Okay, I checked in the computer questions sticky at the top of the forum and couldn’t find this issue, so apologies if this has come up before.
Has anyone noticed that while typing in a Word document, if you start a typing a line and then hit a carriage return, the line will automatically extend itself across the entire page? And then if you go on to type some more characters, that line is set. for. life. Nothing I do will get rid of the underline. Although if you notice it right away and instantly type a backspace before typing any other characters, that will get rid of it. My question is, once it’s set for life, is there any way to get get it out of there? This has stumped our best legal secretaries and word processors.
Here’s hoping a Word ace out there knows the answer. It’s driving me friggin’ crazy!
Click on the line above or below the line (you may have to experiment). Next, click on “Format,” the “Borders and Shading.” You’ll see a representation of the border in the right of the window. Click on it until it goes away, then click “OK.”
That doesn’t sound like standard Word behavior. You have a setting somewhere that got changed, or needs to be changed.
And I’m having trouble picturing what you’re describing by a “line.” Do you mean the actual words themselves, or a graphic object of a line?
If it’s text, you could just have “justify” on as a default, but then this wouldnt’ justify a line that ends in a carriage return.
In general, if Word does something odd after you type a word or end a line, look in the Undo list for an “Autoformat” entry, and if it’s there, undo it, and see if that fixes the problem. If so, then you need to go under Options: Autoformat As You Type and change the checkboxes there to suit your preferences.
Is the line red? Make sure your document isn’t set to “highlight changes.”
If it’s black, realitychuck may be onto something.
You can mail me the document you’re having trouble with, and I can look at it.
You’ve got autoformat set to turn multiple underscores into an underline. If you go back to the beginning of the next line and hit backspace it will delete that underlined line.
I should also mention that many secretaries I worked with used multiple underscores (or underlined spaces) to create short lines separating paragraphs. Not the easiest way to do it. Same secretaries that double-spaced with two returns instead of formatting. They didn’t take the time to learn Word.
I preferred using an underlined tab. That way, I could make it as long as I wanted to simply by dragging the tab indicator on the ruler or deleted in one fell swoop. It seemed quicker too. And word won’t do funky unexpected things to it.
BTW, little peeve: Carriage returns went away with typewriters and their carriages. It’s now correctly referred to as the ‘enter’ key. Have a nice day!
Actually, no, it’s a Return key. The Enter key, which is a different critter with some different behaviors, is the one over yonder on your numerical keypad.
I can’t help it if <ahem> certain heathen hardware platforms tend to have the word “Enter” on their return keys. It’s still wrong. Enter is the other one. The one to the immediate right of the quotation-mark key and above the right shift key is a Return key.
I’ve experienced this problem too, and often, this does not work. Selecting the line and cutting or deleting doesn’t work either. The only thing I’ve figured out that works is to copy everything else into a new document and start over.
[counterpeevepeeve]
Actually, it’s specific name is in fact Carriage Return*. It’s ASCII 13, or ctrl-M, and it specifies that key right above the right Shift key, which can have various labels on various keyboards, even on the same platform.
[/counterpeevepeeve]
And… it’s clear that pugluvr needs to clarify what is meant by “typing a line.” I inferred a “line of text,” but Cinnamon Girl’s reply reminded me that she could have been making a graphic line by typing a series of underlines.
And from experience, people who are in the habit of making graphic lines like that are resistant to the suggestion that they use borders or underlined tabs instead.
bughunter, I’m talking about a simple graphic line made by holding down the shift key and holding down the hyphen/underline key just to the right of the zero on the numerical row of keys at the top. Both at work and here on my home computer, even if you only do ten or so in sequence, then hit the enter key, the line will automatically spring all the way across the page.
And RealityChuck, I tried your trick here at home and it worked! This solution wouldn’t have occurred to me because I was not creating a table or other complex graphic.
I knew one of you guys would know the answer. You always do! Hey, now I get to go back to work tomorrow and take full credit for figuring this out on my own.
Actually it’s Carriage Return and Line Feed on Windows, Carriage Return only on a Mac, and Line Feed only, IIRC, on Unix machines. That is, that’s what pressing the key actually does. (I forget the literal ASCII for Line Feed, but yeah, it sends the ASCII codes for carriage return and/or line feed depending on platform). What it is, the key itself, is a Return key. Which (admittedly, historically) is short for “carriage return”. I’ll accept Carriage Return as key name although one never sees it labeled as such. What it isn’t is an Enter key, because there’s another key with that name which sends a different, specific ASCII code (again I do not remember the ASCII code) when you press it. Some programs are set up by their programmers to do the exact same thing when Enter or Return are pressed; others are not. In FileMaker, when typing in a field, Enter commits the record and exits you from the field; Return puts a hard return in the field you’re typing in and you remain in the field. Calling them both Enter keys is an annoying practice and it’s just plain wrong and needs to be stopped.
That’s just so stupid and archaic! ARGH! I don’t know anyone under 30 who calls it a carriage return. Because there is no carriage to return on a computer! What am I returning? I say I’m entering a data command. You might say I’m returning to the beginning of the line of type. But what if I’m not using a word processor? What if I’m sending an online form by tabbing to the Submit Reply “button”? Why can’t terminology keep up with technology, fer cryin’ out loud! Oh, and while your at it, stop dialing your phone, too.
Hey, I said it was a little peeve. Since my little peeve has turned into a countercounterpeeve, I can see it sadly is just a small part of a much bigger peeve. sigh Oh, to be peeveless.
BTW, zippyh, you nailed it. I missed Borders in AutoFormat.
Too true. I have not created an unintentional “underline across page” in years, but the attorneys I work for will not remember to stop doing this. They do it, they don’t immediately correct it, they go on typing, and then it’s up to me to “make the underline go away.”
