UNICHAR Function (OpenOffice Calc)

UNICHAR in Apache OpenOffice Calc returns a character from a Unicode number. For example:

=UNICHAR(169)

Expected result: © (the copyright sign). This exact function and worked example appear in Apache’s dedicated UNICHAR documentation [S1]. The result has been checked against the Unicode character mapping, not observed by running OpenOffice 4.1.16.

Use UNICHAR when the intended character is best identified by its Unicode value—for example, to create a consistent symbol legend without pasting a potentially ambiguous character from another application. Whether a chosen font can display the glyph is a separate issue.

The Apache OpenOffice Wiki specifies [S1]:

UNICHAR(number)

• number — required: a numeric character code to convert to a Unicode character. The documentation supplies the concrete integer 169; it does not document a second argument or an omitted-argument default.
• Return: a text character for supported input. A result may display differently on computers without a font containing that glyph; the underlying Unicode value and its visible font rendering should not be confused.
• Argument order: one numeric input only. No separator appears inside UNICHAR itself. When UNICHAR is nested inside a multi-argument Apache Calc formula, the English documented syntax commonly uses semicolons, as in IF(test;then;else).
• Locale: these examples use English function names and Calc’s semicolon convention. Localized installations can have different presentation or separators; check the Function Wizard before copying a formula from another spreadsheet program.

Source and version: the official UNICHAR Wiki page was last edited 2 February 2024 and was accessed on 2026-10-11. Apache’s download page listed 4.1.16 as the latest released version at the time of research [S1, S6]. The old Wiki page describes Calc, but it is not a recorded native execution in build 4.1.16. Native-platform scope, exact error codes, fractional-number handling, surrogate behavior and upper numerical bounds have not been independently established. Do not silently import those limits from Excel or LibreOffice.

Documentation quality note: the description under the parameter in Apache’s UNICHAR article unexpectedly refers to Text, although its syntax and example clearly use a number. This guide follows the documented function signature and example, and flags the prose inconsistency for native checking rather than repeating it [S1].

Create a new Calc worksheet and enter this data as numbers in column A:

Enter =UNICHAR(A2) in B2 and copy down to B7. The table’s expected characters were independently checked using Unicode mappings (chr(number)) and are predictions, not observed Calc results. Apache officially verifies only the 169 → © example directly [S1].

Why this is useful: a repair checklist can store the code 8594 in one column and show an arrow in the next. Colleagues can inspect the original numeric code if their fonts fail to render the arrow. A zero-width, nonprinting or invalid code should not be used as a visible status icon without application testing.

Enter Done in C2 and Pending in C3. In D2 enter:

=IF(C2="Done";UNICHAR(10003);"")

Copy down to D3. Expected: D2 displays ✓ (Unicode 10003, check mark); D3 is an empty text result. The IF branch logic and the Unicode mapping were checked independently, but this combined formula has not been executed in OpenOffice.

A text label such as Done is often preferable to a bare checkmark for accessibility, filtering and fonts. Keep the underlying status cell as normal readable text; treat the symbol as supplemental display.

For A3 equal to 169, enter:

=UNICODE(UNICHAR(A3))

Expected result: 169 for the standard, single-character BMP copyright symbol. Apache separately documents UNICODE as returning the Unicode number of a text’s first character [S2]. This round-trip is independently reasoned from both definitions, not a native Calc test. It does not prove that every possible Unicode value is supported or that multi-character text, combining marks or supplementary-plane characters round-trip identically.

• Visible square or missing-glyph box: first test whether the font contains the requested symbol. A display failure does not by itself prove an incorrect underlying code.
• #NAME? or unrecognized function: verify the application is Apache OpenOffice Calc, the function spelling is UNICHAR, and that this build exposes it through Calc’s Function Wizard. Exact version-specific errors have not been native-tested.
• Blank or unexpected character: confirm the numeric source cell is the intended Unicode value; watch for values imported as text, inadvertent spaces and unexpectedly converted numbers.
• Invalid or special numeric values: Apache’s cited Wiki entry does not supply a complete accepted range or behavior for zero, negatives, fractions, surrogate values or codes above the Unicode range. Avoid a definitive error-code table until native testing; capture the actual output and build number during review.
• Copying Excel examples: do not assume Excel’s documented argument bounds, error messages or supplementary-character behavior apply to Apache OpenOffice Calc. The same function name alone is not proof of identical execution.
• CSV export or other systems: verify the target application’s encoding before shipping text with non-ASCII symbols; the displayed glyph in Calc is not proof a legacy single-byte export format can carry it.

Apache’s CHAR uses a character number from 1 through 255 with character-set mapping that can depend on the system when a code exceeds 127 [S3]. UNICHAR is described as the Unicode-oriented alternative [S1, S3]. For example, =UNICHAR(8364) is expected to yield € via Unicode code point U+20AC; do not infer that =CHAR(8364) is supported.

Excel and LibreOffice contain similarly named functions, but this page makes no claim that their error conditions, locale rules or non-BMP handling match Apache OpenOffice. This guide relies on Apache’s documentation; it has not been validated by running LibreOffice as a proxy.

Their source paths are verified in the archive; their current live HTTP responses could not be confirmed during this research. None has been overwritten.

• [S1] Apache OpenOffice UNICHAR function, wiki revision oldid=260118, edited 2 February 2024, accessed 2026-10-11. Supports purpose, UNICHAR(number) and UNICHAR(169) → ©; contains a misleading Text parameter description.
• [S2] Apache OpenOffice UNICODE function, revision oldid=260119, accessed 2026-10-11. Supports companion first-character reverse lookup and example © → 169.
• [S3] Apache OpenOffice CHAR function, accessed 2026-10-11. Supports CHAR’s 1–255 scope and mapping-dependence.
• [S4] Apache OpenOffice CODE function, accessed 2026-10-11. Supports distinction between legacy codes and Unicode-oriented function names.
• [S5] Apache OpenOffice Calc text-function index, accessed 2026-10-11. Lists UNICHAR and UNICODE among Calc text functions.
• [S6] Apache OpenOffice official download page, accessed 2026-10-11. Identified latest released version at access as 4.1.16.

Additional official reference: Apache OpenOffice implementation note for UNICHAR and UNICODE.

The examples show expected results checked against Apache OpenOffice documentation and independent arithmetic, text mapping, or logical reasoning. They were not run in Apache OpenOffice Calc. Platform, locale, import, and unusual error cases are not certified.