automatic lengthening of dash

[Jill_Murdoch]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: intel

I have been using Word Vista on my MacBook happily for 3 or 4 months and in normal type, when a '-' is inserted, the system has always automatically lengthened the minus sign to a longer dash (an en dash?) as soon as the space after the following word is entered. It has suddenly stopped doing that and I am left with minimalist minus signs even in updates of documents where such signs have automatically been lengthened in the past. I can find nothing in autocorrect etc where this function is mentioned. What has happened, please? Thanks for any help.

 

[Michel Bintener]

Are you using Word in the Mac environment, or are you using Word in a
Windows environment on your Mac, for example through Parallels, CrossOver or
in Boot Camp? If it is the latter, then you'd better post your question in a
newsgroup dedicated to Windows Word. In cases where Word is not substituting
text, you might want to have a look at AutoCorrect, as that's the mechanism
responsible for the replacement of one text string with another.

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: intel

I have been using Word Vista on my MacBook happily for 3 or 4 months and in
normal type, when a '-' is inserted, the system has always automatically
lengthened the minus sign to a longer dash (an en dash?) as soon as the space
after the following word is entered. It has suddenly stopped doing that and I
am left with minimalist minus signs even in updates of documents where such
signs have automatically been lengthened in the past. I can find nothing in
autocorrect etc where this function is mentioned. What has happened, please?
Thanks for any help.

--
Michel Bintener
Microsoft MVP
Office:mac (Entourage & Word)

*** Please always reply to the newsgroup. ***

 

[Barry Wainwright]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: intel

I have been using Word Vista on my MacBook happily for 3 or 4 months and in
normal type, when a '-' is inserted, the system has always automatically
lengthened the minus sign to a longer dash (an en dash?) as soon as the space
after the following word is entered. It has suddenly stopped doing that and I
am left with minimalist minus signs even in updates of documents where such
signs have automatically been lengthened in the past. I can find nothing in
autocorrect etc where this function is mentioned. What has happened, please?
Thanks for any help.

it's in the autoformat section of autocorrect - "Replace symbol
characters with symbols"

 

[Jill_Murdoch]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: intel

I have been using Word Vista on my MacBook happily for 3 or 4 months and in
normal type, when a '-' is inserted, the system has always automatically
lengthened the minus sign to a longer dash (an en dash?) as soon as the space
after the following word is entered. It has suddenly stopped doing that and I
am left with minimalist minus signs even in updates of documents where such
signs have automatically been lengthened in the past. I can find nothing in
autocorrect etc where this function is mentioned. What has happened, please?
Thanks for any help.

it's in the autoformat section of autocorrect - "Replace symbol
characters with symbols"
[/QUOTE]

That's it! Thankyou very much indeed. Now the mystery is: how on earth did that get turned off? But at least I know where to find it now if it happens / I do it again. Thanks for your help.

Jill