Re: [libreoffice-users] select en-dash and em-dash characters

Hi Séamas,

Séamas Ó Brógáin schrieb:
> Regina wrote:
>
> > They are usually written via AutoCorrect. The simple hyphen is replaced
> > with the en-dash or em-dash when the following word is finished . . .
>
> That is _not_ a good idea. The hyphen, en rule and em rule (dash) are
> distinct characters with distinct uses in conventional typography and
> typesetting. Their correct use cannot be predicted by context, nor are
> they interchangeable.

It seems you have not tried this feature. Please read the help, index 
AutoCorrect function > Options > Replace Dashes. (I know when to use the 
different kind of dashes in German. http://www.ooowiki.de/TextStriche)

> You need to find out where these characters are in the character set you
> are using. This depends on your operating system, your language, and
> your keyboard layout.

Changing keyboard layout or using the operating system way to input 
these characters is cumbersome on Windows. Even simple copy&paste is 
more efficient. At least on Win98 and WinXP there is no build-in way to 
change keyboard layout, you have to look for external tools to tweak it. 
I have not examined Window 7, whether it gives better support.

You get the same trouble for typographical quote-signs, for mathematical 
signs and Greek characters.

> As Johnny pointed out, they can be entered with the compose key. If you
> use them so often that even this is too cumbersome you can customise
> your keyboard layout, so that (for example) compose-hyphen gets you the
> en rule and shift-compose-hyphen gets you the dash (em rule). If you
> want to do this I will help you (but only if you use GNU/Linux!).

See above. Most users work on Windows.

Kind regards
Regina




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