Antonio Macchi wrote:
>
> $ a=$'\xd9\xbf'
>
> $ echo ${#a}
> 1
>
> $ a2=${a:0:1}
>
> $ echo ${#a2}
> 1
>
>
>
>
> this two characters are "j" and "k" graphical characters in linux
> terminal/console
>
> I need to extract only one... but apparently I can't.
Those two bytes happen to compose a valid multibyte character, and you're
using a locale that supports them.
If you want to treat the bytes individually, make your locale "C".
Chet
--
``The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.'' - Chaucer
Chet Ramey, ITS, CWRU [email protected] http://cnswww.cns.cwru.edu/~chet/