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apl functional symbol quad not equal

APL Quad Not Equal

In APL/700, ⍯ mapped which stored file items (“components”) had no value. It is not the usual mathematical not-equal sign ≠. APL’s compact symbol set was shaped by typewriter limits.

Text symbol
Search it as
APL file map · APL null file · APL quad
Shows up in
Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws

What ⍯ means

It marked file items with no value. APL called each stored item a “component”; the function mapped those items instead of comparing two values.

In early APL, mathematical notation for describing data processing grew into a programming language. The limited typewriter keyboard encouraged reused symbols and overstruck forms, made by typing one glyph on top of another. The quad (⎕) worked alone and in combinations.

A 1999 draft list of APL characters noted that the quad shape selected for Unicode differed from the traditional form and could look awkward when the standard was rendered strictly.

Don't confuse it with

1
≠
Not Equal To
≠ tests inequality in mathematics; ⍯ was an APL/700 file map.

Questions people ask

1

Why does ⍯ show as a box on some devices?

Because that device's fonts have no glyph for it. The character is still correct and still copies correctly — the box is a missing glyph, not a broken character.

How to type ⍯

Windows (Word)
Alt+XType 236F, then Alt+X to get ⍯.
Windows
Win+Rrun charmap for the full table, or use the emoji picker's Ω symbols tab (Win + .).
macOS
Control+Command+SpaceOpen the character viewer and search “apl functional symbol quad not equal”.
Linux
Ctrl+Shift+UType 236f, then Enter or Space.
HTML
⍯
CSS
\236F
APL layout
Use your APL environment’s extended layout or symbol picker; standard keyboards have no dedicated key.
HTML
Write `⍯` or `⍯`.
Codes and encoding1 code points
HTML decimal
⍯
HTML hex
⍯
CSS content
content: "\236F";
Each escape is closed by the next backslash; a trailing space is needed before a literal hex digit.
URL encoded
%E2%8D%AF
1
On screen
1
Code points
1
JS .length
3
UTF-8 bytes

A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.

Families this belongs to

1

Maths & numbers1,835 symbols

1️⃣📏📐✖️➕➖➗🟰♾️#️⃣*️⃣0️⃣