---
name: "Pod::Escapes"
section: "3p"
platform: "openbsd"
package: "man"
version: "8.0-current-20261101"
release: "OpenBSD 8.0-current (2026-11-01)"
platforms: ["openbsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/Pod::Escapes"
---

# Pod::Escapes(3p)

for resolving Pod E\<...\> sequences

## NAME

Pod::Escapes - for resolving Pod E\<...\> sequences

## SYNOPSIS

```
  use Pod::Escapes qw(e2char);
  ...la la la, parsing POD, la la la...
  $text = e2char($e_node->label);
  unless(defined $text) {
    print "Unknown E sequence \"", $e_node->label, "\"!";
  }
  ...else print/interpolate $text...
```

## DESCRIPTION

This module provides things that are useful in decoding Pod E\<...\> sequences.  Presumably, it should be used only by Pod parsers and/or formatters.

By default, Pod::Escapes exports none of its symbols.  But you can request any of them to be exported. Either request them individually, as with `"use Pod::Escapes qw(symbolname symbolname2...);"`, or you can do `"use Pod::Escapes qw(:ALL);"` to get all exportable symbols.

## GOODIES

- e2char($e\_content)

  Given a name or number that could appear in a `"E<name_or_num>"` sequence, this returns the string that it stands for.  For example, `e2char('sol')`, `e2char('47')`, `e2char('0x2F')`, and `e2char('057')` all return "/", because `"E<sol>"`, `"E<47>"`, `"E<0x2f>"`, and `"E<057>"`, all mean "/".  If the name has no known value (as with a name of "qacute") or is syntactically invalid (as with a name of "1/4"), this returns undef.

- e2charnum($e\_content)

  Given a name or number that could appear in a `"E<name_or_num>"` sequence, this returns the number of the Unicode character that this stands for.  For example, `e2char('sol')`, `e2char('47')`, `e2char('0x2F')`, and `e2char('057')` all return 47, because `"E<sol>"`, `"E<47>"`, `"E<0x2f>"`, and `"E<057>"`, all mean "/", whose Unicode number is 47.  If the name has no known value (as with a name of "qacute") or is syntactically invalid (as with a name of "1/4"), this returns undef.

- $Name2character{*name*}

  Maps from names (as in `"E<`*name*`>"`) like "eacute" or "sol" to the string that each stands for.  Note that this does not include numerics (like "64" or "x981c").  Under old Perl versions (before 5.7) you get a "?" in place of characters whose Unicode value is over 255.

- $Name2character\_number{*name*}

  Maps from names (as in `"E<`*name*`>"`) like "eacute" or "sol" to the Unicode value that each stands for.  For example, `$Name2character_number{'eacute'}` is 201, and `$Name2character_number{'eacute'}` is 8364.  You get the correct Unicode value, regardless of the version of Perl you're using -- which differs from `%Name2character`'s behavior under pre-5.7 Perls.

  Note that this hash does not include numerics (like "64" or "x981c").

- $Latin1Code\_to\_fallback{*integer*}

  For numbers in the range 160 (0x00A0) to 255 (0x00FF), this maps from the character code for a Latin-1 character (like 233 for lowercase e-acute) to the US-ASCII character that best aproximates it (like "e").  You may find this useful if you are rendering POD in a format that you think deals well only with US-ASCII characters.

- $Latin1Char\_to\_fallback{*character*}

  Just as above, but maps from characters (like "\\xE9",  lowercase e-acute) to characters (like "e").

- $Code2USASCII{*integer*}

  This maps from US-ASCII codes (like 32) to the corresponding character (like space, for 32).  Only characters 32 to 126 are defined.  This is meant for use by `e2char($x)` when it senses that it's running on a non-ASCII platform (where chr(32) doesn't get you a space -- but `$Code2USASCII`{32} will).  It's documented here just in case you might find it useful.

## CAVEATS

On Perl versions before 5.7, Unicode characters with a value over 255 (like lambda or emdash) can't be conveyed.  This module does work under such early Perl versions, but in the place of each such character, you get a "?".  Latin-1 characters (characters 160-255) are unaffected.

Under EBCDIC platforms, `e2char($n)` may not always be the same as `"chr(e2charnum($n))"`, and ditto for `$Name2character{$name}` and `chr($Name2character_number{$name})`, because the strings are returned as native, and the numbers are returned as Unicode. However, for Perls starting with v5.8, `e2char($n)` is the same as `"chr(utf8::unicode_to_native(e2charnum($n)))"`, and ditto for `$Name2character{$name}` and `"chr(utf8::unicode_to_native($Name2character_number{$name}))"`.

## SEE ALSO

Pod::Browser - a pod web server based on Catalyst.

Pod::Checker - check pod documents for syntax errors.

Pod::Coverage - check if the documentation for a module is comprehensive.

perlpod - description of pod format (for people documenting with pod).

perlpodspec - specification of pod format (for people processing it).

Text::Unidecode - ASCII transliteration of Unicode text.

## REPOSITORY

\<https://github.com/neilbowers/Pod-Escapes\>

## COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMERS

Copyright (c) 2001-2004 Sean M. Burke.  All rights reserved.

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but without any warranty; without even the implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Portions of the data tables in this module are derived from the entity declarations in the W3C XHTML specification.

Currently (October 2001), that's these three:

```
 http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml-lat1.ent
 http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml-special.ent
 http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml-symbol.ent
```

## AUTHOR

Sean M. Burke `"sburke@cpan.org"`

Now being maintained by Neil Bowers \<neilb@cpan.org\>