Creating custom mathematical symbols

Question

I need to create two custom symbols for an article I am writing. The two symbols should have the same size as usual mathematical symbols, and should look like this:

(sorry for the small size). I would define them pixel by pixel, but I don't know how to do it, nor what the correct conventions are (like height/width depending if it is a normal equation, inline equation or sub/superscript). Could anyone help or explain how to do it?

---

The symbols \upspoon and \upfilledspoon in the MnSymbol package are close to what I want, but I'd prefer if they had little squares instead of little circles. Same thing for \upspoon and \upblackspoon in fdsymbol.

However, both those packages appear to interfere with the packages I already use for mathematical symbols.

Answer 1

Picture mode!

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{pict2e}

\makeatletter
\newcommand{\YES}{\mathord{\mathpalette\nicoud@YESNO\relax}}
\newcommand{\NO}{\mathord{\mathpalette\nicoud@YESNO{\nicoud@path{\fillpath}}}}
\newcommand{\nicoud@YESNO}[2]{%
  \begingroup
  \settoheight{\unitlength}{$#1X$}%
  \begin{picture}(0.7,1)
  \linethickness{\variable@rule{#1}}%
  \roundcap\roundjoin
  \nicoud@path{\strokepath}
  #2
  \Line(0.35,0)(0.35,0.5)
  \end{picture}%
  \endgroup
}
\newcommand{\nicoud@path}[1]{%
  \moveto(0.1,0.5)
  \lineto(0.1,1)\lineto(0.6,1)\lineto(0.6,0.5)
  \closepath
  #1
}
\newcommand{\variable@rule}[1]{%
  \fontdimen8  
  \ifx#1\displaystyle\textfont3\else
    \ifx#1\textstyle\textfont3\else
      \ifx#1\scriptstyle\scriptfont3\else
        \scriptscriptfont3\relax
  \fi\fi\fi
}
\makeatletter

\begin{document}

$\YES\NO_{\YES\NO}$

{\LARGE$\YES\NO_{\YES\NO}$}

\end{document}

Just for fun and learning, here's a version with the drawing commands in expl3.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{l3draw}

\ExplSyntaxOn
\NewDocumentCommand{\YES}{}
 {
  \mathord{\mathpalette{\nicoud_yesno:nn}{stroke}}
 }
\NewDocumentCommand{\NO}{}
 {
  \mathord{\mathpalette{\nicoud_yesno:nn}{fill}}
 }

\dim_new:N \l_nicoud_yesno_ht_dim

\cs_new_protected:Nn \nicoud_yesno:nn
 {% #1 = math style, #2 = stroke or fill the path
  \group_begin:
  \mkern 0.5mu
  \draw_begin:
  \draw_cap_round:
  \draw_join_round:
  \draw_linewidth:n { \nicoud_line_thickness:n { #1 } }
  \hbox_set:Nn \l_tmpa_box { $#1X$ }
  \dim_set:Nn \l_nicoud_yesno_ht_dim
   {% the height of X minus the line thickness
    \box_ht:N \l_tmpa_box - \nicoud_line_thickness:n { #1 }
   }
  % the top part
  \nicoud_path:n { #2 }
  % the bottom part
  \draw_path_moveto:n {0.35\l_nicoud_yesno_ht_dim,0.0\l_nicoud_yesno_ht_dim}
  \draw_path_lineto:n {0.35\l_nicoud_yesno_ht_dim,0.5\l_nicoud_yesno_ht_dim}
  \draw_path_use_clear:n { stroke }
  \draw_end:
  \mkern 0.5mu
  \group_end:
 }
\cs_new_protected:Nn \nicoud_path:n
 {
  \draw_path_moveto:n {0.1\l_nicoud_yesno_ht_dim,0.5\l_nicoud_yesno_ht_dim}
  \draw_path_lineto:n {0.1\l_nicoud_yesno_ht_dim,1.0\l_nicoud_yesno_ht_dim}
  \draw_path_lineto:n {0.6\l_nicoud_yesno_ht_dim,1.0\l_nicoud_yesno_ht_dim}
  \draw_path_lineto:n {0.6\l_nicoud_yesno_ht_dim,0.5\l_nicoud_yesno_ht_dim}
  \draw_path_close:
  \draw_path_use_clear:n { #1 }
 }
\cs_new:Nn \nicoud_line_thickness:n
 {
  \str_case:nn { #1 }
   {
    {\displaystyle}{\the\fontdimen8\textfont3}
    {\textstyle}{\the\fontdimen8\textfont3}
    {\scriptstyle}{\the\fontdimen8\scriptfont3}
    {\scriptscriptstyle}{\the\fontdimen8\scriptscriptfont3}
   }
 }
\ExplSyntaxOff

\begin{document}

$X\YES\NO_{X\YES\NO}$

{\LARGE X$\YES\NO_{X\YES\NO}$}

\end{document}

Answer 2

You can buid the symbols with tikz

\documentclass{article}    
\usepackage{tikz}      

\newcommand{\myclosedsymbol}{%      
\tikz[baseline]{\fill[draw] (0,0) -- ++(0,1ex) ++(-0.25ex,0) rectangle (0.25ex,1.5ex) }%  
}   


\newcommand{\myopensymbol}{%      
\tikz[baseline]{\draw (0,0) -- ++(0,1ex) ++(-0.25ex,0) rectangle (0.25ex,1.5ex) }%  
}

\begin{document}   

{\Huge $F  \myopensymbol $}   

{\normalsize $F \myopensymbol $}   

{\tiny $ F \myopensymbol $}   

{\Huge $F  \myclosedsymbol $}   

{\normalsize $F \myclosedsymbol $}   

{\tiny $ F \myclosedsymbol $}   


\end{document}