En Dash

SweetPea

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Mar 10, 2003, 2:01:07 PM3/10/03

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In Word 2000, I would press CTRL + Shift + (numeric) - and I would get the
"en" dash (wider than a hyphen) right away. Now in XP, that doesn't work. I
have to press space + hyphen + space in order to get this effect. Business
Writing rules indicate that there is not supposed to be a space before or
after a hyphen and dash. So, I then go in and remove the spaces to leave my
"en" dash. This is too much work. I prefere the CTRL + Shift + (numeric) -
method. Is there any way to get this to work in XP?

Thanks,

SweetPea

Herb Tyson [MVP]

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Mar 9, 2003, 2:19:33 PM3/9/03

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Have you tried just plain Ctrl+(numeric) -? By default, that now inserts the
en dash. If you really prefer Ctrl+Shift, then, choose Insert - Symbol -
Special Characters tab; select En Dash and choose Shortcut Key, etc.

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Terry Farrell

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Mar 9, 2003, 4:42:21 PM3/9/03

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That's 'cos it is Ctrl+ALT+- on the Numeric Keypad. Also it is an EM dash,
not an En-dash.

--
Terry Farrell - MSMVP
Visit the MVP Word FAQ site at http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/
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: In Word 2000, I would press CTRL + Shift + (numeric) - and I would get the

:
:

Larry

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Mar 10, 2003, 12:55:01 AM3/10/03

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Just to clarify: Ctrl+-(num) inserts the en dash. Alt+Cntl+-(num)
inserts the em dash. However, given the frequency with which the em
dash is used, I would recommend assigning an easier keystroke to it.

I have a macro that not only inserts the em dash, but deletes any spaces
or other punctuation around it. Considering how often I insert em
dashes, this saves a huge number of steps.

Larry

Greg Maxey

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Mar 10, 2003, 1:05:34 AM3/10/03

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Please define "huge." CTRL+ALT+Keyboard dash seems simple enough to me. It
is three steps if you count. When I want to use one, which for me is
infrequent, I don't insert spaces or puncutation around it to start with.
How many steps does it take to apply your macro?

\\\\///////////
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Greg Maxey
A peer in "peer to peer" support
Ewa Beach, HI

Larry

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Mar 10, 2003, 8:21:37 AM3/10/03

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Well for example, say there are two words with a comma and space between
them and I want an em dash instead. I run my macro, with the key
assignment Alt+\, and it inserts the em dash and deletes the space and
comma. I don't have to backspace or re-locate the cursor after
inserting the em dash in order to delete the other stuff, it's all
automatic. One key combo replaces three or four different steps.
That's what ease of use if all about, turning a three- or four-step
process that you have to think about and relocate your fingers to
execute, into a one-step process that you don't have to think about and
don't have to move your hands at all. But for some reason, most Word
users seem to prefer making lots of extra unnecessary steps for each
command.

Furthermore, I often do my drafts and editing in Courier font, in which
case I use double hyphens (since Courier can't handle em dashes) . If
the font I'm working in is Courier or Courier New, the macro inserts a
non-breaking double hyphen (that is, a nonbreaking hyphen followed by a
regular hyphen); if I'm working in a proportional font, the same macro
inserts an em dash. That was why I initially developed the macro, to
insert a non-breaking double hyphen without having to separately insert
a non-breaking hyphen (Ctrl+Shift+-) and then a regular hyphen.
Afterward I added an If Then statement so that the macro would behave
differently depending on whether the selection font was a fixed or
proportional font.

Larry

Suzanne S. Barnhill

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Mar 10, 2003, 9:36:49 AM3/10/03

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I don't have easy access to my numeric keypad (it's covered by a mouse
platform), so in my case it really would be huge. I have had Ctrl+M assigned
to the em dash since long before Word had a built-in shortcut for it, and I
use it so unconsciously that it would be very difficult to change now even
if I had access to the numeric keypad (not to mention that using the numeric
keypad would require removing my hands from the keyboard and interrupting
the flow of typing.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word

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Greg Maxey

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Mar 10, 2003, 10:31:40 AM3/10/03

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Larry,

Thanks for the explanation. Like I said, I seldom use the em dash as I am
not a professional writer. I see how your process could save you
significant time and effort.

--

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Greg Maxey
A peer in "peer to peer" support
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Fay Yocum

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Mar 11, 2003, 8:25:38 AM3/11/03

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I use Alt+0151 for the em dash (—) and Alt+0150 for the en dash (–). But of
course that doesn't help if you can't get to your num key board.

Fay

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