Dash it all!

[davidmuleguy]

Can someone please tell me how to type a 'dash'?
I mean, without the benefit of a software programme, such as Microsoft Word.

There is no key for it on the keyboard, and I find that rather surprising, perplexing.
The hyphen key also has the 'underscore', but of course that is not the same thing.

I have been getting around this problem (as it were) by typing a hyphen, and leaving a space to either side of it so as to give it the appearance of a dash.

I have asked a few people, tried looking for enlightenment on Yahoo! Questions and places like that and, having no luck, thought I would ask here.

In fact, just this morning I asked the man who runs the local computer shop. He said there is no key for a dash because it is so little used. (I thought: Well, that's because there isn't one on the keyboard!).
I said if you leaf through the pages of a novel, you will soon see that a dash is quite commonly used, probably as much used as colons and semi-colons, and much more commonly used than some of the other keys on the keyboard ... such as the underscore.

This must seem a rather trivial question, I know.
But it's a niggling one, and I would certainly appreciate an answer.

 

[imemkay]

It does seem a little trivial. But I understand how sometimes something can bother you to the point of distraction. I would stick with what you're doing or use two hyphens in a row.

 

[pfflyerhot]

On my Logitech keyboard I hit shift, alt & the hypen key—, and there it is, the dash.

 

[davidmuleguy]

pfflyerhot:

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, it didn't work on my laptop.

I suppose that's how you type a dash on more modern computers than mine (a Dell Latitude, on XP). I really ought to start thinking about an upgrade.

I e-mailed my brother to ask him to try your method on his less-than-3-years-old laptop, but he hasn't got back to me yet.

I appreciate your help, thanks.

 

[Eilan]

pfflyerhot:

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, it didn't work on my laptop.

I suppose that's how you type a dash on more modern computers than mine (a Dell Latitude, on XP). I really ought to start thinking about an upgrade.

I e-mailed my brother to ask him to try your method on his less-than-3-years-old laptop, but he hasn't got back to me yet.

I appreciate your help, thanks.

It didn't work on the desktop I bought last December, either.

 

[Weird Harold]

Can someone please tell me how to type a 'dash'?
I mean, without the benefit of a software programme, such as Microsoft Word.

Hold down the alt key and type 0 1 5 1 on the numeric keypad to get: —

See http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/international/accents/codealt.html for more characters and symbols with alt codes.

To insert an M-Dash in in an HTML document, use &; with mdash in the middle -- like so: — (which may or may not show up in a forum post as '—')

 

[glynndah]

Hold down the alt key and type 0 1 5 1 on the numeric keypad to get: —

See http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/international/accents/codealt.html for more characters and symbols with alt codes.

To insert an M-Dash in in an HTML document, use &; with mdash in the middle -- like so: — (which may or may not show up in a forum post as '—')

— Wow! That works! Cool!

 

[Killjoy24]

Just use the hyphen key, twice if needed, most ppl. would know and understand. Or if you O/S has whats call a "Character Map" it's sure to be listed there. All Windows Op. System have the Character map, usuallay under Accesories. Hope this helps

 

[davidmuleguy]

Weird Harold:

Bingo! Thank you for solving the problem. My brother has since got back to me and tells me that your solution works on his laptop.

Sadly, it doesn't work on my old antique of a laptop. It doesn't have a numerical keypad - just the row of numbers across the top, which apparently don't do the trick ... never mind.

Thank you to everyone else who responded to my question.

 

[CutieMouse]

Weird Harold:

Bingo! Thank you for solving the problem. My brother has since got back to me and tells me that your solution works on his laptop.

Sadly, it doesn't work on my old antique of a laptop. It doesn't have a numerical keypad - just the row of numbers across the top, which apparently don't do the trick ... never mind.

Thank you to everyone else who responded to my question.

Alt + control + the four numbers is ASCII code, and should work for damn near anything. Every single key on a keyboard is actually a "shortcut" for ASCII. If you google ASCII code table, you should find websites with a list of every code imaginable. (Dashes, Greek characters, copyright symbols, etc)

 

[Weird Harold]

Weird Harold:

Bingo! Thank you for solving the problem. My brother has since got back to me and tells me that your solution works on his laptop.

Sadly, it doesn't work on my old antique of a laptop. It doesn't have a numerical keypad - just the row of numbers across the top, which apparently don't do the trick ... never mind.

Thank you to everyone else who responded to my question.

I don't know what the method is, but your laptop does have a way to enter those alt-codes. Many older laptops use OP[L;',./ -- or keys in that vicinity -- along with a "Fn" key to emulate a numeric keypad. Look very closely at your keyboard for numbers in the lower left corner or on the front edge of the keys to show you the layout of your hidden numeric keypad.

Another option is to Google the model number of your computer along with "keypad" -- that should turn up something to instruct you on entering numeric data (and alt-codes)

 

[davidmuleguy]

Weird Harold:

Success at last!

I now see what you mean by the hidden numeric keypad.

Although I didn't know it, what I have been asking about is called the 'en' dash. The 'em' dash is the extra long dash, as it were.

By holding down the 'Fn' key + Alt, and then typing in the letters 'M J I M' (where the relevant 'hidden' numbers are located), I get the – (the 'en' dash).

And so it is actually 0150 for the 'en' dash, and 0151 for the 'em' dash (—).

I found a site called 'makeuseof.com', where there is a lot more information about this subject.

Thanks again!

 

[pfflyerhot]

Forgot to mention I'm Mac osx...