Robert,
LO Writer AutoCorrect has various options with : preceeding and closing the Replace
item but this does not presently include :---:. Instead '---' (without quotes) is a
standard shortcut for autocorrect to print a long dash and even '--' to print a
shorter dash. I used to use them a lot but checking today, they only work for me if
Tools > AutoCorrect > Apply is clicked (even though 'While Typing' was already
checked).
If the unwanted collection of characters is selected and Ctrl+H is used to open
the find and replace dialog, the highlighted choice is automatically placed in
the Find box. If I want to replace it with a small variation (like omitting a
space) I copy paste the Find entry into the Replace box and make the necessary
edit. Then Find and Replace works as it should.
Philip
On 11/07/2026 05:27, Robert Funnell wrote:
Chris -
I'm not familiar with the syntax :---: for a long dash, and as far as I know LO
Writer is not familiar with it. Where is that documented?
Have you tried just highlighting an example of the characters you want to replace
before doing File > Find and Replace?
- Robert
On 2026-07-10 22:18, Chris J. wrote:
On 7/10/26 19:49, Robert Funnell wrote:
Please respond to the list and not directly to me.
On 2026-07-10 19:43, Chris J. wrote:
Hi,
Chris -
When you search for " :-" sans quotes, is that a hyphen in the search or a long
dash?
actual dash since I used :---: for the special character.
If you highlight the text you want to search for and then do Edit > Find and
Replace, the highlighted text should appear in the Find field, and should be found.
The Google suggestion doesn't make sense to me, and regular expressions
shouldn't be involved for this.
- Robert
--
Chris Johnson [email protected]
Ex SysAdmin, now, writer /It is a capital crime to theorise before one has
data./
(Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventures of Sherlock Homes)
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