No option to save without BOM (Byte Order Mark)

[Thomas Ward]

This may be a wishlist type bug.

Currently, Nano in precise saves with BOM (Byte Order Mark) by default. There is no way within nano to save without BOM, which requires me to download remote server documents to this system and then update and reupload the documents after using gedit, kate, or some other editor.

This sometimes screws up remote PHP programs and scripts, which means it may be prudent to give the option to decide whether to save with or without the Byte Order Mark.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: nano 2.2.6-1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-29.46-generic 3.2.24
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-29-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu12
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sun Sep 2 14:36:54 2012
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Release amd64 (20120425)
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/zsh
SourcePackage: nano
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Benno Schulenberg (bennoschulenberg)]

But nano can, just like those other editors, remove the invisible BOM: when on the first line of the file, press <Home> and <Delete>, and save, and the BOM is gone. Does this not work for you?

[Benno Schulenberg (bennoschulenberg)]

Thomas? Nano does not add a BOM to any file. If you want to know whether any file contains a BOM, you can start nano with the +1 cursor-positioning directive (like so: nano +1 thefilename) and then type <Backspace>. If the upper right corner then says "Modified", an invisible character (most likely a BOM) was deleted before the first visible one. If so, type ^S and ^X and you're done. If "Modified" does not appear, there is no BOM, and you can simply type ^X to exit.

To summarize: to make sure a file does not contain a Byte Order Mark, run 'nano +1' followed by the filename, and type: <Backspace> ^S ^X.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for nano (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]