(NOTE:  To download (for free) a version of Netsacpe 4.x that best displays the Xdvng Devanagari font from "SillyDog701", click here.   Then scroll about halfway down to find "Netscape Communicator 4.5 ~ 4.8".   I recommend downloading version 4.8.   This will take about three minutes if using a university computer, longer if using a dial-up connection.)

      This page contains instructions in how to key in the source code that underlies the Xdvng font. For easy access to the Roman-Devanagari equivalences, see tables.

      The Xdvng (pronounced  OVs: e¾{ ) Devanagri font displays "dynamically". That means that the user who has a PC and a recent version of Netscape (any version from 4.0 to 4.76 - but not 6.0) can see the fonts simply by directing his browser to this and other pages of Malhar. Others, those using Macs or IE, may see the fonts, too, but they must download and install them first.

      Font installation instructions:

      Macintosh: Once you get to the Xdvng site, double click the link where Xdvng font is linked. It should download the font into your computer - probably in desktop or in fetch folder. Then move the font into Font folder which is under System folder. When you view the page with Xdvng font, you will have to select options > font encoding > user defined on Netscape/Internet explorer.
      PC Windows 95 assumed: once you get to the Xdvng site, download the font into any folder, and move it to: c:\windows\fonts folder. It should work. You have to install the plugin also. Although both fonts and plugins are free, you may have to take these extra steps before you can actually see the Devanagari that is on the site.

      It is my understanding that the Xdvng font is freeware. If you wish to use it in a Webpage, you may download xdvng.ttf from here and install it on your hard-drive. Or you may HXBURN it into your page.

      Each time that you want to have Devanagari show on the user's screen, prefix [FONT SIZE="+1" FACE="Xdvng" COLOR=#FF0000"] to the left and suffix [/FONT] to the right (using the angle brackets rather than the square ones). What should go in between is determined by the correspondences given in the tables below. For each symbol, I have shown the sequence of strokes. These must be typed in one after another without interruption (except where you want there to be a space between words).

      For example, to type the Marwari word l:ÜN: 'salt', start with the prefix [FONT SIZE="+1" FACE="Xdvng" COLOR=#FF0000"], then type "l" (which Netscape will show as l), then [to complete the first consonant] type the colon ":" (which will be shown as :). The long "uu"-matra is made by typing "&" immediately followed by "#" immediately followed by the number "220" immediately followed by ";" (These six symbols, if typed without any spaces between them or between them and their neighbors, will be read by Netscape as the long "uu" matra | Ü). The final consonant requires use of the Mac "option" key together with the "shift" key. Press them both at the same time and type "Q". (What you'll see on the source page is a "N". What you should see on the corresponding Webpage is N.) Use the ":" to complete the N: and finally type the suffix [/font] (using the angle brackets, not the square ones).

      If you want to know more about Xdvng, there are a number of Websites that use it or discuss it. Unfortunately some links have lapsed over time. Here is a link to Sandeep Sibal's very useful site JTRANS.

      If you need a handy guide to the basic Xdvng character set, go to conversion tables and print. I've included the same set of tables below, after which comes a list of the complete set of ASCII - Xdvng glyph equivalences in a less user-friendly form. The full set allows the display of Marathi and Sanskrit in addition to Hindi-Urdu:
   

Vowels
A = A	Aa = Aa	E = E	I = I
u = u	U = U	? = ? or & # 256 ;
O = O	Oð = O & # 240 ;	Aað = A a & # 240 ;	Aaò = A a & # 242 ;

   

Matras
h = h	ha = h a	eh = e h	hi = h i
hØ = h & # 216 ;	hÜ = h & # 220 ;	Æ = & # 198 ;	( p:à = p: & # 224 ; )
hð = h & # 240 ;	hò = h & # 242 ;	hað = h a & # 240 ;	haò = h a & # 242 ;

   

Consonants
k = k	K: = K :	g: = g :	G: = G :	{ = {
c: = c :	C = C	j: = j :	J: = J :	W: = W :
X = X	Y = Y	R = R	Z = Z	N: = N :
t: = t :	T: = T :	d = d	D: = D :	n: = n :
p: = p :	P = P	b: = b :	B: = B :	m: = m :
y: = y :	r = r	l: = l :	v: = v :
S: = S :	\: = \ :	s: = s :	h = h
Dotteds			'r' + matra
q = q	Q: = Q :		, = ,	- = -
^: = ^ :	z: = z :
_ = _	` = `
f = f

   

	Conjunct forms
kÎ +	? =  ká = k & #225;	k =  Vk = V k	r = # = #	\: = x: = x :
{Î +	k =  ¢ = & #162;	K: = £ = & #163;	g: = ¤ = & #164;	G: = ¥ = & #165;
XÎ +	k = « = & #171;	X = ¬ = & #172;	Y = ­ = & #173;	y: = ® = & #174;
	r = XÔÎ = X & #212; & #206;
YÎ +	y: = ¯ = & #175;
RÎ +	g: = ° = & #176;	R = ² = & #178;	y: = ´ = & #180;	r = RÔÎ = R & #212; & #206;
t:Î +	t: = ¶: = & #182; :	r = *: = * :
dÎ +	g: = · = & #183;	d = ¸ = & #184;	D: = ¹ = & #185;	B: = » = & #187;
	m: = ¼ = & #188;	y: = ½ = & #189;	r = dÓ = d & #211;	v: = ¾ = & #190;
n:Î +	n: = À = & #192 ;
S:Î +	c: = Á: = & # 193; :	r = Â: = & # 194; :	v: = Ã: = & # 195; :
\: +	X = Ä = & #196;	Y = Å = & #197;
h +	? = Æ = & #198;	N: = Ç = & #199;	n: = È = & #200;	m: = É = & #201;
	y: = Ê = & #202;	r = Ë = & #203;	l: = Ì = & #204;	v: = Í = & #205;

        In the following chart, the first set of symbols require numbers (and can be input from either a Mac or PC). If you intend to embed the font so that it displays dynamically (to allow users to see Devanagari without their having to download anything other than your webpage), then you must advise them to use Netscape 4.5 (or higher) on a PC.

opt1 opt2 opt3 opt4 opt5 opt6 opt7 opt8 opt9 opt0 opt- opt= =A * # " 0 $ & % ; < P -
shopt1 shopt2 shopt3 shopt4 shopt5 shopt6 shopt7 shopt8 shopt9 shopt0 shopt- shopt= =Z [ \ ] ^ _ ` ! a b Q b
optq optw opte optr opt opty optu opti opto optp opt[ opt] opt\ =O 7 + ( 4 , v ? 9 R T G
shoptq shoptw shopte shoptr shopty shoptu shopti shopto shoptp shopt- shopt] shopt\ = N c + d g , v / 8 S U H
opts optd optf optg opth optj optk optl opt; opt' =' 6 D ) z F { B I >
shopts shoptd shoptf shoptg shopth shoptj shoptk shoptl shopt: shopt" = j k l } n o p q r .
optz optx optc optv optb optn optm opt, opt. opt/ == E C : w5 2 3 V
shoptz shoptx shoptc shoptv shoptb shoptn shoptm shopt, shopt. shopt/ = | ~ W u w e x y @

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Posted: May 1999. Updated: 20 Sept 1999. Revamped: 29 Jan and 3-5 Feb 2001. Corrected 27 Sep 2001. IE-enabled 28 June 2004.