Ellipsis Mac Microsoft Word
It's OK that 3-dots can convert automatically to an ellipsis in a word processing or page layout app; this functions similarly to an app intelligently converting straight quotation marks to curly. It makes it easier on the user, and serves as a way to draw parity between the way the app works on both the Mac and Windows platform, for those who work on both, or who have switched their choice of OS. The word wielokropek distinguishes the ellipsis of Polish syntax from that of mathematical notation, in which it is known as an elipsa. When an ellipsis replaces a fragment omitted from a quotation, the ellipsis is enclosed in parentheses or square brackets. An unbracketed ellipsis.
| Click here to return to the 'Keyboard shortcuts and the ellipsis character' hint |
Nice addendum at the the end.
Typing three periods does not automatically expand into an ellipse for me.. except when I am using MS Word, where it has long done so.
I find it a little disconcerting that 'three-periods-in-a-row' and an ellipsis character are treated the same way at the OS level.They're not the same thing.
It's OK that 3-dots can convert automatically to an ellipsis in a word processing or page layout app; this functions similarly to an app intelligently converting straight quotation marks to curly. It makes it easier on the user, and serves as a way to draw parity between the way the app works on both the Mac and Windows platform, for those who work on both, or who have switched their choice of OS.
But tweaking at the OS level, where it's expected that the user is really paying attention, and should know what they're doing, I not really comfortable with this sort of dumbing down.
Mac Microsoft Word Trial
It's not OS-level, it's Application-level. The keys seem to be stored in the application's preferences file.
'It's not OS-level, it's Application-level. The keys seem to be stored in the application's preferences file.'That's an arguable contention, but which ever the case, it sets a bad precedent, because they're NOT the same. Mark my words: Somewhere down the line, this kind of 'user convenience' will cause trouble for somebody, somewhere. And then it'll be up to those of us who worry about such things to sort it out for those who think it shouldn't make any difference. And we'll have to do it ovewr and over and over again, because those same people are the ones who don't read FAQs or pay much attention to what they're doing or what goes on beneath the scant surface of what they see happening on-screen.
Keyboard shortcuts are very useful for adding shortcuts to the Services>Speech>Start Speaking text… menu item.
I demo'ed this to someone with visual impairments on 10.4. It failed to work because I forgot that it needed an ellipsis not three periods .. At the time I was unaware that the ellipsis shortcut was [alt +;] Using 'character palette' was the only way to find an ellipsis, not a simple task if you are the one with the visual impairment. (go try it)
The new version simply makes it easier for novice users to enter what they see onscreen.
Reading the manual is always best, but not everything is documented. These small steps are what makes the Mac OS more user friendly to more people, especially those with little understanding of typographic nuances.
I imagine Apple will ultimately get around to allowing users to 'click add keyboard shortcut' then find the item in whatever menu, whilst displaying an 'elastic string' to illustrate the connection. Similar to the way Interface Builder wires outputs & inputs to menu items etc.
Asking user to type what they see can give unexpected results especially if you are a smart arse who always knows best.
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I agree: when I type 3 periods, I want them to stay as I typed them. If I really want a special ellipsis 'character', I'd press Option-; (i.e., the Alt/Opt key and the semicolon). I've used that for posters and other printed materials… there, I've just done that, and here it is again…
I tried typing 3 periods in a row in TextEdit, TextWrangler, and Firefox, as I wrote this comment.. and it all behaved exactly as I expected. In this paragraph, the only ellipsis is typed with periods, not with the keyboard shortcut.. No automatic replacements. That's as it should be.
If I want something replaced *as I type*, I create a shortcut in TextExpander. That puts me in control, which, again, is how it should be.
Note that on the german mac keyboard the ellipsis character ist on alt-. - I have no idea to which other lyouts this might apply.
I have found that the ellipsis generally means there is another dialog box that will be triggered by that menu item. For example 'Private Browsing..' in Safari opens a box asking if you are sure you would like to enable Private Browsing. If you enter a keyboard shortcut for 'Private Browsing' (without the ellipsis) it creates a new menu item that does not trigger the dialog box when it is selected.
Ellipsis In Word
On a Danish keyboard you can type the ellipsis character with alt-x.