Re: Autoformat - dashes

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From: Suzanne S. Barnhill (sbarnhill_at_mvps.org)
Date: 03/18/04 

Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 16:44:27 -0600

Since I don't use that particular feature (I have keyboard shortcuts for em
and en dashes dating back to before the AutoFormat features existed), I've
had to learn about it by trial and error, and a lot of what I know is
theoretical. One of my clients was having trouble with this. I'd showed him
how--magically--Word would transform his double hyphens into em dashes. He
was suitably impressed. And then it didn't work. I suspect he may have been
going back and doing some retroactively. In any case, I myself hadn't
realized that the transformation didn't occur till you'd finished the
following word, and I was trying to troubleshoot this over the phone, and I
was quite baffled. When I later tried it myself and figured out the trick, I
guess I called and let him in on the "secret"! 

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
"Charles Kenyon" <msnewsgroup@remove.no.spam.addbalance.com> wrote in
message news:Om33EgRDEHA.3152@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> You are welcome. Took me a while to figure out, as well. And I didn't have
> the fine grasp of the situation that Suzanne has acquired.
> --
>
> Charles Kenyon
>
> See the MVP FAQ: <URL: http://www.mvps.org/word/> which is awesome!
>  --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
> This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
> and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
> from my ignorance and your wisdom.
>
> "AA" <adr@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:VA.0000002b.02ba2bc0@earthlink.net...
> > > You have to type a word and then space after the word.
> > >
> > > my -- report (space) and the two hyphens change to a dash.
> > >
> > > This is true of both Autoformat as you type and Autoformat, although
on
> my
> > > system Autoformat results in a much longer dash.
> > >
> > > "AA" <adr@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> > > news:VA.0000002a.00ff83dd@earthlink.net...
> > > > I have both settings checked to turn two hyphens into en or em
dashes,
> > > > under "autoformat" and "autoformat as you type", but my hyphens
don't
> > > > change.  Am I missing a setting?
> >
> > Arggh!  So all I needed to do was to keep typing, the hyphens don't
change
> > until after you type the space after the following word.  It had worked
a
> > few times in the past - I'd look up from the keyboard and the en dash
> would
> > be there.  But I never saw it change - I figured the computer knew when
I
> > was looking and just to spite me it refused to change while I was
> watching.
> > I tried to outsmart it by tilting my head back and barely opening one
> eye -
> > it works on my cat and my 18 month-old nephews, but the computer was too
> > clever.  I thought about typing behind my back and propping a mirror up
on
> > the bookshelf, but it seemed easier to ask here first.
> >
> > Very neat-life's little pleasures.  Thanks - Charles and Suzanne.
> >
> > -Andy-
> >
> >
>
>

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