[kevin_thibedeau]

Consider you have to split a string with 20 flags in sequence at a given offset. That's 40 codepoints with no readily discernible boundaries. To parse that you have to scan backwards to find the first non-flag codepoint. Otherwise you could split the middle of a flag pair. You also have to handle rendering invalid combinations as two glyphs and unpaired codes. For normal codepoints with combining characters you can scan forwards until you reach a non-combining character.

[masklinn]

> Consider you have to split a string with 20 flags in sequence at a given offset. That's 40 codepoints with no readily discernible boundaries.

So consider that you have [a really bad idea], it’s not convenient?

You do realise essentially the same issue occurs if you have a stack of diacritics right?

[kevin_thibedeau]

No it doesn't. You aren't forced to scan backwards.