Key command for non-breaking spaces

Report · Apr 05, 2023

I use the key commands for non-breaking spaces (option+command-x) and non-breaking hyphens (option+command-) all the time. Those will work one minute, but randomly stop working. As of late, the non-breaking hyphen works consistantly, but the non-breaking space command doesn't work at all. Please help solve this!

Report · Apr 05, 2023

What I would try to do is restore your InDesign preferences and caches. Here's a link which explains how:

https://www.rockymountaintraining.com/adobe-indesign-rebuilding-preferences-cache/

Report · Apr 26, 2023

I can't get the non-breaking spaces to work any more either. It's been like this for at least a year. It used to work fine, now it just refuses to play ball at all. Suspecting something is wrong with how InDesign prioritises the text flow rule set.

Resetting the preferences will not fix this. Have the problems on several machines, including at work.

Report · Apr 26, 2023

Hi @Sulaco:

We need additional information to help.

Operating system?
Version of InDesign?
Does the menu command work (Type > Insert White Space > Non-breaking space) but the keyboard command does not?
Is the expected shortcut listed next to the menu command?
Are you working with Hidden Characters visible?

~Barb

Report · Apr 26, 2023

Hi! Thank you for following up with a response.

1. Currently on Ventura 13.3.1, but its been happening since before getting Ventura.

2. InDesign v18, but also been happening for a few previous versions as well.

3. The menu command does work, even when the key command does not.

4. I was attempting to use the key command listed next to the menu command (because I love that they are listed so I can learn them, because I hate using the menus).

5. I haven't paid attention to if I've had Hidden Characters visible or not since I toggle back and forth while working between showing hidden characters and hiding them.

One thing I learned from a co-worker, she had a different key command that quit working, or would open something else up instead of do what the key command in InDesign was supposed to do. She found that if she holds the function (fn) key along with the shortcut listed next to the menu command, it will work. I have been doing that with the shortcut I use for non-breaking spaces, and it works. Its not ideal, but it keeps me from having to go to the menu. So, now I hold fn-cmd-opt + x to get the non-breaking space.

Report · Apr 26, 2023

Just realized the comment from Barb wasn't for me. Hopefully my comment of adding the function key to the key command will help @Sulaco .

All the best!

Report · Apr 26, 2023

Hi @Wynn292677130srr:

Your detail was actually really helpful. 😀 I'm also on Ventura 13.1.1 and InDesign 18.2.1 (MacBook Pro with an Fn key) and both the menu and keyboard commands work as expected with the extra step.

I asked about having hidden characters visible, thinking perhaps it is working, but you didn't know. InDesign uses a dot to indicate a space, and a caret to indicate a non-breaking space, but it sounds like you have a handle on the feature.

I'm baffled as to why adding Fn works. Maybe @Steve Werner has some insight on that one?

Two closing thoughts:

I recommend taking a moment to report this to Adobe as a bug on https://indesign.uservoice.com/ and reference this thread.
And I'm curious to hear back from @Sulaco to see if the Fn key solves this issue.

~Barb

Report · Apr 26, 2023

It's a little confusing to me. I'm also using a MacBook Pro 2021 with Ventura 13.3.1.

On my keyboard, the bottom left key shows both "globe" and "fn".

In System Settings, there is a choice for how this key works shows here:

If you click on the Keyboard Shortcuts button...

You see this beside Function Keys:

I really haven't had tiime to test out exactly how the "globe" and "fn" options work with each other.

Report · Apr 27, 2023

Hi @Barb Binder

To give a quick summary:

1. Win10 (various recent versions on all systems affected)
2. Various recent versions of InDesign.
3. Getting to that 🙂
4. Yes
5. Yes

Not sure I am having the same problems as you guys. But this all started a year ago or so, maybe more, can't quite remember. I was teaching InDesign and was about to show my students how the Nonbreaking Space works. I typed in a name, put the Nonbreaking Space between the first and last name, via [CTRL] + [ALT] + [X] and boom, it absolutely refused to work. I decided that this must be a bug, because it had worked just fine before, and moved on with my course.

Since then I have revisited the problem every now and then, with the same results; doesn't work. Worth to note here is that I have been using placeholder text to test this. Yesterday I decided to give it another try and the same problem occurred(using placeholder text), regardless of using the keyboard shortcuts or the Text menu, so went here and found this post.

Did some further testing today and here's the deal, see attached image. When I add the Nonbreaking Space in a placeholder text it just refuses to work. But when I type the text manually and apply the Space, it sometimes works, not always though.

Is there a bug here or have I maybe just completely misunderstood the prioritisation of the hyphenation rule-set? Always assumed that the Nonbreaking Space takes priority over the Hyphenation Settings and the Spelling Dictionary. Because as I said, this worked just fine before. Granted I don't use the Nonbreaking Space a whole lot when I work with layout myself. But have been showing it to my students for a long time and it used to work as expected before.

I am in a bit of hurry right now, so don't have time to test further, but looking forward to your reply. 🙂

EDIT: Noticed that the first word (at eatium) is not hyphenated, must have done a reflex Undo 😄 when setting this up! But to clarify; this word didn't work either.

Report · Apr 27, 2023

Hi, @Wynn292677130srr are you using the default keyboard Shortcuts Set or do you have any specific keyboard set?
If your using a different keyboard set then make a copy and select a different keyboard set.
Sometimes this happened to me.

Report · Apr 27, 2023

Hi @Sulaco:

Thank you for coming back to answer the questions. I'm on a Mac, but I've never had an issue with the shortcut not working and it works just fine in placeholder text – I just tried it. I think this needs to be reported on the uservoice page—one of you can report it, come back and add the link to the report here and the other one can vote for it.

https://indesign.uservoice.com/

~Barb

Report · Apr 27, 2023

Thanks for replying @Barb Binder

Intersting! Wonder if its related to Windows... I can't login to Uservoice with my Adobe ID anymore, suppose I need to register a new user, quite annoying. I will do some further testing and try and get around to posting about this over there. But I feel like it's a bit like shouting into a black void... usually just means that I am wasing my time and nothing ever happens...

@Wynn292677130srr Doesn't seem like we are suffering from the same problem. Hope you can resolve your problem, but I suppose the Menu command always worked for you, right?