Leanpub now officially supports serif and sans-serif Unicode dingbats in body text and in code blocks!
These can be very useful in programming books, where you want to explain, in the main body of the text, what is happening on a specific line of code.
They can be copied and pasted into the document (or typed if you have your computer set up to do that) and will print accurately in a book regardless of the font you use for your body text, and whether it supports either or both sets of dingbats or not.
Sans-Serif Dingbats
These Dingbats are Unicode code points 0x278A-0x2793: ➊, ➋, ➌, ➍, ➎, ➏, ➐, ➑, ➒, ➓
Here's an example of sans-serif dingbats being used in a code block:
def hello_world: ➊
print("Hello World!") ➋
if __name__ == "__main__": ➌
hello_world() ➍
This function is a basic "Hello World" program in Python. On line ➊, it defines a hello_world function, and on line ➋, it prints the phrase "Hello World!". On line ➌, it checks if the program is being run directly or imported, and, if it is being run, proceeds to line ➍, where it runs the hello_world function.
Serif Dingbats
These dingbats are Unicode code points 0x2776-0x277F: ❶, ❷, ❸, ❹, ❺, ❻, ❼, ❽, ❾, ❿
Here's an example of serif dingbats being used in a code block:
def hello_world: ❶
print("Hello World!") ❷
if __name__ == "__main__": ❸
hello_world() ❹
This function is a basic "Hello World" program in Python. On line ❶, it defines a hello_world function, and on line ❷, it prints the phrase "Hello World!". On line ❸, it checks if the program is being run directly or imported, and, if it is being run, proceeds to line ❹, where it runs the hello_world function.
How To Insert Dingbats Into Your Manuscript
Typically you'll need to copy and paste these dingbat symbols into your manuscript.
If you're going to be using these dingbats a lot, we recommend you use a multi-clipboard tool that allow you to store multiple copied items and access them later.
We asked ChatGPT for some options for multi-copy clipboard tools for macOS; you may want to ask your favorite AI for its own answers. Here's what ChatGPT told us (for what it's worth, we've used Pastebot in-house):
*Free & Open Source:*
1. *Flycut*
Simple and lightweight
Open source, based on Jumpcut
Stores a history of copied text
2. *Jumpcut*
Minimalist clipboard manager
Focused on text-based clipboards
Open source and free
3. *Clipy*
Modern take on Jumpcut
Stores both text and images
Simple and unobtrusive UI
4. *Maccy* (Free with a paid option)
Lightweight, fast, and native macOS look
Supports text, images, and files
Open source with optional paid extras
*Paid (More Features):*
5. *Paste* ($14.99/year or one-time purchase via Setapp)
Stores unlimited clipboard history
Works with text, images, and files
Syncs across Apple devices via iCloud
6. *Copied* ($5.99 one-time purchase)
Stores text, images, and links
Clipboard templates for frequently used items
iCloud sync for cross-device use
7. *Alfred + Powerpack*
Clipboard history & snippets
Custom workflows for automation
Paid Powerpack required (~$40 one-time)
8. *Pastebot* ($9.99 one-time)
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