Betacode to Unicode

Convert Betacode Greek entry, which allows using ordinary ASCII characters to write in ancient Greek, to Unicode in Neovim. This is a reworking of the script at http://www.ub-filosofie.ro/~solcan/wt/gnu/a/agvim.html, which I used for years. Thanks to the original author!

Features

• :BetacodeToUnicode - Convert the entire buffer from Betacode to Unicode.
• :BetacodeToUnicodeVisual - Convert only the visually selected text.
• Supports accents (/), breathing marks (), (), macrons (&), breves ('), and automatic final sigma conversion.

Installation

LazyVim

Add to your lazy.lua:

{ "utrumsit/betacode-to-unicode" }

Packer

use "utrumsit/betacode-to-unicode"

Vim-Plug

Plug 'utrumsit/betacode-to-unicode'

Usage

Full Buffer Conversion

• Command: :BetacodeToUnicode
• Effect: Transforms all Betacode text in the current buffer to Unicode Greek, leaving non-Betacode text unchanged.
• Example: Type pro/s kai/ in a buffer, run :BetacodeToUnicode, and get πρός καί.

Visual Selection Conversion

• Command: :BetacodeToUnicodeVisual
• Steps:
  1. Enter visual mode (v for character-wise, V for line-wise).
  2. Select the Betacode text you want to convert.
  3. Run :BetacodeToUnicodeVisual.
• Effect: Only the selected text is converted, preserving surrounding content.
• Example: In English pro/s here, select pro/s, run the command, and get English πρός here.

Examples

Here are some common Betacode inputs and their Unicode outputs:

Betacode	Unicode Output	Description
pro/s	πρός	"Toward" with acute accent
kai/	καί	"And" with acute accent
h)	ἠ	Eta with smooth breathing
h(	ἡ	Eta with rough breathing
a&	ᾱ	Alpha with macron (long)
i'	ῐ	Iota with breve (short)
lo/gos	λόγος	"Word" with medial/final sigma

License

This plugin is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0), following the original script’s licensing by Mihail Radu Solcan. See the LICENSE file for details.