L2/07-042

PRI #100 Giving U+00B7 MIDDLE DOT the ID_Continue Property 2007.01.30

The character U+00B7 MIDDLE DOT has the XID_Continue property, but not the ID_Continue property. It is the only character of this sort.

The UTC is considering removing this exception, thus making the set of XID_Continue characters a proper subset of ID_Continue characters. This would ensure that all valid identifiers defined using the XID_Start and XID_Continue properties would also be valid identifiers based on the ID_Start and ID_Continue properties.

The XID_Start and XID_Continue properties are improved lexical classes that incorporate the changes described in Section 5.1, NFKC Modifications of UAX #31. They are recommended for most purposes, especially for security, over the original ID_Start and ID_Continue properties.

In light of the use of MIDDLE DOT in encoding Catalan data, the UTC is soliciting feedback on this proposed property change for U+00B7 MIDDLE DOT.