[SOLVED] Shortcut Key to insert an em-dash?

How do I assign a shortcut key to insert an em-dash at the insertion
point while editing the contents of a cell? In order to automate
Insert => symbol => Special Characters => em dash (in Excel 2003 on
WinXP) (and earlier versions if possible). The "Special Characters"
menu doesn't show a keystroke shortcut for any of the special
characters listed.

I can't write a keystroke recording macro to do it, or at least, if I
try, I must start before selecting the cell and the insertion point or
the macro recorder is grayed out; and if I run the macro recorder the
code I get is ActiveCell.Text = "[the entire text in the cell]" which
isn't useful.

Autocorrest will do it (upon entering "--"), but then it happens all
the time, and I don't want it to happen all the time, just when I
actually want it. Yes, I can use "undo" but that seems like it should
be an unnecessary step also.

Many thanks,

Fred Holmes

Hi Fred,

You can hold down the Alt key while typing 0151 and get an em dash.

--
Rob Bovey, Excel MVP
Application Professionals
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"Fred Holmes" <fsh@his.com> wrote in message
news:h24491tqdkb03i2nhobjdq2ss32oqja0rk@4ax.com...
> How do I assign a shortcut key to insert an em-dash at the insertion
> point while editing the contents of a cell? In order to automate
> Insert => symbol => Special Characters => em dash (in Excel 2003 on
> WinXP) (and earlier versions if possible). The "Special Characters"
> menu doesn't show a keystroke shortcut for any of the special
> characters listed.
>
> I can't write a keystroke recording macro to do it, or at least, if I
> try, I must start before selecting the cell and the insertion point or
> the macro recorder is grayed out; and if I run the macro recorder the
> code I get is ActiveCell.Text = "[the entire text in the cell]" which
> isn't useful.
>
> Autocorrest will do it (upon entering "--"), but then it happens all
> the time, and I don't want it to happen all the time, just when I
> actually want it. Yes, I can use "undo" but that seems like it should
> be an unnecessary step also.
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Fred Holmes