well as additional codes which are mostly used to control IBM peripherals. Unicode makes a distinction between Control characters (C0 and C1 control codes) versus Formatting characters (such as the Zero-width non-joiner).
Other characters are mainly printing, printable, or graphic characters, except perhaps for the "space" character (see ASCII printable characters).
| 0x00 | 0x10 | |
|---|---|---|
| 0x00 | NUL | DLE |
| 0x01 | SOH | DC1 |
| 0x02 | STX | DC2 |
| 0x03 | ETX | DC3 |
| 0x04 | EOT | DC4 |
| 0x05 | ENQ | NAK |
| 0x06 | ACK | SYN |
| 0x07 | BEL | ETB |
| 0x08 | BS | CAN |
| 0x09 | TAB | EM |
| 0x0A | LF | SUB |
| 0x0B | VT | ESC |
| 0x0C | FF | FS |
| 0x0D | CR | GS |
| 0x0E | SO | RS |
| 0x0F | SI | US |
| 0x7F | DEL |
Read more about Control Character: History, In ASCII, In Unicode, Display, How Control Characters Map To Keyboards, The Design Purpose
Famous quotes containing the words control and/or character:
“To try to control a nine-month-old’s clinginess by forcing him away is a mistake, because it counteracts a normal part of the child’s development. To think that the child is clinging to you because he is spoiled is nonsense. Clinginess is not a discipline issue, at least not in the sense of correcting a wrongdoing.”
—Lawrence Balter (20th century)
“But the wise know that foolish legislation is a rope of sand, which perishes in the twisting; that the State must follow, and not lead the character and progress of the citizen; the strongest usurper is quickly got rid of; and they only who build on Ideas, build for eternity; and that the form of government which prevails, is the expression of what cultivation exists in the population which permits it.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)