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Preventing long web addresses (URLs) and
e-mail addresses from wrapping to the next line as a single block of
text
Download SoftWrap.zip
(v1.0; 08/05/02; 7,121 bytes) to automate this process on selected text
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Web site and e-mail addresses normally don't
have spaces in them, so WordPerfect treats them as a single block of
text. Wrapping such long text strings can result in a large empty space
left behind in the line above, or a wrapped address that is split in
the middle of a component word. To prevent this from happening, use a hyphenation soft return [Hyph SRt] after each slash mark or double slash mark.
Note: In WordPerfect a hyphenation soft return is not a
hyphen, it is a soft return placed where a hyphen would be inserted. If
the line that contains these codes should break apart because of the
length of the web site address (the URL) or the e-mail address, it will
do so without adding a hyphen. As The Chicago Manual of Style's FAQ
website at http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/cmosfaq/
(see under "URLs") explains:
Q. Have you established any rules for
breaking Web addresses at ends of lines? I would be inclined to break
at the slash where possible, with no hyphen (keeping the address
intact), but what about the “dots”? Example:
eic.edu.gov.on.ca/html/dsbmaps.html (I’ve got another one that’s a line
and a quarter long!).
A. Your instincts are the same as ours --
when a URL must be broken over a line in a printed work, breaking after
a slash is preferable (also break after a double slash). On the other
hand, breaking a URL after a dot (leaving what looks like a period at
the end of a line) might cause difficulties for the reader. It would be
better to place the dot at the beginning of the next line. Using a
hyphen to break a long word at the end of a line is not a good idea,
since some URLs contain hyphens as part of the address; moreover, a
hyphen that’s part of a URL should never appear at the end of a line.
Further rules are as follows: break before a tilde (~), a hyphen, an
underline (_), a question mark, or a percent symbol; or before or after
an equals sign or an ampersand.
One easy way to do this -- and type in the
slash at the same time -- is to create a small "slash macro." It will
type a slash (or "stroke") mark followed by a hyphenation soft return.
Then assign the macro to a keystroke combination (see below).
Either record the macro (manually type a
slash, then click Format, Line, Other Codes, Hyphenation soft return),
or write one with these commands in it:
Type("/")
HyphenationSoftReturn ()
Play it when you need a slash in a long web
site address or similar. In the Reveal Codes window, you'll see
something like this after the macro plays: /[Hyph SRt]
From now on, if the block of text is too long
to fit between its starting location and the right margin, it will
automatically break after the slash mark.
For a macro that places a hyphenation soft
return after all slashes (single or double) and ampersands (@), or in
front of a period, tilde (~), hyphen(-), question mark(?), percent
sign(%) or equals sign(=), download SoftWrap.zip.
Notes
1. This process works with dashes, too. For
dashes, you can replace the slash in the above Type() command with a
dash, inserted with Ctrl + W (but be sure to keep the quote marks if
you are editing the macro). You might create two "dash macros" -- one
for "m" dashes (the normal size dash) and one for "en" dashes (shorter,
and useful for dates such as 1900-2000, etc.). These are part of the
Typographical Symbol set (4,34 and 4,33, respectively).
2. To assign the macro to a keystroke
combination (such as Alt + /) for easy access while you type:
- Either select Tools, Settings, Customize,
or right-click anywhere on the top menu and select Settings from the
context menu that pops up.
- Click the "Keyboards" tab in the Customize
Settings window, then select the keyboard definition you are using
(such as the <WPWin9 Keyboard>). Either click Copy to make a copy
of the default keyboard and save it under a different name, or click
Edit to edit the existing keyboard. The Keyboard Shortcuts dialog box
will open.
- Choose a key or key combination combination
from the left-hand list (you can remove any current assignment if you
don't like it, but unless you are working on a copy of the keyboard
definition you may be better off choosing a key or combination that has
no current assignment). Next, click the Macros tab on the right side of
the Keyboard Shortcuts window, then click the Assign Macro to Key
button. A file list window will appear. Browse for the macro you just
created (and saved in your macros folder), select it, and click on the
Select button.
- Click OK until you are back to the main
document screen.
Option: For the shorter "slash macro" above,
you could simply modify the normal slash key's defintion to play the
macro every time the slash is typed. You would always get a hyphenated
soft return after a slash mark. Just check the "Allow assignment of
character keys" in the Keyboard Shortcuts dialog; scroll down to the
"/" key and assign the macro to it. (You can always remove the
assignment later if you don't like the effect the macro produces.)
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Barry MacDonnell's