Broken Bar

ASCII Code: 166•Category: symbols

The broken bar (¦) is a typographical symbol consisting of a vertical line with a gap in the middle, historically used in European typography and technical documentation as an alternative to the solid vertical bar.

Technical Details

ASCII Code: 166
HTML Entity: ¦
Hexadecimal: 0xA6
Binary: 10100110
Octal: 246

Usage & Examples

Programming

char symbol = '¦'; // ASCII 166

HTML/Web

¦ or ¦

Common Uses

barbrokenverticalsplit

How to Type This Character

Windows

Alt Code:

Hold Alt and type166 on numeric keypad

Character Map:

Search "Character Map" in Start menu

Mac

Character Viewer:

Press Ctrl +Cmd +Space

Copy & Paste:

Easiest method - copy from this page!

💡 Pro tip: The fastest way is to bookmark this page or copy the character from our ASCII library!

Related Characters

About the Broken Bar

Typographical Distinction

Originally designed to provide visual distinction from the solid vertical bar (|) in printed materials. The gap prevents confusion in dense technical text where vertical bars serve multiple functions, improving readability in mathematical and technical documentation.

European Standards

Widely used in European computing standards and keyboard layouts, particularly in Nordic countries where it appears on standard keyboards. The symbol maintains importance in legacy systems and international character encoding standards.

Technical Documentation

Employed in specialized technical contexts where clear visual separation from pipe operators is crucial. Engineers and technical writers use it to denote alternative pathways, separated conditions, or visual breaks in technical specifications.

Legacy Computing

Important in older computing systems and mainframe environments where it served as an alternative delimiter when the standard vertical bar was unavailable or caused conflicts with system operations.

History of the Broken Bar

1960s

Typesetting Origins

Professional typesetting systems introduced the broken bar as a variant of the vertical bar to improve visual clarity in technical and mathematical publications.

1970s

Computer Character Sets

Early computer character encoding standards included the broken bar to maintain compatibility with European typographical conventions and printing systems.

1980s

European Keyboard Standards

European keyboard layouts, particularly in Nordic countries, incorporated the broken bar as a standard character accessible to users alongside the regular vertical bar.

1987

ISO Latin-1 Standard

The broken bar was officially included in the ISO Latin-1 character set (position 166), ensuring its preservation in international computing standards.

1990s-Present

Legacy Maintenance

While less commonly used in modern applications, the broken bar remains supported in Unicode and character encoding standards for compatibility with historical documents and systems.

Cultural Impact

The broken bar represents the evolution of typography from print to digital, serving as a bridge between traditional European printing conventions and modern computing standards.

Usage Examples

Technical Documentation

Example

Option A ¦ Option B ¦ Alternative C

Visual separation of alternatives in technical specifications

European Typography

Example

Process flow: Input ¦ Validation ¦ Processing ¦ Output

Step separation in European technical manuals

Legacy Systems

Example

DATA_FIELD_1¦DATA_FIELD_2¦DATA_FIELD_3

Alternative delimiter in older database systems

Mathematical Notation

Example

Set A ¦ Set B denotes separated but related mathematical sets

Visual distinction from standard set notation