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\usepackage{fixltx2e} % LaTeX patches, \textsubscript
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% fieldlist environment
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  \newenvironment{DUfieldlist}%
    {\quote\description}
    {\enddescription\endquote}
}{}

% hyperlinks:
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  pdftitle={Character tests},
}

%%% Title Data
\title{\phantomsection%
  Character tests%
  \label{character-tests}}
\author{}
\date{}

%%% Body
\begin{document}
\maketitle

The LaTeX Info pages lists under \textquotedbl{}2.18 Special Characters\textquotedbl{}
%
\begin{quote}

The following characters play a special role in LaTeX and are called
\textquotedbl{}special printing characters\textquotedbl{}, or simply \textquotedbl{}special characters\textquotedbl{}.
%
\begin{quote}

\# \$ \% \& \textasciitilde{} \_ \textasciicircum{} \{ \}

\end{quote}

Note: the backslash will not be displayed, it is a \texttt{\textbackslash{}} to the blank.

\end{quote}

The special chars verbatim:
%
\begin{quote}{\ttfamily \raggedright \noindent
\#~\$~\%~\&~\textasciitilde{}~\_~\textasciicircum{}~\textbackslash{}~\{~\}
}
\end{quote}


\section{bracketts in lists%
  \label{bracketts-in-lists}%
}

LaTeX has some special characters in certain cases, e.g. \# is LaTeX's macro
argument chracter.

Bracketts also have some meaning in macros, but need(ed) no special treatment
up to now.
\newcounter{listcnt0}
\begin{list}{\arabic{listcnt0}.}
{
\usecounter{listcnt0}
\setlength{\rightmargin}{\leftmargin}
}

\item {[}Advanced{]} test from dave.
\newcounter{listcnt1}
\begin{list}{\arabic{listcnt1}.}
{
\usecounter{listcnt1}
\setlength{\rightmargin}{\leftmargin}
}

\item The bracketts don't show up.
They are in TeX file, but they're missing in PDF and DVI.

Probably because in LaTeX
%
\begin{quote}{\ttfamily \raggedright \noindent
\textbackslash{}begin\{itemize\}\\
\textbackslash{}item~one~is~plain.\\
\textbackslash{}item~{[}two{]}~two~becomes~bold.\\
\textbackslash{}end\{itemize\}
}
\end{quote}

\item Numbering {[}is{]} also missing for the \textquotedbl{}Advanced\textquotedbl{} test case above, not
here in this line.

\item Simply escaping the {[}{]}'s with a backslash in the LaTeX file puts
\textquotedbl{}Advanced\textquotedbl{} centered emphasized on a separate line. But the \textquotedbl{}1.\textquotedbl{} is
displayed then.

\item Using LaTeX's enumerate environment instead of docutils's custom
list environment for the list does not work too.
\end{list}
\end{list}

\emph{Fix} append \textquotedbl{}\{\}\textquotedbl{} to the item command, i.e.
%
\begin{quote}{\ttfamily \raggedright \noindent
\textbackslash{}item~\{\}~{[}Advanced{]}
}
\end{quote}


\section{double back qoutes field list names%
  \label{double-back-qoutes-field-list-names}%
}

The \emph{double back qoutes} in the follwing example are ignored, i.e.
they are still \emph{double back quotes} in TeX.

Example
%
\begin{quote}
%
\begin{DUfieldlist}
\item[{The \texttt{lambda} Operator:}]
A metafunction which transforms a lambda
expression into a corresponding metafunction class.

\end{DUfieldlist}

\end{quote}

This is not writer but reader specific.


\section{hash \# in section title%
  \label{hash-in-section-title}%
}

with pdflatex.


\section{fontencodings%
  \label{fontencodings}%
}

In T1 literal text double hyphens and angle bracketts need help
to remain two characters:
%
\begin{quote}{\ttfamily \raggedright \noindent
<{}<~-{}-~>{}>
}
\end{quote}

non literal \textquotedbl{}<< -{}- >>\textquotedbl{}.


\section{with context%
  \label{with-context}%
}

also \emph{square brackets} {[}{]} and \emph{spaces} (after
macros) need special care. Compare the items in the following lists:
%
\begin{itemize}

\item simple item

\item {[}bracketed{]} item

\end{itemize}
%
\begin{description}
\item[{simple}] \leavevmode 
description term

\item[{{[}bracketed{]}}] \leavevmode 
description term

\end{description}

The OT1 font-encoding misses some chars:
%
\begin{quote}{\ttfamily \raggedright \noindent
<~|~>
}
\end{quote}

come out as
%
\begin{quote}

< | >

\end{quote}

\end{document}