I have multiple ‘long dashes’ like this in my text: —
On the editor mode - it’s all fine. I see them well.
But when I generate, they become this: –
I tried many things… text replacement (at the compile / Edit format / Transformation) and at the generation level too.
Can’t figure out where these little monsters are generated…
Help
I think it’s the setting “Convert ‘smart’ punctuation to ‘dumb’ punctuation’” in Edit Format > Transformations,
[attachment=0]Screenshot 2021-03-07 at 08.48.06.png[/attachment]
At least, that’s the setting which toggles em-dashes ‘—’ into ‘–’ for me. If that doesn’t work, then perhaps it’s a quirk of the compile format you’re using? (The screenshot is just using Print.)
NB: it doesn’t convert en-dashes: they stay smart. I think this is probably because Apple’s smart conversion for some reason turns two dashes into an em-dash, when logic would have – => en-dash, and — => em-dash.
The particular complie format that does this is Manuscript (Courier). This is a good thing because you can’t see the diffence between an em-dash (“long dash”) and a hyphen in the Courier font. The double hyphen is an old convention from typewriter days, and anyone who asks for your manuscript in Courier will be familiar with it.
The easiest way I know to avoid this is to use the Manuscript (Times) compile format instead. Most modern editors are fine with it. If in doubt, ask your client. (Editor, agent, professor, beta reader, etc… )