Does Excel provide an "optional hyphen" feature, like Word? I'm using word
wrap and resizing column widths, and I'd like to avoid having to insert and
delete hyphens by hand as the column widths change.

(The optional hyphen in Word is a special character which is inserted
manually into a word, in order to show Word where to split a word if it needs
to. The optional hyphen is invisible when the word appears on one line.
However, when Word needs to split a word at the end of the line, it becomes
visible like a normal hyphen character.)

Thanks!

I don't think you can trust excel to break on a space or a hyphen. If the word
is long enough, you'll see that excel will split in the middle of the word.



Eric wrote:

Does Excel provide an "optional hyphen" feature, like Word? I'm using word
wrap and resizing column widths, and I'd like to avoid having to insert and
delete hyphens by hand as the column widths change.

(The optional hyphen in Word is a special character which is inserted
manually into a word, in order to show Word where to split a word if it needs
to. The optional hyphen is invisible when the word appears on one line.
However, when Word needs to split a word at the end of the line, it becomes
visible like a normal hyphen character.)

Thanks!

--

Dave Peterson

Eric

As an alternative.

You can use ALT + ENTER to force a line break at a point you want.

This will not be automatic, however.


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP



On Wed, 18 Oct 2006 16:12:01 -0700, Eric wrote:

Does Excel provide an "optional hyphen" feature, like Word? I'm using word
wrap and resizing column widths, and I'd like to avoid having to insert and
delete hyphens by hand as the column widths change.

(The optional hyphen in Word is a special character which is inserted
manually into a word, in order to show Word where to split a word if it needs
to. The optional hyphen is invisible when the word appears on one line.
However, when Word needs to split a word at the end of the line, it becomes
visible like a normal hyphen character.)

Thanks!

"Dave Peterson" wrote in message
...
I don't think you can trust excel to break on a space or a
hyphen. If the word
is long enough, you'll see that excel will split in the middle
of the word.

I don't think that even Word does a very good job on word
division. The rules, not that I can claim to remember them all,
given in the Chicago Press "Manual of Style, 1982" (sections,
6.34 on) are quite complicated. However, here iare some of the
"American System" rules for what they are worth. There are quite
a few more if you are interested.

Words should be divided according to pronunciation.
Division should be made after a vowel.
Two consonants after a vowel are usually split.
If a word looks misleading after division, don't.



--
James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

But MSWord does have a way to stop breaking on any particular hyphen (well, if
you go to the trouble to use that non-breaking hyphen).

Excel doesn't have that (as far as I've seen).

James Silverton wrote:

"Dave Peterson" wrote in message
...
I don't think you can trust excel to break on a space or a
hyphen. If the word
is long enough, you'll see that excel will split in the middle
of the word.

I don't think that even Word does a very good job on word
division. The rules, not that I can claim to remember them all,
given in the Chicago Press "Manual of Style, 1982" (sections,
6.34 on) are quite complicated. However, here iare some of the
"American System" rules for what they are worth. There are quite
a few more if you are interested.

Words should be divided according to pronunciation.
Division should be made after a vowel.
Two consonants after a vowel are usually split.
If a word looks misleading after division, don't.

--
James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

--

Dave Peterson