#1
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No-width optional break doesn't work from Insert
Hi everybody (I'm new)
I need to use the no-width optional break to enforce line breaks after slashes. However, when I try to insert one from the Insert > Symbol menu, there's no effect: no line break, and nothing shows up despite the display of all non-printing characters being on. However, I can get the desired behaviour if I insert the optional break from the keyboard (Alt+8203) (both the line break and the display of the box-in-box non-printing character). Can anyone enlighten me please? (One additional thing: If I use the Insert menu to put the optional break in the middle of a word, the word gets the red squiggle underline, but nothing else happens.) Thanks! |
#2
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A zero width space Alt+8203 (or from the Symbols menu a 'No-Width Optional Break') simply inserts a no width space. It does not create a line break. If you want to insert a line break surely you need Shift+Enter?
A zero width space will however allow a line to wrap naturally at that point rather than the whole word wrapping to a new line when the line is filled. Both methods of inserting the space appear to work in exactly the same way and if non-printing characters are displayed (¶ button on the Home tab) a symbol that looks like two concentric vertical rectangles is inserted to indicate the character.
__________________
Graham Mayor - MS MVP (Word) (2002-2019) Visit my web site for more programming tips and ready made processes www.gmayor.com |
#3
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To enforce line breaks after slashes, you actually need to use a “ZERO WIDTH NON-JOINER”, which is Unicode Code Point U+200C, or HTML Entity 8204; or ‌
This “ZERO WIDTH NON-JOINER” character will achieve what you are after, i.e. hyphenation of the forward slashes. |
#4
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Quote:
I would need Shift-Enter if I wanted an enforced line break at a particular location. I want an optional line break at a slash, i.e. if the wrapping is near the slash, then apply it, if not -- do not. Sorry, I wasn't making myself clear. Quote:
Exactly. I am well aware of this. This is what I wanted to achieve but wasn't able to from the Special Characters tab. Quote:
My point was that this symbol does NOT show if I use the point-and-click Insert Symbol menu, but it does if I enter the optional break from the keyboard. |
#5
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Quote:
Well, this is something similar but not quite the same. The "No-Width Optional Break" on the Special Characters tab that is available from the Insert > Symbol dialog is Unicode "Zero Width Space", U+200B. This works from the main pane of Insert > Symbol (thank you for making me think of trying this!) and by using Alt+8203. My point is that this does NOT work for me from the Insert > Symbol > Special Characters pane, as described in my OP. What does work is Alt+8203: this produces the double square non-printing symbol and the desired behaviour. Inerestingly, U+200C, as per your suggestion, does NOT work from the main pane of Insert > Character, either. |
#6
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OK, after some more experimentation, the behaviour is as follows:
(1a) Insert > Symbol > Special Characters tab: "No-width optional break" seems to insert Unicode U+200C Zero Width Non-Joiner. This results in e.g. breaking up words invisibly (e.g. the word is now underlined as out of dictionary but there is no other visible indication of the location of the non-joiner, even with non-printing characters turned on) but does NOT seem to result in a line wrap. (1b) The equivalent num pad code is Alt+8204. (2a) Insert > Symbol > Symbols tab: U+200B inserts Unicode Zero Width Space. This is what I want, i.e. a line wrap results if this happens close enough to the end of a line, and a non-printing character (square-in-square) becomes visible. (1b) The equivalent num pad code is Alt+8203. This resolves the problem for me, since I can achieve the desired result, but is not in line with what can be usually found online. Oh well. I'm recording it here for posteriority |
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