Macro of the Month – September 2023 – Dash / EmDashUnspaced
Inserts a dash or replaces a punctuation mark with a dash
This month’s macro (two, actually) will help you with edits involving dashes. Also included are some tips about reducing repetitive strain.
Dash / EmDashUnspaced
Em dashes, en dashes, and hyphens are all the same, right? Authors can be inconsistent in their use of dashes. Dash and EmDashUnspaced will help you apply the dashes correctly.
How they work: The Dash macro will change a hyphen, an em dash, and even a comma or period to a spaced en dash. The EmDashUnspaced macro will change a hyphen, an en dash, and a comma or period to an unspaced em dash.
How to use them: Place the cursor in the word before the dash that needs to be changed and run the macro. It takes care of correcting the wrong punctuation mark and deleting or adding spaces as needed.
Dash will change a hyphen, em dash, comma, and period (not shown) to a spaced en dash. Place the cursor in the word prior (as indicated by the arrows) and run the macro.
EmDashUnspaced will change a hyphen, en dash, comma, and period (not shown) to an unspaced em dash. Place the cursor in the word prior (as indicated by the arrows) and run the macro.
Download the code:
Dash: www.wordmacrotools.com/macros/D/Dash
EmDashUnspaced: www.wordmacrotools.com/macros/E/EmDashUnspaced
Related macros:
You can also format dashes globally using FRedit. Here are the FRedit list entries for some of the possible variations:
Change a spaced en dash to an unspaced em dash: ^32–^32|—
Change an em dash to a spaced en dash: —|^32–^32
Change two hyphens to an en dash: --|–
Change three hyphens to an em dash: ---|—
If you are curious about FRedit, you can learn to use it through the free FRedit from Square One self-tutoring guide.
Tip – Macros for reducing repetitive strain
In his recent video (8 minutes), Paul Beverley demonstrates some macros to help you select and move text around to reduce strain on your hands and wrists.
If you are concerned about RSI, you may also be interested in another of Paul’s videos (9 minutes), included in the March 2023 newsletter. It not only discusses using macros to reduce RSI but also categorizes the levels of strain that occur when we grip, click, and drag the mouse.
Have a question or want to suggest a macro for a future newsletter? Reply to this email and let me know.
Regards,
Jennifer