Auto replace special characters to entities while typing

[de_hash]

I'd like to have special characters typed as entities *while typing* as an *option*.
So if I type "Ä", the entity "Ä" should appear automatically.
In this case having CTRL (or similar) pressed would enter the special character "Ä" instead of the entity "Ä".
If the option is not chosen, the special character "Ä" is typed by default and having CTRL (or similar) pressed would enter the entity "Ä" instead.

I have only found two work-arounds in WeBuilder:
1) By converting existing special characters in the 'edit' -> convert special Chars Menu. But this is only possible *after* having entered the special character(s), selecting it (them) and then converting it (them).

A suggestion for an elegant Auto replacing option would be by adding a check box to the existing 'edit' -> convert special Chars Menu (as is the case with other similar menus in WeBuilder), so that then the changes are done automatically while typing, if checked. Alternatively an additional button on a toolbar could be used. This would be extremely helpful!

Other editors also have the possibilty of chosing which special characters should be ingnored and where (as you have in the special characters window with an ini-file).

2) The other possibility I found is adding each character and the corresponding entities in the "Preferences" menu under "Auto Replace".

But maybe I am just missing this. I did not find anything in the forum yet.
I use the latest (test) version of WeBuilder 2011, downloaded on the end of Decmber 2011.

[Zahnerer]

Hello,
is there still no way to automatically replace special characters?

[FrankC]

@ Zahnerer: there is a semi-automatic way: Edit > Convert Special Chars (at the bottom). Keyboard shortcuts are mentioned as well.

@ de hash & @ Zahnerer: if you change the file's charset metatag to UTF-8, and you make sure the file is created as such or changed to it, there is no need anymore to have special chars converted to entities. UTF-8 understands and makes the browsers display all known special chars correctly.

[mikewashtm]

I haven't really tried this yet but does the work around at convert special Chars Menu work?