h a l f b a k e r yIf ever there was a time we needed a bowlologist, it's now.
add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, random
news, help, about, links, report a problem
browse anonymously,
or get an account
and write.
register,
|
|
|
Key
A computer key for the em dash. | |
It seems like I use the em dash () a lot more than I use some
characters that traditionally have spots on the keyboard (^,`, |). It's
annoying when I'm not writing on Word and I want to use an em dash. I
have to copy and paste it from another location. There's probably some
kind of keyboard
shortcut assigned to the , but that's too
cumbersome. I want a key that does this when I press it six
times.
The Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator
http://msdn.microso...lobal/bb964665.aspx (This doesn't seem to work with Windows 7) [ldischler, May 22 2010]
Please log in.
If you're not logged in,
you can see what this page
looks like, but you will
not be able to add anything.
Annotation:
|
|
So either buy a Mac keyboard for your pc, which, as Ian points out, has a shortcut for the em dash, or redefine your keyboard using the free Layout Creator (see link). |
|
|
I have seen eighteenth century printed books which use the underscore for this purpose _ an interesting alternative to the em dash. |
|
|
and of course, I hardly need to mention how useful em
and en are in Scrabble
|
|
|
I thought this was going to be a key for giving someone a
bun. |
|
|
Try "Ctrl" and the Num-pad "-". Works in Word on my PC, but I guess you already knew that, 'cos it doesn't work in notepad. |
|
|
Download AutoHotKey and write your own script to
convert "------" to "" |
|
|
Here's your AutoHotKey script (without requiring an
end-key to trigger it since you normally have no
space, period, or enter after an m-dash). |
|
|
Hotkeys are good, but the problem still rears its ugly head
when you try to type on a smartphone. |
|
|
I defined -= as an en dash and =-= as an em dash, in Microsoft Word's autocorrect as you type. I find this convenient. |
|
| |