# Unicode supported in Atom scripting window but not in REPL
**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/unicode-supported-in-atom-scripting-window-but-not-in-repl/28939
**Category:** New to Julia
**Created:** [September 19, 2019, 8:55am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/unicode-supported-in-atom-scripting-window-but-not-in-repl/28939 "2019-09-19T08:55:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Ahmed\_Salih](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Ahmed_Salih)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2019, 8:55am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/unicode-supported-in-atom-scripting-window-but-not-in-repl/28939/1 "2019-09-19T08:55:02Z")
Hey guys!
I am trying to write:
```julia
\bfpartial
```
It works in the Atom editor window, but not in the REPL - how do I fix this?
Kind regards
---
### Author:  [@oheil](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/oheil)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2019, 8:58am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/unicode-supported-in-atom-scripting-window-but-not-in-repl/28939/2 "2019-09-19T08:58:31Z")
Does it look like š ?
On Windows it seems to be a problem of the REPL underlying CMD Shell (didnāt tested with Powershell).
Using a cygwin terminal with bash (under windows 10) it seems to work.
---
### Author:  [@Ahmed\_Salih](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Ahmed_Salih)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2019, 9:00am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/unicode-supported-in-atom-scripting-window-but-not-in-repl/28939/3 "2019-09-19T09:00:55Z")
Yes it is windows sorry and it looks like that, and I see, thanks. I donāt know what a cygwin terminal is - I hope it gets fixed some day.
Another question which just arose, is do you happen to know why some unicode letters are not supported? For example it is possible to do:
```julia
\_x
```
Which gives a small x subscript, but the same for y does not exist?
Kind regards
---
### Author:  [@oheil](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/oheil)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2019, 9:17am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/unicode-supported-in-atom-scripting-window-but-not-in-repl/28939/4 "2019-09-19T09:17:07Z")
There are some efforts to solve this issues with the windows shells.
As a workaround you may use the cygwin terminal which doesnāt help you as you do not know about, but there are others so donāt bother with cygwin š
> [@Usable shell on Windows (yay!)](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/usable-shell-on-windows-yay/5988):
>
> You might know about it already, but in case you donāt: the git bash is very usable with Julia. (The default on Windows is for Julia to run in a normal Windows terminal, which means the shell commands donāt work as expected.)
The git bash comes with the git windows GUI:
> **[Git - Downloading Package](https://git-scm.com/download/win)**
(just tried and \bfpartial works)
For the future there will be more general solutions (i hope), see for some ideas:
>
>
> This seems like the nicest console emulator around on Windows:
>
> ~~http://blikeā¦r.github.io/cmder/~~
> ~~http://cmder.net~~
> https://mintty.github.io
>
> I think it would make sense, since Windows is not really a DIY platform, but more of a download-and-use-the-thing-that-you-can-click-on platform, that we include a really nice console emulator for people to use.
>
> EDIT: fixed link
> EDIT (@ViralBShah): mintty as the preferred choice
---
### Author:  [@Tamas\_Papp](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Tamas_Papp)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2019, 9:23am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/unicode-supported-in-atom-scripting-window-but-not-in-repl/28939/5 "2019-09-19T09:23:48Z")
> [@Ahmed\_Salih](#):
>
> Which gives a small x subscript, but the same for y does not exist?
Then of course you cannot input that character (since it does not exist). Julia cannot extend Unicode.
IMO the sub/superscripts should be use sparingly, as they can be difficult to read on lower-resolution devices, or for readers who have less than perfect vision.
---
### Author:  [@Ahmed\_Salih](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Ahmed_Salih)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2019, 9:28am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/unicode-supported-in-atom-scripting-window-but-not-in-repl/28939/6 "2019-09-19T09:28:17Z")
I just thought it was a bit weird, that exactly the y did not work, so just wanted to ask to make sure I didnāt do anything wrong. Thanks for clarifying.
I agree with you, I am just trying to see how much I can āchangeā the code, to look like something I would write in my math notes etc. A fun exercise.
Kind regards
---
### Author:  [@Tamas\_Papp](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Tamas_Papp)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2019, 10:10am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/unicode-supported-in-atom-scripting-window-but-not-in-repl/28939/7 "2019-09-19T10:10:56Z")
AFAIK the sub/superscripts are included when they have various _semantic_ distinctions, eg in phonetics. There is no such use for the character y, so it was not included in Unicode.
That said, I like to experiment with Unicode chars in code, too. First I thought that writing eg Greek letters like `Ī±` was a gimmick, now I miss them when coding in other languages.
---
### Author:  [@Ahmed\_Salih](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Ahmed_Salih)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2019, 10:46am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/unicode-supported-in-atom-scripting-window-but-not-in-repl/28939/8 "2019-09-19T10:46:24Z")
I see - I think it is better to stick to an official library like the Unicode one, rather than letting people use their own symbols, even though I would like to add my own mini y - shared code could suddenly be much harder to use.
Yes it is very nice, especially in engineering being able to write an equation utilizing the symbols we already know, like sigma for stress etc.