UNICHAR in SoftMaker PlanMaker 2026: Convert Unicode Numbers to Characters

Unicode assigns a numeric code point to characters. UNICHAR performs the number-to-character direction. It can help generate a symbol from a stored code, display a code-point lookup table, or pair with UNICODE to check that a text value starts with the character you expect. This is different from looking up a font’s visual glyph: a font may not display every character correctly, and the glyph’s appearance is not proof of the stored code.

Practical examples include displaying a space character from 32, producing punctuation from a numeric identifier, or checking imported text that uses characters outside the limited range of older character-code conventions.

=UNICHAR(Number)

Source: SoftMaker’s 2026 English PlanMaker manual, UNICHAR (character from Unicode), printed p. 845, shows UNICHAR(Number), explicitly requires a number of at least 10, and prints the examples 65, 32, and 33. There is one argument: no second separator or optional fallback argument. Official manual.

Locale: These examples use the English function name UNICHAR, as published in SoftMaker’s English manual. Because this function has only one argument, regional commas-versus-semicolons do not affect these basic formulas. An installed localized interface may present function names or numeric input conventions differently; verify directly rather than inventing translations. Integer code-point inputs avoid decimal-separator ambiguity.

Documented bound versus untested bounds: SoftMaker explicitly provides the minimum of 10. The referenced manual section does not specify the highest permitted code number, how fractional inputs are rounded, or exact error messages for negative, unavailable or invalid code points. These are validation questions, not facts established by this guide.

Start an empty workbook in PlanMaker 2026. Enter the integer codes exactly as shown below in column A. In B2 type =UNICHAR(A2) and fill down through B8. Column C lists independently checked Unicode mappings; the first three were also printed as worked examples by SoftMaker.

Expected versus observed: None of column B’s outputs were observed in PlanMaker during preparation. Numbers 65/32/33 have official PlanMaker examples; 88/123/8364/937 were checked against the Unicode scalar values using an independent Python calculation. If a result is missing, inspect the font before concluding the character code is wrong.

Why code 32 seems to produce nothing

UNICHAR(32) is not the same thing as an empty string: the vendor explicitly says that it returns a blank (a space character). Put =UNICODE(UNICHAR(32)) in a spare cell; 32 is the expected round-trip code (deduced from the two documented function definitions, not natively executed). Compare the code to discover a leading space that a visual check might miss.

Quick literal formulas

=UNICHAR(65)
=UNICHAR(32)
=UNICHAR(33)

The 2026 manual reports A, one space, and !, respectively. The formulas do not depend on a worksheet table.

1. Read a code from another cell

With A2 containing the number 65, =UNICHAR(A2) should produce A. This pattern lets a worksheet store the numeric code and the display in separate columns. If A2 contains the literal text "65", behavior may depend on input conversion; enter a numeric value for this reproducible example, and test text coercion separately.

2. Round-trip the first character of a label

=UNICHAR(UNICODE("X"))

SoftMaker’s own example returns X. Its inner UNICODE turns the first character into a number, and the outer UNICHAR converts that number back. For a cell containing North, =UNICHAR(UNICODE(A2)) is independently expected to return only N—not the entire word. Both functions operate on a single character at this step. 2026 manual, printed pp. 845–846.

3. Compare the code and character rather than the appearance

Suppose A2 is 8364. Put =UNICHAR(A2) in B2 and =UNICODE(B2) in C2. The independently calculated expected C2 is 8364. Use this as a diagnostic pattern when the visible € is replaced with a box or other fallback glyph; code points and font rendering are separate concerns. Non-ASCII native results have not been observed and should be tested in the target build.

4. Use numeric codes for reusable symbol tables

Keep a two-column reference table: the code number is the stored master value, and UNICHAR is the derived display. This is easier to audit than copying a symbol manually between workbooks. Be cautious about empty-looking spaces, line breaks or symbols that need a particular font.

No invented errors: This guide intentionally does not assert #VALUE!, #N/A, or any other specific PlanMaker error for undocumented edge cases. Such values have to be observed or found in SoftMaker’s own reference before they can be presented as PlanMaker results.

SoftMaker’s 2026 What’s New page explicitly names UNICODE and UNICHAR among new PlanMaker functions. This justifies scoping the tutorial to PlanMaker 2026 / applicable NX builds rather than retroactively assuming the functions work in PlanMaker 2024 or 2021. It does not prove a first-implementation date for every edition or device. SoftMaker release information.

Microsoft documents Excel’s UNICHAR(number) in versions including Excel 2016/2019/2021/2024/Microsoft 365, and its function index marks UNICHAR as an Excel 2013-era function. The common operation—number to Unicode character—is compatible in intent. Microsoft’s own reference explicitly returns #VALUE! for UNICHAR(0); this is Excel evidence, not a native-tested PlanMaker error claim. Both vendors document Unicode mappings but their boundary and error rules must be compared individually. Microsoft UNICHAR documentation.

Edition/platform limitations: Official 2026 documentation applies to the PlanMaker product family, but Windows, Mac, Linux, mobile platforms and specific editions were not individually executed in this review. Saving to XLSX and reopening in Excel was not tested; do not promise a byte-identical round trip, font rendition or precise error transfer.

UNICODE is the opposite direction (character to number). CHAR and CODE are older character-code functions and should not automatically be treated as Unicode equivalents. Relevant live reference destinations were checked in vendor documentation:

• SoftMaker official PlanMaker 2026 manual, UNICHAR p. 845 and UNICODE p. 846.
• SoftMaker 2026 What’s New — new PlanMaker functions.
• Microsoft Excel UNICHAR reference.
• Microsoft Excel UNICODE reference.

Evidence access date: 2026-10-11 (UTC). Validation: official documentation checked and independent Unicode calculations completed; native PlanMaker execution not performed.