From 76df4bf07ba3ed7a6dfdc7dee1d5bb5993567a0f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: rocky <rb@dustyfeet.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2026 11:46:38 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 1/7] Revise for changed Mathics-scanner API

---
 .github/workflows/pyodide.yml    |  2 +-
 Makefile                         | 10 +++++-----
 admin-tools/make-JSON-tables.sh  |  7 +++----
 mathics/builtin/forms/data.py    |  2 +-
 mathics/core/convert/op.py       |  2 +-
 mathics/core/parser/operators.py |  2 +-
 mathics/core/parser/parser.py    | 22 +++++++++++-----------
 mathics/data/.gitignore          |  3 ++-
 mathics/eval/list/eol.py         |  6 +++++-
 setup.py                         | 15 ++++++---------
 test/builtin/test_forms.py       |  2 ++
 11 files changed, 38 insertions(+), 35 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/pyodide.yml b/.github/workflows/pyodide.yml
index 52b0eba21..8802a1e64 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pyodide.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pyodide.yml
@@ -58,5 +58,5 @@ jobs:
           python -m pip install --no-build-isolation -e git+https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner#egg=Mathics-Scanner
 
           pip install --no-build-isolation -e .
-          make mathics/data/character-tables.json mathics/data/operator-tables.json
+          bash ./admin-tools/make-JSON-tables.sh
           make -j3 check
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 1bd9e3e6a..f3241fa85 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -69,17 +69,17 @@ build:
 # because pip install doesn't handle
 # INSTALL_REQUIRES properly
 #: Set up to run from the source tree
-develop:  mathics/data/character-tables.json mathics/data/operator-tables.json
+develop: mathics_scanner/data/boxing-characters.json mathics_scanner/data/named-characters.json mathics_scanner/data/operators.json
 	$(PIP) install -e .[dev]
 
 # See note above on ./setup.py
 #: Set up to run from the source tree with full dependencies
-develop-full:  mathics/data/character-tables.json mathics/data/operators.json
+develop-full: mathics_scanner/data/boxing-characters.json mathics_scanner/data/named-characters.json mathics_scanner/data/operators.json
 	$(PIP) install -e .[dev,full]
 
 # See note above on ./setup.py
 #: Set up to run from the source tree with full dependencies and Cython
-develop-full-cython: mathics/data/character-tables.json mathics/data/operators.json
+develop-full-cython: mathics_scanner/data/boxing-characters.json mathics_scanner/data/named-characters.json mathics_scanner/data/operators.json
 	$(PIP) install -e .[dev,full,cython]
 
 
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ clean: clean-cython clean-cache
 	   ($(MAKE) -C "$$dir" clean); \
 	done; \
 	rm -f factorials || true; \
-	rm -f mathics/data/character-tables.json || true; \
+	rm -f mathics/data/*.json || true; \
 	rm -rf build || true
 
 mypy:
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ latexdoc texdoc doc:
 	(cd mathics/doc/latex && $(MAKE) doc)
 
 #: Build JSON ASCII to unicode opcode table and operator table
-mathics/data/operator-tables.json mathics/data/character-tables.json mathics/data/operators.json:
+mathics_scanner/data/boxing-characters.json mathics_scanner/data/named-characters.json mathics_scanner/data/operators.json:
 	$(BASH) ./admin-tools/make-JSON-tables.sh
 
 #: Remove ChangeLog
diff --git a/admin-tools/make-JSON-tables.sh b/admin-tools/make-JSON-tables.sh
index a9d802a8d..c0b82ec16 100755
--- a/admin-tools/make-JSON-tables.sh
+++ b/admin-tools/make-JSON-tables.sh
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ mydir=$(dirname $bs)
 PYTHON=${PYTHON:-python}
 
 cd $mydir/../mathics/data
-mathics3-generate-json-table -o character-tables.json
-mathics3-generate-operator-json-table -o operator-tables.json
-# tokenizer looks for the table in the default place...
-mathics3-generate-operator-json-table
+mathics3-make-boxing-character-json -o boxing-characters.json
+mathics3-make-named-character-json -o named-characters.json
+mathics3-make-operator-json -o operators.json
diff --git a/mathics/builtin/forms/data.py b/mathics/builtin/forms/data.py
index 8b1b3632e..1f00a8f17 100644
--- a/mathics/builtin/forms/data.py
+++ b/mathics/builtin/forms/data.py
@@ -679,7 +679,7 @@ class StringForm(FormBaseClass):
      = `` is Global`a
 
     To use a 'Backquote' as a character, escape it with a backslash:
-    >> StringForm["`` is Global\`a", a]
+    >> StringForm["`` is Global\\`a", a]
      = a is Global`a
 
     Elements are formatted according the enclosing context:
diff --git a/mathics/core/convert/op.py b/mathics/core/convert/op.py
index 15acf2450..4616b56a2 100644
--- a/mathics/core/convert/op.py
+++ b/mathics/core/convert/op.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 
 
 # Load the conversion tables from disk
-characters_path = osp.join(ROOT_DIR, "data", "character-tables.json")
+characters_path = osp.join(ROOT_DIR, "data", "named-characters.json")
 assert osp.exists(
     characters_path
 ), f"ASCII operator to Unicode tables are missing from {characters_path}"
diff --git a/mathics/core/parser/operators.py b/mathics/core/parser/operators.py
index 6418f5187..ac76b2e94 100644
--- a/mathics/core/parser/operators.py
+++ b/mathics/core/parser/operators.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 
 # Load Mathics3 operator information from JSON. This file is derived from a
 # Mathics3 Operator Data YAML file in MathicsScanner.
-operator_tables_path = osp.join(ROOT_DIR, "data", "operator-tables.json")
+operator_tables_path = osp.join(ROOT_DIR, "data", "operators.json")
 assert osp.exists(
     operator_tables_path
 ), f"Internal error: Mathics3 Operator information are missing; expected to be in {operator_tables_path}"
diff --git a/mathics/core/parser/parser.py b/mathics/core/parser/parser.py
index eff3d3844..2e9e4fe6b 100644
--- a/mathics/core/parser/parser.py
+++ b/mathics/core/parser/parser.py
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ def get_more_input(self, pos: int):
         self.backtrack(pos)
 
     @property
-    def is_inside_rowbox(self) -> bool:
+    def is_inside_box_expression(self) -> bool:
         r"""
         Return True iff we parsing inside a RowBox, i.e. RowBox[...]
         or \( ... \)
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ def parse_box_expr(self, precedence: int) -> Union[String, Node]:
         result = None
         new_result = None
         while True:
-            if self.is_inside_rowbox:
+            if self.is_inside_box_expression:
                 token = self.next_noend()
             else:
                 token = self.next()
@@ -430,15 +430,15 @@ def parse_box_escape(self, token: Token, precedence: int) -> Optional[Node]:
 
         # Note: Number and String below are the mathics.core.parser's Number, String and Symbol,
         # not mathics.core.atom's Number and String, and Symbol.
-        if self.is_inside_rowbox and isinstance(result, Number):
+        if self.is_inside_box_expression and isinstance(result, Number):
             tag, pre_error, post_error = self.tokeniser.sntx_message(token.pos)
             raise InvalidSyntaxError(tag, pre_error, post_error)
 
         while True:
-            if self.bracket_depth > 0 or self.is_inside_rowbox:
+            if self.bracket_depth > 0 or self.is_inside_box_expression:
                 token = self.next_noend()
                 if token.tag in ("OtherscriptBox", "RightRowBox"):
-                    if self.is_inside_rowbox:
+                    if self.is_inside_box_expression:
                         break
                     else:
                         tag, pre_error, post_error = self.tokeniser.sntx_message(
@@ -511,14 +511,14 @@ def parse_expr(self, precedence: int) -> Optional[Node]:
 
         # Note: Number and String below are the mathics.core.parser's Number, String and Symbol,
         # not mathics.core.atom's Number and String, and Symbol.
-        if self.is_inside_rowbox and isinstance(result, (Number, Symbol)):
+        if self.is_inside_box_expression and isinstance(result, (Number, Symbol)):
             result = String(result.value)
 
         while True:
-            if self.bracket_depth > 0 or self.is_inside_rowbox:
+            if self.bracket_depth > 0 or self.is_inside_box_expression:
                 token = self.next_noend()
                 if token.tag in ("OtherscriptBox", "RightRowBox"):
-                    if self.is_inside_rowbox:
+                    if self.is_inside_box_expression:
                         break
                     else:
                         tag, pre_error, post_error = self.tokeniser.sntx_message(
@@ -550,7 +550,7 @@ def parse_expr(self, precedence: int) -> Optional[Node]:
                 tag not in self.halt_tags
                 and flat_binary_operators["Times"] >= precedence
             ):
-                if self.is_inside_rowbox:
+                if self.is_inside_box_expression:
                     if tag in box_operators:
                         new_result = self.parse_box_operator(result, token, precedence)
                     else:
@@ -589,7 +589,7 @@ def parse_p(self):
             operator_precedence = prefix_operators[tag]
             child = self.parse_expr(operator_precedence)
             return Node(tag, child)
-        elif self.is_inside_rowbox:
+        elif self.is_inside_box_expression:
             return None
         else:
             tag, pre_error, post_error = self.tokeniser.sntx_message(token.pos)
@@ -1005,7 +1005,7 @@ def e_RawLeftBracket(self, expr, token: Token, p: int) -> Optional[Node]:
             self.expect("RawRightBracket")
             self.bracket_depth -= 1
 
-            if self.is_inside_rowbox:
+            if self.is_inside_box_expression:
                 # Handle function calls inside a RowBox.
                 result = Node("List", expr, String("["), *seq, String("]"))
             else:
diff --git a/mathics/data/.gitignore b/mathics/data/.gitignore
index 9c07e628a..1b2b265e3 100644
--- a/mathics/data/.gitignore
+++ b/mathics/data/.gitignore
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 /.python-version
 /doc_latex_data.pcl
 /doctest_latex_data.pcl
-/character-tables.json
+/boxing-characters.json
+/named-characters.json
 /operator-tables.json
diff --git a/mathics/eval/list/eol.py b/mathics/eval/list/eol.py
index a20326293..b85fae524 100644
--- a/mathics/eval/list/eol.py
+++ b/mathics/eval/list/eol.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from typing import List
+
 from mathics.core.atoms import Integer
 from mathics.core.evaluation import Evaluation
 from mathics.core.exceptions import MessageException
@@ -63,7 +65,9 @@ def select(inner):
     return select
 
 
-def eval_Part(list_of_list, indices, evaluation: Evaluation, assign_rhs=None):
+def eval_Part(
+    list_of_list: list, indices: List[Integer], evaluation: Evaluation, assign_rhs=None
+):
     """
     eval_part takes the first element of `list_of_list`, and builds
     a subexpression composed of the expressions at the index positions
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 1bba72e84..f49eb95c1 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -109,15 +109,12 @@ def get_srcdir():
 
 class build_py(setuptools_build_py):
     def run(self):
-        if not os.path.exists("mathics/data/character-tables.json"):
-            os.system(
-                "mathics3-generate-json-table" " -o mathics/data/character-tables.json"
-            )
-        if not os.path.exists("mathics/data/operator-tables.json"):
-            os.system(
-                "mathics3-generate-operator-json-table" " -o operator-tables.json"
-            )
-        self.distribution.package_data["mathics"].append("data/character-tables.json")
+        for table_type in ("boxing-character", "named-character", "operator"):
+            json_data_file = osp.join("data", f"{table_type}.json")
+            json_path = osp.join("mathics-scanner", json_data_file)
+            if not osp.exists(json_path):
+                os.system(f"mathics3-make-{table_type}-json" " -o {json-path}")
+            self.distribution.package_data["Mathics-Scanner"].append(json_data_file)
         setuptools_build_py.run(self)
 
 
diff --git a/test/builtin/test_forms.py b/test/builtin/test_forms.py
index 890c988c4..16650ebcb 100644
--- a/test/builtin/test_forms.py
+++ b/test/builtin/test_forms.py
@@ -419,6 +419,8 @@ def test_output(str_expr, msgs, str_expected, fail_msg):
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     ("str_expr", "str_expected", "fail_msg", "msgs"),
     [
+        # FIXME: need to decide what to do here. In WMA you get:
+        # StringForm::sfq: Unmatched backquote in This is symbol \`..
         (
             'StringForm["This is symbol ``.", A]',
             '"This is symbol A."',

From 03dd535f72b5b31fc06d2dc72905cc0c68030d8e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: rocky <rb@dustyfeet.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 09:08:21 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 2/7] Go over Characters[] builtin

Handle unicode for boxing operators inside strings.
---
 mathics/builtin/string/characters.py |  6 +++---
 mathics/eval/arithfns/basic.py       |  2 +-
 mathics/eval/string/__init__.py      |  3 +++
 mathics/eval/string/characters.py    | 18 ++++++++++++++++++
 test/helper.py                       | 11 +++++------
 5 files changed, 30 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 mathics/eval/string/__init__.py
 create mode 100644 mathics/eval/string/characters.py

diff --git a/mathics/builtin/string/characters.py b/mathics/builtin/string/characters.py
index a5c86fc68..2e7751405 100644
--- a/mathics/builtin/string/characters.py
+++ b/mathics/builtin/string/characters.py
@@ -7,9 +7,9 @@
 from mathics.core.atoms import String
 from mathics.core.attributes import A_LISTABLE, A_PROTECTED, A_READ_PROTECTED
 from mathics.core.builtin import Builtin, Test
-from mathics.core.convert.expression import to_mathics_list
 from mathics.core.evaluation import Evaluation
 from mathics.core.list import ListExpression
+from mathics.eval.string.characters import eval_Characters
 
 
 class Characters(Builtin):
@@ -30,10 +30,10 @@ class Characters(Builtin):
     attributes = A_LISTABLE | A_PROTECTED
     summary_text = "list the characters in a string"
 
-    def eval(self, string, evaluation: Evaluation):
+    def eval(self, string: String, evaluation: Evaluation) -> ListExpression:
         "Characters[string_String]"
 
-        return to_mathics_list(*string.value, elements_conversion_fn=String)
+        return eval_Characters(string.value)
 
 
 class CharacterRange(Builtin):
diff --git a/mathics/eval/arithfns/basic.py b/mathics/eval/arithfns/basic.py
index ab78c09a2..cac108129 100644
--- a/mathics/eval/arithfns/basic.py
+++ b/mathics/eval/arithfns/basic.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 
 """
-evaluation function for builtins in mathics.builtin.arithfns.basic
+Evaluation function for builtins in mathics.builtin.arithfns.basic.
 
 Many of these depend on the evaluation context. Conversions to SymPy are
 used just as a last resource.
diff --git a/mathics/eval/string/__init__.py b/mathics/eval/string/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2a065b487
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mathics/eval/string/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+"""
+Module tracking eval functions under mathics.builtin.string
+"""
diff --git a/mathics/eval/string/characters.py b/mathics/eval/string/characters.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..eacc644f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mathics/eval/string/characters.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+"""
+Evaluation functions for builtins in mathics.builtin.string.
+"""
+
+from mathics_scanner.characters import replace_box_unicode_with_ascii
+
+from mathics.core.atoms import String
+from mathics.core.convert.expression import to_mathics_list
+from mathics.core.list import ListExpression
+
+
+def eval_Characters(string: str) -> ListExpression:
+    "Characters[string_String]"
+
+    return to_mathics_list(
+        *(replace_box_unicode_with_ascii(s) for s in string),
+        elements_conversion_fn=String,
+    )
diff --git a/test/helper.py b/test/helper.py
index 0baa2205c..e03a4e5ad 100644
--- a/test/helper.py
+++ b/test/helper.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 
 import_and_load_builtins()
 
-# Set up a Mathics session with definitions.
+# Set up a Mathics3 session with definitions.
 # For consistency set the character encoding ASCII which is
 # the lowest common denominator available on all systems.
 session = MathicsSession(character_encoding="ASCII")
@@ -22,17 +22,16 @@ def reset_session(add_builtin=True, catch_interrupt=False):
     """
     reset the session cleaning all the definitions.
     """
-    global session
     session.reset()
     session.evaluate("SetDirectory[$TemporaryDirectory];")
 
 
-def evaluate_value(str_expr: str):
-    return session.evaluate(str_expr).value
+def evaluate_value(str_expr: str, form=None):
+    return session.evaluate(str_expr, form=form).value
 
 
-def evaluate(str_expr: str):
-    return session.evaluate(str_expr)
+def evaluate(str_expr: str, form=None):
+    return session.evaluate(str_expr, form=form)
 
 
 def check_evaluation(

From 4225c24ecb6060816f8ba8562df6f60d48a5dd9b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: rocky <rb@dustyfeet.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 10:33:38 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 3/7] Adjust for Boxing ascii operators in strings...

and add more tests. Check more argument counts on some builtin functions.
---
 mathics/builtin/forms/data.py           |   2 +-
 mathics/builtin/string/characters.py    |   2 +
 mathics/builtin/string/charcodes.py     |   2 +
 mathics/builtin/string/operations.py    |   2 +
 mathics/eval/strings.py                 |  11 +-
 mathics/format/form/outputform.py       |   5 +-
 test/builtin/string/test_characters.py  |  95 +++++++++++++++
 test/builtin/string/test_charcodes.py   | 148 ++++++++++++++++++++++
 test/builtin/strings/__init__.py        |   0
 test/builtin/strings/test_operations.py |  93 --------------
 test/builtin/test_strings.py            | 155 +++---------------------
 11 files changed, 281 insertions(+), 234 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 test/builtin/string/test_characters.py
 create mode 100644 test/builtin/string/test_charcodes.py
 delete mode 100644 test/builtin/strings/__init__.py
 delete mode 100644 test/builtin/strings/test_operations.py

diff --git a/mathics/builtin/forms/data.py b/mathics/builtin/forms/data.py
index 1f00a8f17..2fd8510e4 100644
--- a/mathics/builtin/forms/data.py
+++ b/mathics/builtin/forms/data.py
@@ -699,7 +699,7 @@ class StringForm(FormBaseClass):
     }
     summary_text = "format a string from a template and a list of parameters"
 
-    def eval_makeboxes(self, s, args, form, evaluation):
+    def eval_makeboxes(self, s: String, args, form, evaluation: Evaluation):
         """MakeBoxes[StringForm[s_String, args___],
         form:StandardForm|TraditionalForm]"""
         try:
diff --git a/mathics/builtin/string/characters.py b/mathics/builtin/string/characters.py
index 2e7751405..8612ecf10 100644
--- a/mathics/builtin/string/characters.py
+++ b/mathics/builtin/string/characters.py
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ class Characters(Builtin):
     """
 
     attributes = A_LISTABLE | A_PROTECTED
+    eval_error = Builtin.generic_argument_error
+    expected_args = 1
     summary_text = "list the characters in a string"
 
     def eval(self, string: String, evaluation: Evaluation) -> ListExpression:
diff --git a/mathics/builtin/string/charcodes.py b/mathics/builtin/string/charcodes.py
index 22bcfd8b3..a0c8f8ff1 100644
--- a/mathics/builtin/string/charcodes.py
+++ b/mathics/builtin/string/charcodes.py
@@ -65,6 +65,8 @@ class ToCharacterCode(Builtin):
      = -Graphics-
     """
 
+    eval_error = Builtin.generic_argument_error
+    expected_args = (1, 2)
     summary_text = "convert a string to a list of character codes"
 
     def _encode(self, string, encoding, evaluation: Evaluation):
diff --git a/mathics/builtin/string/operations.py b/mathics/builtin/string/operations.py
index d52ce55be..3c318af54 100644
--- a/mathics/builtin/string/operations.py
+++ b/mathics/builtin/string/operations.py
@@ -360,6 +360,8 @@ class StringLength(Builtin):
     """
 
     attributes = A_LISTABLE | A_PROTECTED
+    eval_error = Builtin.generic_argument_error
+    expected_args = 1
 
     summary_text = "length of a string (in Unicode characters)"
 
diff --git a/mathics/eval/strings.py b/mathics/eval/strings.py
index ad718dafe..46a652ff4 100644
--- a/mathics/eval/strings.py
+++ b/mathics/eval/strings.py
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 
 import re
 
+from mathics_scanner.characters import replace_box_unicode_with_ascii
+
 from mathics.builtin.box.layout import RowBox
 from mathics.core.atoms import Integer, Integer0, Integer1, Integer3, String
 from mathics.core.convert.expression import to_mathics_list
@@ -155,7 +157,7 @@ def safe_backquotes(string: str):
     return string
 
 
-def eval_StringForm_MakeBoxes(strform, items, form, evaluation):
+def eval_StringForm_MakeBoxes(strform: String, items, form, evaluation: Evaluation):
     """MakeBoxes[StringForm[s_String, items___], form_]"""
 
     if not isinstance(strform, String):
@@ -164,10 +166,13 @@ def eval_StringForm_MakeBoxes(strform, items, form, evaluation):
     items = [format_element(item, evaluation, form) for item in items]
 
     curr_indx = 0
-    strform_str = safe_backquotes(strform.value)
+    strform_str = safe_backquotes(replace_box_unicode_with_ascii(strform.value))
 
     parts = strform_str.split("`")
-    parts = [part.replace("\\[RawBackquote]", "`") for part in parts]
+
+    # Rocky: This looks like a hack to me: is it needed?
+    parts = [part.replace(r"\[RawBackquote]", "`") for part in parts]
+
     result = [String(parts[0])]
     if len(parts) <= 1:
         return result[0]
diff --git a/mathics/format/form/outputform.py b/mathics/format/form/outputform.py
index 7683328a0..3cb548e36 100644
--- a/mathics/format/form/outputform.py
+++ b/mathics/format/form/outputform.py
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@
 import re
 from typing import Callable, Dict, List, Union
 
+from mathics_scanner.characters import replace_box_unicode_with_ascii
+
 from mathics.core.atoms import (
     Integer,
     Integer0,
@@ -861,8 +863,9 @@ def stringform_render_output_form(
     items = [render_output_form(item, evaluation, **kwargs) for item in items]
 
     curr_indx = 0
-    strform_str = safe_backquotes(strform.value)
+    strform_str = safe_backquotes(replace_box_unicode_with_ascii(strform.value))
     parts = strform_str.split("`")
+    # Rocky: This looks like a hack to me: is it needed?
     parts = [part.replace("\\[RawBackquote]", "`") for part in parts]
     result = [parts[0]]
     if len(parts) <= 1:
diff --git a/test/builtin/string/test_characters.py b/test/builtin/string/test_characters.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..28e9b276e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/builtin/string/test_characters.py
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+"""
+Test builtin function Characters[]
+"""
+
+import time
+from test.helper import check_evaluation, evaluate
+from typing import Optional
+
+import pytest
+
+from mathics.core.atoms import String
+from mathics.core.list import ListExpression
+from mathics.session import MathicsSession
+
+# Set up a Mathics session with definitions.
+# For consistency set the character encoding ASCII which is
+# the lowest common denominator available on all systems.
+session = MathicsSession(character_encoding="ASCII")
+
+
+def check_characters_evaluation(
+    str_expr: str,
+    expected: ListExpression,
+    failure_message: Optional[str] = "",
+):
+    """
+    Helper function to test Mathics expression against
+    its results.
+
+    Compares the expressions represented by ``str_expr`` and  ``str_expected`` by
+    evaluating the first, and optionally, the second. If omitted, `str_expected`
+    is assumed to be `"Null"`.
+
+    str_expr: The expression to be tested. If its value is ``None``, the session is
+              reset.
+              At the beginning of each set of pytests, it is important to call
+              ``check_evaluation(None)`` to avoid that definitions introduced by
+              other tests affect the results.
+
+    str_expected: The expected result. The value ``None`` is equivalent to ``"Null"``.
+
+    failure_message: message shown in case of failure. Use "" for no failure message.
+    """
+    result = evaluate(str_expr)
+
+    print(time.asctime())
+    if failure_message:
+        print(f"got: \n{result}\nexpect:\n{expected}\n -- {failure_message}")
+        assert result == expected, failure_message
+    else:
+        print(f"got: \n{result}\nexpect:\n{expected}\n --")
+        assert result == expected
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("str_expr", "msgs", "str_expected", "fail_msg"),
+    [
+        (
+            r'Characters["\\\` "]',
+            None,
+            ListExpression(String("\\"), String(r"\`"), String(" ")),
+            "Characters[] with an escape sequence that should be treated as one character",
+        ),
+    ],
+)
+def test_characters_with_escape_sequence(str_expr, msgs, str_expected, fail_msg):
+    check_characters_evaluation(
+        str_expr,
+        str_expected,
+        failure_message=fail_msg,
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("str_expr", "msgs", "str_expected", "fail_msg"),
+    [
+        (
+            "Characters[]",
+            ["Characters called with 0 arguments; 1 argument is expected."],
+            "Characters[]",
+            "Characters argument checking",
+        ),
+    ],
+)
+def test_characters(str_expr, msgs, str_expected, fail_msg):
+    """ """
+    check_evaluation(
+        str_expr,
+        str_expected,
+        to_string_expr=True,
+        to_string_expected=True,
+        hold_expected=True,
+        failure_message=fail_msg,
+        expected_messages=msgs,
+    )
diff --git a/test/builtin/string/test_charcodes.py b/test/builtin/string/test_charcodes.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2d815e17d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/builtin/string/test_charcodes.py
@@ -0,0 +1,148 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+"""
+Unit tests from mathics.builtin.string.
+"""
+
+from test.helper import check_evaluation
+
+import pytest
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("str_expr", "msgs", "str_expected", "fail_msg"),
+    [
+        ('ToCharacterCode[{"ab"}]', None, "{{97, 98}}", None),
+        (r'ToCharacterCode[{"\(A\)"}]', None, "{{63433, 65, 63424}}", None),
+        (
+            'ToCharacterCode[{{"ab"}}]',
+            (
+                "String or list of strings expected at position 1 in ToCharacterCode[{{ab}}].",
+            ),
+            "ToCharacterCode[{{ab}}]",
+            None,
+        ),
+        (
+            "ToCharacterCode[x]",
+            (
+                "String or list of strings expected at position 1 in ToCharacterCode[x].",
+            ),
+            "ToCharacterCode[x]",
+            None,
+        ),
+        ('ToCharacterCode[""]', None, "{}", None),
+        (
+            "#1 == ToCharacterCode[FromCharacterCode[#1]] & [RandomInteger[{0, 65535}, 100]]",
+            None,
+            "True",
+            None,
+        ),
+        (
+            r"ToCharacterCode[]",
+            ["ToCharacterCode called with 0 arguments; 1 or 2 arguments are expected."],
+            "ToCharacterCode[]",
+            "ToCharacterCode argument checking",
+        ),
+    ],
+)
+def test_to_character_code(str_expr, msgs, str_expected, fail_msg):
+    """ """
+    check_evaluation(
+        str_expr,
+        str_expected,
+        to_string_expr=True,
+        to_string_expected=True,
+        hold_expected=True,
+        failure_message=fail_msg,
+        expected_messages=msgs,
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("str_expr", "msgs", "str_expected", "fail_msg"),
+    [
+        ("FromCharacterCode[{}] // InputForm", None, '""', None),
+        (
+            "FromCharacterCode[65536]",
+            (
+                "A character code, which should be a non-negative integer less than 65536, is expected at position 1 in {65536}.",
+            ),
+            "FromCharacterCode[65536]",
+            None,
+        ),
+        (
+            "FromCharacterCode[-1]",
+            (
+                "Non-negative machine-sized integer expected at position 1 in FromCharacterCode[-1].",
+            ),
+            "FromCharacterCode[-1]",
+            None,
+        ),
+        (
+            "FromCharacterCode[444444444444444444444444444444444444]",
+            (
+                "Non-negative machine-sized integer expected at position 1 in FromCharacterCode[444444444444444444444444444444444444].",
+            ),
+            "FromCharacterCode[444444444444444444444444444444444444]",
+            None,
+        ),
+        (
+            "FromCharacterCode[{100, 101, -1}]",
+            (
+                "A character code, which should be a non-negative integer less than 65536, is expected at position 3 in {100, 101, -1}.",
+            ),
+            "FromCharacterCode[{100, 101, -1}]",
+            None,
+        ),
+        (
+            "FromCharacterCode[{100, 101, 65536}]",
+            (
+                "A character code, which should be a non-negative integer less than 65536, is expected at position 3 in {100, 101, 65536}.",
+            ),
+            "FromCharacterCode[{100, 101, 65536}]",
+            None,
+        ),
+        (
+            "FromCharacterCode[{100, 101, x}]",
+            (
+                "A character code, which should be a non-negative integer less than 65536, is expected at position 3 in {100, 101, x}.",
+            ),
+            "FromCharacterCode[{100, 101, x}]",
+            None,
+        ),
+        (
+            "FromCharacterCode[{100, {101}}]",
+            (
+                "A character code, which should be a non-negative integer less than 65536, is expected at position 2 in {100, {101}}.",
+            ),
+            "FromCharacterCode[{100, {101}}]",
+            None,
+        ),
+        (
+            "FromCharacterCode[{{97, 98, 99}, {100, 101, x}}]",
+            (
+                "A character code, which should be a non-negative integer less than 65536, is expected at position 3 in {100, 101, x}.",
+            ),
+            "FromCharacterCode[{{97, 98, 99}, {100, 101, x}}]",
+            None,
+        ),
+        (
+            "FromCharacterCode[{{97, 98, x}, {100, 101, x}}]",
+            (
+                "A character code, which should be a non-negative integer less than 65536, is expected at position 3 in {97, 98, x}.",
+            ),
+            "FromCharacterCode[{{97, 98, x}, {100, 101, x}}]",
+            None,
+        ),
+    ],
+)
+def test_from_character_code(str_expr, msgs, str_expected, fail_msg):
+    """ """
+    check_evaluation(
+        str_expr,
+        str_expected,
+        to_string_expr=True,
+        to_string_expected=True,
+        hold_expected=True,
+        failure_message=fail_msg,
+        expected_messages=msgs,
+    )
diff --git a/test/builtin/strings/__init__.py b/test/builtin/strings/__init__.py
deleted file mode 100644
index e69de29bb..000000000
diff --git a/test/builtin/strings/test_operations.py b/test/builtin/strings/test_operations.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 206976671..000000000
--- a/test/builtin/strings/test_operations.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,93 +0,0 @@
-"""
-Test Operations on Strings
-"""
-
-import re
-from test.helper import check_evaluation
-
-import pytest
-
-
-@pytest.mark.parametrize(
-    ("str_expr", "msgs", "str_expected", "fail_msg"),
-    [
-        (
-            'StringReplace["abcabc", "a" -> "b", -1]',
-            (
-                re.compile(
-                    "Non-negative integer or Infinity expected at position 3 in StringReplace\\[abcabc, a (->)|[→] b, -1\\]"
-                ),
-            ),
-            re.compile("StringReplace\\[abcabc, a (->)|[→] b, -1\\]"),
-            None,
-        ),
-        ('StringReplace["abc", "b" -> 4]', ("String expected.",), "a <> 4 <> c", None),
-        ('StringReplace["01101100010", "01" .. -> "x"]', None, "x1x100x0", None),
-        ('StringReplace["abc abcb abdc", "ab" ~~ _ -> "X"]', None, "X Xb Xc", None),
-        (
-            'StringReplace["abc abcd abcd",  WordBoundary ~~ "abc" ~~ WordBoundary -> "XX"]',
-            None,
-            "XX abcd abcd",
-            None,
-        ),
-        (
-            'StringReplace["abcd acbd", RegularExpression["[ab]"] -> "XX"]',
-            None,
-            "XXXXcd XXcXXd",
-            None,
-        ),
-        (
-            'StringReplace["abcd acbd", RegularExpression["[ab]"] ~~ _ -> "YY"]',
-            None,
-            "YYcd YYYY",
-            None,
-        ),
-        (
-            'StringReplace["abcdabcdaabcabcd", {"abc" -> "Y", "d" -> "XXX"}]',
-            None,
-            "YXXXYXXXaYYXXX",
-            None,
-        ),
-        (
-            'StringReplace["  Have a nice day.  ", (StartOfString ~~ Whitespace) | (Whitespace ~~ EndOfString) -> ""] // FullForm',
-            None,
-            '"Have a nice day."',
-            None,
-        ),
-        ('StringReplace["xyXY", "xy" -> "01"]', None, "01XY", None),
-        ('StringReplace["xyXY", "xy" -> "01", IgnoreCase -> True]', None, "0101", None),
-        ('StringReplace["abcabc", "a" -> "b", Infinity]', None, "bbcbbc", None),
-        (
-            'StringReplace[x, "a" -> "b"]',
-            (
-                re.compile(
-                    "String or list of strings expected at position 1 in StringReplace\\[x, a (->)|[→] b\\]."
-                ),
-            ),
-            re.compile("StringReplace\\[x, a (->)|[→] b"),
-            None,
-        ),
-        (
-            'StringReplace["xyzwxyzwaxyzxyzw", x]',
-            ("x is not a valid string replacement rule.",),
-            "StringReplace[xyzwxyzwaxyzxyzw, x]",
-            None,
-        ),
-        (
-            'StringReplace["xyzwxyzwaxyzxyzw", x -> y]',
-            ("Element x is not a valid string or pattern element in x.",),
-            re.compile("StringReplace\\[xyzwxyzwaxyzxyzw, x (->)|[→] y"),
-            None,
-        ),
-    ],
-)
-def test_string_replace_errors(str_expr, msgs, str_expected, fail_msg):
-    check_evaluation(
-        str_expr,
-        str_expected,
-        to_string_expr=True,
-        to_string_expected=None,
-        hold_expected=True,
-        failure_message=fail_msg,
-        expected_messages=msgs,
-    )
diff --git a/test/builtin/test_strings.py b/test/builtin/test_strings.py
index 59f75b444..bb2438cfb 100644
--- a/test/builtin/test_strings.py
+++ b/test/builtin/test_strings.py
@@ -240,9 +240,25 @@
             "StringTake[kkkl, -Graphics-]",
             None,
         ),
+        # These tests are commented out due to the bug reported in issue #906
+        # Octal and hexadecimal notation works alone, but fails
+        # as a part of another expression. For example,
+        # F[\.78\.79\.7A]   or "\.78\.79\.7A" produces a syntax error in Mathics.
+        # Here, this is put inside a ToString[...] and hence, it does not work.
+        # (r"\.78\.79\.7A=37; xyz", None, '37', "Octal characters. check me."),
+        # (r"\:0078\:0079\:007A=38;xyz", None, '38', "Hexadecimal characters. Check me."),
+        # (r"\101\102\103\061\062\063=39;ABC123", None, "39", None),
+        (r"xyz=.;ABC123=.;\[Alpha]\[Beta]\[Gamma]", None, "\u03b1\u03b2\u03b3", None),
+        ('LetterQ[""]', None, "True", None),
+        (
+            'LetterQ["\\[Alpha]\\[Beta]\\[Gamma]\\[Delta]\\[Epsilon]\\[Zeta]\\[Eta]\\[Theta]"]',
+            None,
+            "True",
+            None,
+        ),
     ],
 )
-def test_private_doctests_operations(str_expr, msgs, str_expected, fail_msg):
+def test_operations(str_expr, msgs, str_expected, fail_msg):
     """ """
     check_evaluation(
         str_expr,
@@ -353,138 +369,7 @@ def test_private_doctests_operations(str_expr, msgs, str_expected, fail_msg):
         ('StringMatchQ["ae", "a@e"]', None, "False", None),
     ],
 )
-def test_private_doctests_patterns(str_expr, msgs, str_expected, fail_msg):
-    """ """
-    check_evaluation(
-        str_expr,
-        str_expected,
-        to_string_expr=True,
-        to_string_expected=True,
-        hold_expected=True,
-        failure_message=fail_msg,
-        expected_messages=msgs,
-    )
-
-
-@pytest.mark.parametrize(
-    ("str_expr", "msgs", "str_expected", "fail_msg"),
-    [
-        ('ToCharacterCode[{"ab"}]', None, "{{97, 98}}", None),
-        (
-            'ToCharacterCode[{{"ab"}}]',
-            (
-                "String or list of strings expected at position 1 in ToCharacterCode[{{ab}}].",
-            ),
-            "ToCharacterCode[{{ab}}]",
-            None,
-        ),
-        (
-            "ToCharacterCode[x]",
-            (
-                "String or list of strings expected at position 1 in ToCharacterCode[x].",
-            ),
-            "ToCharacterCode[x]",
-            None,
-        ),
-        ('ToCharacterCode[""]', None, "{}", None),
-        (
-            "#1 == ToCharacterCode[FromCharacterCode[#1]] & [RandomInteger[{0, 65535}, 100]]",
-            None,
-            "True",
-            None,
-        ),
-        ("FromCharacterCode[{}] // InputForm", None, '""', None),
-        (
-            "FromCharacterCode[65536]",
-            (
-                "A character code, which should be a non-negative integer less than 65536, is expected at position 1 in {65536}.",
-            ),
-            "FromCharacterCode[65536]",
-            None,
-        ),
-        (
-            "FromCharacterCode[-1]",
-            (
-                "Non-negative machine-sized integer expected at position 1 in FromCharacterCode[-1].",
-            ),
-            "FromCharacterCode[-1]",
-            None,
-        ),
-        (
-            "FromCharacterCode[444444444444444444444444444444444444]",
-            (
-                "Non-negative machine-sized integer expected at position 1 in FromCharacterCode[444444444444444444444444444444444444].",
-            ),
-            "FromCharacterCode[444444444444444444444444444444444444]",
-            None,
-        ),
-        (
-            "FromCharacterCode[{100, 101, -1}]",
-            (
-                "A character code, which should be a non-negative integer less than 65536, is expected at position 3 in {100, 101, -1}.",
-            ),
-            "FromCharacterCode[{100, 101, -1}]",
-            None,
-        ),
-        (
-            "FromCharacterCode[{100, 101, 65536}]",
-            (
-                "A character code, which should be a non-negative integer less than 65536, is expected at position 3 in {100, 101, 65536}.",
-            ),
-            "FromCharacterCode[{100, 101, 65536}]",
-            None,
-        ),
-        (
-            "FromCharacterCode[{100, 101, x}]",
-            (
-                "A character code, which should be a non-negative integer less than 65536, is expected at position 3 in {100, 101, x}.",
-            ),
-            "FromCharacterCode[{100, 101, x}]",
-            None,
-        ),
-        (
-            "FromCharacterCode[{100, {101}}]",
-            (
-                "A character code, which should be a non-negative integer less than 65536, is expected at position 2 in {100, {101}}.",
-            ),
-            "FromCharacterCode[{100, {101}}]",
-            None,
-        ),
-        (
-            "FromCharacterCode[{{97, 98, 99}, {100, 101, x}}]",
-            (
-                "A character code, which should be a non-negative integer less than 65536, is expected at position 3 in {100, 101, x}.",
-            ),
-            "FromCharacterCode[{{97, 98, 99}, {100, 101, x}}]",
-            None,
-        ),
-        (
-            "FromCharacterCode[{{97, 98, x}, {100, 101, x}}]",
-            (
-                "A character code, which should be a non-negative integer less than 65536, is expected at position 3 in {97, 98, x}.",
-            ),
-            "FromCharacterCode[{{97, 98, x}, {100, 101, x}}]",
-            None,
-        ),
-        # These tests are commented out due to the bug reported in issue #906
-        # Octal and hexadecimal notation works alone, but fails
-        # as a part of another expression. For example,
-        # F[\.78\.79\.7A]   or "\.78\.79\.7A" produces a syntax error in Mathics.
-        # Here, this is put inside a ToString[...] and hence, it does not work.
-        # (r"\.78\.79\.7A=37; xyz", None, '37', "Octal characters. check me."),
-        # (r"\:0078\:0079\:007A=38;xyz", None, '38', "Hexadecimal characters. Check me."),
-        # (r"\101\102\103\061\062\063=39;ABC123", None, "39", None),
-        (r"xyz=.;ABC123=.;\[Alpha]\[Beta]\[Gamma]", None, "\u03b1\u03b2\u03b3", None),
-        ('LetterQ[""]', None, "True", None),
-        (
-            'LetterQ["\\[Alpha]\\[Beta]\\[Gamma]\\[Delta]\\[Epsilon]\\[Zeta]\\[Eta]\\[Theta]"]',
-            None,
-            "True",
-            None,
-        ),
-    ],
-)
-def test_private_doctests_characters(str_expr, msgs, str_expected, fail_msg):
+def test_patterns(str_expr, msgs, str_expected, fail_msg):
     """ """
     check_evaluation(
         str_expr,
@@ -498,8 +383,6 @@ def test_private_doctests_characters(str_expr, msgs, str_expected, fail_msg):
 
 
 # These tests are separated due to the bug reported in issue #906
-
-
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     ("str_expr", "str_expected", "fail_msg"),
     [
@@ -512,7 +395,7 @@ def test_private_doctests_characters(str_expr, msgs, str_expected, fail_msg):
         ),
     ],
 )
-def test_private_doctests_characters2(str_expr, str_expected, fail_msg):
+def test_characters2(str_expr, str_expected, fail_msg):
     """ """
     check_evaluation(
         str_expr,

From b3b8ecf49d770f8feedff8b839498fdd1a28a713 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: rocky <rb@dustyfeet.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 11:29:17 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 4/7] Add revised StringTake[] tests...

* Add argument error-check test.
* Add test to ensure an escape character is treated like one character.
---
 mathics/builtin/string/operations.py   |  4 +-
 test/builtin/string/test_operations.py | 58 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 test/builtin/test_strings.py           | 21 ----------
 3 files changed, 61 insertions(+), 22 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 test/builtin/string/test_operations.py

diff --git a/mathics/builtin/string/operations.py b/mathics/builtin/string/operations.py
index 3c318af54..9698fe493 100644
--- a/mathics/builtin/string/operations.py
+++ b/mathics/builtin/string/operations.py
@@ -865,6 +865,8 @@ class StringTake(Builtin):
         "take": 'Cannot take positions `1` through `2` in "`3`".',
     }
 
+    eval_error = Builtin.generic_argument_error
+    expected_args = 2
     summary_text = "sub-string from a range of positions"
 
     def eval(self, string: String, seqspec, evaluation: Evaluation):
@@ -896,7 +898,7 @@ def eval(self, string: String, seqspec, evaluation: Evaluation):
 
         return String(result[py_slice])
 
-    def eval_strings(self, strings, spec, evaluation):
+    def eval_strings(self, strings, spec, evaluation: Evaluation):
         "StringTake[strings__, spec_]"
         result_list = []
         for string in strings.elements:
diff --git a/test/builtin/string/test_operations.py b/test/builtin/string/test_operations.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..45dafbc10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/builtin/string/test_operations.py
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+"""
+Test Built-in function in mathics.builtin.string.operations
+"""
+
+from test.helper import check_evaluation
+
+import pytest
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("str_expr", "msgs", "str_expected", "fail_msg"),
+    [
+        ('StringTake["abcd", 0] // InputForm', None, '""', None),
+        ('StringTake["abcd", {3, 2}] // InputForm', None, '""', None),
+        ('StringTake["", {1, 0}] // InputForm', None, '""', None),
+        (
+            'StringTake["abc", {0, 0}]',
+            ('Cannot take positions 0 through 0 in "abc".',),
+            "StringTake[abc, {0, 0}]",
+            None,
+        ),
+        (
+            r'StringTake["\!A",{2}]',
+            None,
+            "A",
+            r"Escaped character \! should be treated like a single character",
+        ),
+        (
+            "StringTake[{2, 4},2]",
+            ("String or list of strings expected at position 1.",),
+            "StringTake[{2, 4}, 2]",
+            None,
+        ),
+        (
+            'StringTake["kkkl",Graphics[{}]]',
+            ("Integer or a list of sequence specifications expected at position 2.",),
+            "StringTake[kkkl, -Graphics-]",
+            None,
+        ),
+        (
+            r"StringTake[]",
+            ["StringTake called with 0 arguments; 2 arguments are expected."],
+            "StringTake[]",
+            "StringTake argument checking",
+        ),
+    ],
+)
+def test_string_take(str_expr, msgs, str_expected, fail_msg):
+    """ """
+    check_evaluation(
+        str_expr,
+        str_expected,
+        to_string_expr=True,
+        to_string_expected=True,
+        hold_expected=True,
+        failure_message=fail_msg,
+        expected_messages=msgs,
+    )
diff --git a/test/builtin/test_strings.py b/test/builtin/test_strings.py
index bb2438cfb..dc489fba1 100644
--- a/test/builtin/test_strings.py
+++ b/test/builtin/test_strings.py
@@ -219,27 +219,6 @@
             "StringSplit[x, x]",
             None,
         ),
-        ('StringTake["abcd", 0] // InputForm', None, '""', None),
-        ('StringTake["abcd", {3, 2}] // InputForm', None, '""', None),
-        ('StringTake["", {1, 0}] // InputForm', None, '""', None),
-        (
-            'StringTake["abc", {0, 0}]',
-            ('Cannot take positions 0 through 0 in "abc".',),
-            "StringTake[abc, {0, 0}]",
-            None,
-        ),
-        (
-            "StringTake[{2, 4},2]",
-            ("String or list of strings expected at position 1.",),
-            "StringTake[{2, 4}, 2]",
-            None,
-        ),
-        (
-            'StringTake["kkkl",Graphics[{}]]',
-            ("Integer or a list of sequence specifications expected at position 2.",),
-            "StringTake[kkkl, -Graphics-]",
-            None,
-        ),
         # These tests are commented out due to the bug reported in issue #906
         # Octal and hexadecimal notation works alone, but fails
         # as a part of another expression. For example,

From bc42ee9ae3f21883c115995824c3aec74acd7435 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: rocky <rb@dustyfeet.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 18:30:09 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 5/7] Try to get CI working...

---
 .github/workflows/macos.yml         | 12 +++++++++---
 .github/workflows/packages.yml      |  8 ++++++--
 .github/workflows/plot-tests.yml    |  6 +++++-
 .github/workflows/pyodide.yml       | 18 ++++++++++++++----
 .github/workflows/ubuntu-bench.yml  | 10 ++++++++--
 .github/workflows/ubuntu-cython.yml |  6 ++++--
 .github/workflows/ubuntu.yml        |  9 ++++-----
 .github/workflows/windows.yml       | 11 ++++++++---
 8 files changed, 58 insertions(+), 22 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/macos.yml b/.github/workflows/macos.yml
index d0b486530..60abb4238 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/macos.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/macos.yml
@@ -26,11 +26,17 @@ jobs:
       run: |
         brew install llvm@14 tesseract remake
         python -m pip install --upgrade pip
-    - name: Install Mathics3 with full Python dependencies
+    - name: Install Mathics3 dependencies
       run: |
         # We can comment out after next Mathics-Scanner release
-        # python -m pip install Mathics-Scanner[full]
-        python -m pip install -e "Mathics-Scanner[full] @ git+https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner"
+        # python -m pip install -e git+https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner#egg=Mathics-Scanner[full]
+        git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner.git
+        cd mathics-scanner/
+        pip install -e .
+        bash -x admin-tools/make-JSON-tables.sh
+        cd ..
+    - name: Install Mathics3
+      run: |
         pip install -e .
         remake -x develop-full
     - name: Test Mathics3
diff --git a/.github/workflows/packages.yml b/.github/workflows/packages.yml
index ff8f437b9..196d73224 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/packages.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/packages.yml
@@ -21,11 +21,15 @@ jobs:
     - name: Install OS dependencies
       run: |
         sudo apt-get update -qq && sudo apt-get install -qq liblapack-dev llvm-dev tesseract-ocr remake
-    - name: Install Mathics3 with full dependencies
+    - name: Install dependent Mathics3 programs
       run: |
         python -m pip install --upgrade pip
         # We can comment out after next Mathics-Scanner release
-        python -m pip install -e "Mathics-Scanner[full] @ git+https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner"
+        git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner.git
+        cd mathics-scanner/
+        pip install -e .
+        bash -x admin-tools/make-JSON-tables.sh
+        cd ..
     - name: Run Mathics3 Combinatorica tests
       run: |
         git submodule init
diff --git a/.github/workflows/plot-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/plot-tests.yml
index 7c93fece9..49d2df9dd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/plot-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/plot-tests.yml
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ jobs:
     - name: Install OS dependencies
       run: |
         sudo apt-get update -qq && sudo apt-get install -qq liblapack-dev llvm-dev tesseract-ocr remake
-    - name: Install Mathics3 with full dependencies
+    - name: Install dependent Mathics3 programs
       run: |
         python -m pip install --upgrade pip
         # We can comment out after next Mathics-Scanner release
@@ -29,11 +29,15 @@ jobs:
         git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner.git
         cd mathics-scanner/
         pip install -e .
+        bash -x ./admin-tools/make-JSON-tables.sh
         cd ..
         # We can comment out after next Mathics-Scanner release
         # python -m pip install Mathics-Scanner[full]
         # python -m pip install -e git+https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner#egg=Mathics-Scanner[full]
+    - name: Install Mathics3 with full dependencies
+      run: |
         pip install -e .
+        bash -x ./admin-tools/make-JSON-tables.sh
         remake -x develop-full
     - name: Test Mathics
       run: |
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pyodide.yml b/.github/workflows/pyodide.yml
index 8802a1e64..ab9fee23c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pyodide.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pyodide.yml
@@ -36,7 +36,9 @@ jobs:
           actions-cache-folder: emsdk-cache
 
       - name: Install pyodide-build
-        run: pip install pyodide-build
+        run: |
+          pip install -U setuptools
+          pip install pyodide-build
 
       - name: Set up Node.js
         uses: actions/setup-node@v4
@@ -54,9 +56,17 @@ jobs:
 
           pip install "setuptools>=70.0.0" PyYAML click packaging pytest
 
+      - name: Install dependent Mathics3 programs
+        run: |
           # We can comment out after next Mathics-Scanner release
-          python -m pip install --no-build-isolation -e git+https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner#egg=Mathics-Scanner
-
+          git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner.git
+          cd mathics-scanner/
+          pip install -e .
+          bash -x admin-tools/make-JSON-tables.sh
+          cd ..
+      - name: Install Mathics3
+        run: |
           pip install --no-build-isolation -e .
-          bash ./admin-tools/make-JSON-tables.sh
+          bash -x admin-tools/make-JSON-tables.sh
+          python -m pip install pytest
           make -j3 check
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ubuntu-bench.yml b/.github/workflows/ubuntu-bench.yml
index 631f674be..576ae2ecc 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ubuntu-bench.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ubuntu-bench.yml
@@ -21,12 +21,18 @@ jobs:
     - name: Install OS dependencies
       run: |
         sudo apt-get update -qq && sudo apt-get install -qq liblapack-dev llvm-dev tesseract-ocr remake
-    - name: Install Mathics3 with full dependencies
+    - name: Install dependent Mathics3 programs
       run: |
         python -m pip install --upgrade pip
         python -m pip install pytest-benchmark
         # We can comment out after next Mathics-Scanner release
-        python -m pip install -e "Mathics-Scanner[full] @ git+https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner"
+        git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner.git
+        cd mathics-scanner/
+        pip install -e .
+        bash -x admin-tools/make-JSON-tables.sh
+        cd ..
+    - name: Install Mathics3 with full dependencies
+      run: |
         # python -m pip install Mathics-Scanner[full]
         pip install -e .
         remake -x develop
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ubuntu-cython.yml b/.github/workflows/ubuntu-cython.yml
index e704774e4..55298eab7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ubuntu-cython.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ubuntu-cython.yml
@@ -20,13 +20,15 @@ jobs:
       uses: actions/setup-python@v5
       with:
         python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
-    - name: Install dependencies
+    - name: Install Mathics3 dependencies
       run: |
         sudo apt-get update -qq && sudo apt-get install -qq liblapack-dev llvm-dev tesseract-ocr
         python -m pip install --upgrade pip
         # We can comment out after next Mathics-Scanner release
-        python -m pip install -e "Mathics-Scanner[full] @ git+https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner"
+        git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner.git
+        cd mathics-scanner/
         pip install -e .
+        bash -x admin-tools/make-JSON-tables.sh
         cd ..
 
     - name: Install Mathics with full dependencies
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ubuntu.yml b/.github/workflows/ubuntu.yml
index f5edc3237..90f57134d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ubuntu.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ubuntu.yml
@@ -21,19 +21,18 @@ jobs:
     - name: Install OS dependencies
       run: |
         sudo apt-get update -qq && sudo apt-get install -qq liblapack-dev llvm-dev tesseract-ocr remake
-    - name: Install Mathics3 with full dependencies
+    - name: Install Mathics3 dependencies
       run: |
         python -m pip install --upgrade pip
         # We can comment out after next Mathics-Scanner release
         # python -m pip install -e git+https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner#egg=Mathics-Scanner[full]
         git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner.git
-        # git clone --single-branch --branch operator-refactor-part1.5 https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner.git
         cd mathics-scanner/
         pip install -e .
+        bash -x admin-tools/make-JSON-tables.sh
         cd ..
-        # We can comment out after next Mathics-Scanner release
-        # python -m pip install Mathics-Scanner[full]
-        # python -m pip install -e git+https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner#egg=Mathics-Scanner[full]
+    - name: Install Mathics3
+      run: |
         pip install -e .
         remake -x develop-full
     - name: Test Mathics
diff --git a/.github/workflows/windows.yml b/.github/workflows/windows.yml
index 425650a5a..3085676d9 100755
--- a/.github/workflows/windows.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/windows.yml
@@ -33,11 +33,17 @@ jobs:
         set LLVM_DIR="C:\Program Files\LLVM"
     - name: Install Mathics3 with Python dependencies
       run: |
+        pip install pyocr # from full
         # We can comment out after next Mathics-Scanner release
         python -m pip install -e "Mathics-Scanner[full] @ git+https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner"
         pip install -e .
-
-        # python -m pip install Mathics-Scanner[full]
+        git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Mathics3/mathics-scanner.git
+        cd mathics-scanner/
+        pip install -e .
+        bash -x admin-tools/make-JSON-tables.sh
+        cd ..
+    - name: Install Mathics with full dependencies
+      run: |
         make develop-full
     - name: Test Mathics3
       # Limit pip install to a basic install *without* full dependencies.
@@ -48,7 +54,6 @@ jobs:
       #     we needs some CI that tests running when packages aren't available
       # So "dev" only below, not "dev,full".
       run: |
-        pip install pyocr # from full
         pip install -e .[dev]
         make pytest gstest
         make doctest DOCTEST_OPTIONS="--exclude WordCloud"

From 28f1ff497267b523141586a28f42e972d92e2852 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: rocky <rb@dustyfeet.com>
Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2026 06:52:05 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 6/7] Reinstate string tests that now seem to work

---
 test/builtin/test_strings.py | 11 +++--------
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

diff --git a/test/builtin/test_strings.py b/test/builtin/test_strings.py
index dc489fba1..f466e6670 100644
--- a/test/builtin/test_strings.py
+++ b/test/builtin/test_strings.py
@@ -219,14 +219,9 @@
             "StringSplit[x, x]",
             None,
         ),
-        # These tests are commented out due to the bug reported in issue #906
-        # Octal and hexadecimal notation works alone, but fails
-        # as a part of another expression. For example,
-        # F[\.78\.79\.7A]   or "\.78\.79\.7A" produces a syntax error in Mathics.
-        # Here, this is put inside a ToString[...] and hence, it does not work.
-        # (r"\.78\.79\.7A=37; xyz", None, '37', "Octal characters. check me."),
-        # (r"\:0078\:0079\:007A=38;xyz", None, '38', "Hexadecimal characters. Check me."),
-        # (r"\101\102\103\061\062\063=39;ABC123", None, "39", None),
+        (r"\.78\.79\.7A=37; xyz", None, "37", "Octal characters. check me."),
+        (r"\:0078\:0079\:007A=38;xyz", None, "38", "Hexadecimal characters. Check me."),
+        (r"\101\102\103\061\062\063=39;ABC123", None, "39", None),
         (r"xyz=.;ABC123=.;\[Alpha]\[Beta]\[Gamma]", None, "\u03b1\u03b2\u03b3", None),
         ('LetterQ[""]', None, "True", None),
         (

From 9f9ca469659d8048b7ca605563ee81108491d4a6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: rocky <rb@dustyfeet.com>
Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2026 07:02:26 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 7/7] Note why we have a RawBackQuote hack in ToString &

remove unneeded duplicate code in eval_StringForm_MakeBoxes
---
 mathics/eval/strings.py           | 4 ----
 mathics/format/form/outputform.py | 9 ++++++++-
 2 files changed, 8 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/mathics/eval/strings.py b/mathics/eval/strings.py
index 46a652ff4..4e83e2848 100644
--- a/mathics/eval/strings.py
+++ b/mathics/eval/strings.py
@@ -169,10 +169,6 @@ def eval_StringForm_MakeBoxes(strform: String, items, form, evaluation: Evaluati
     strform_str = safe_backquotes(replace_box_unicode_with_ascii(strform.value))
 
     parts = strform_str.split("`")
-
-    # Rocky: This looks like a hack to me: is it needed?
-    parts = [part.replace(r"\[RawBackquote]", "`") for part in parts]
-
     result = [String(parts[0])]
     if len(parts) <= 1:
         return result[0]
diff --git a/mathics/format/form/outputform.py b/mathics/format/form/outputform.py
index 3cb548e36..a2e118459 100644
--- a/mathics/format/form/outputform.py
+++ b/mathics/format/form/outputform.py
@@ -865,8 +865,15 @@ def stringform_render_output_form(
     curr_indx = 0
     strform_str = safe_backquotes(replace_box_unicode_with_ascii(strform.value))
     parts = strform_str.split("`")
-    # Rocky: This looks like a hack to me: is it needed?
+
+    # Rocky: This looks like a hack to me. It is used right now
+    # to use allow 'Backquote' to be to escaped with a backslash:
+    # >> StringForm["`` is Global\\`a", a]
+    #  = a is Global`a
+    # There is probably needs to be another change to the scanner, and/or
+    # there is something deeper going on and a change to StringForm.
     parts = [part.replace("\\[RawBackquote]", "`") for part in parts]
+
     result = [parts[0]]
     if len(parts) <= 1:
         return result[0]