WD97: Dash in Autosignature Is Autoformatted to a Dot (165880)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
This article was previously published under Q165880

SYMPTOMS

If you use the AutoSignature feature in WordMail to create an e-mail AutoSignature that contains a dash (hyphen), the dash will be converted to a bullet when you open the e-mail message in an e-mail editor other than WordMail.

CAUSE

When you create an AutoSignature using a hyphen, Word will autoformat the hyphen to a hyphen bullet. When the "Text" version of the e-mail message is created, the hyphen bullet is converter to the ANSI bullet character of a small dot.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, do not let the automatic formatting feature change the hyphen to a hyphen bullet. When creating an AutoSignature with a hyphen before the signature, follow these steps:

  1. Type the hyphen followed by the (first) line of the AutoSignature.

    Word may format the hyphen to a bullet at this point.
  2. On the Edit menu, click Undo (or press CTRL+Z on the keyboard) to undo the format of the bullet. The bullet should not revert back to a standard hyphen.
  3. Proceed with the rest of the AutoSignature creation process.
The AutoSignature will now have a standard hyphen in it rather than a bullet and non-WordMail editors will read it as a standard ANSI hyphen.

STATUS

This functionality is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

The conversion of hyphens to bullets is part of the automatic formatting feature in Word and WordMail. To disable this feature, follow these steps:

  1. On the Format menu, click AutoFormat.
  2. Click the Options button.
  3. Click the AutoFormat As You Type dialog tab.
  4. Clear the Automatic Bulleted Lists check box.

REFERENCES

For information on the AutoFormat feature, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

159941 WD97: General Information about "Auto" Features in Word 97

139564 WD97: How to Disable Word AutoFormat Features

110448 WD: AutoFormat Does Not Replace Hyphens with En Dashes

For more information about the AutoFormat feature," click the Office Assistant, type "autoformat," click Search, and then click one of the topics.

NOTE: If the Assistant is hidden, click the Office Assistant button on the Standard toolbar. If Word Help is not installed on your computer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

120802 Office: How to Add/Remove a Single Office Program or Component

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/14/2000
Keywords:kbnumbering kbualink97 kbusage KB165880
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