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Joseph22490790erfp
Participating Frequently
August 16, 2023
Answered

Two ways to do "No Break" - which is the right one?

  • August 16, 2023
  • 1 reply
  • 15221 views

Per this link, there are two ways to prevent words from breaking

https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/text-composition.html

 

Prevent text from breaking
Select the text you want to keep on the same line.
Choose No Break from the Character panel menu or the Control panel menu.

AND/OR


Create a nonbreaking space
Using the Type tool , click where you want to insert the space.
Choose Type > Insert White Space> Nonbreaking Space (or any other white space character).

 

I am struggling to understand the difference between the two, and why there would be two different ways to do the same thing. Inserting a nonbreaking space (CMD+OPT+X) yields an invisible character, but selecting "No Break" from the Character Panel does not.

Does someone understand this? Can you explain it to me?
What's best practice? Does each method represent a different use case? If so, how can I use them more effectively?

Correct answer Peter Spier

The first prevents the selected text from breaking across lines (so, for example no hyphenation allowed in that text). The second prevents breaking the line between the two words separated by the non-breaking space, but sill allows either word to hyphenate if allowed otherwise in the paragraph styling applied.

Using the non-breaking sapce, for example, would keep both parts of a proper name together on the same line, but allow either to break if needed, while selecting the entire name and applying no break makes the entire name sty together no matter what.

If the non-breaking space will do waht you want it's much less likely to cause unexpected line breaks later when editing text as a non breaking space in the middle of a line does nothing special.

1 reply

Peter Spier
Community Expert
Peter SpierCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
August 16, 2023

The first prevents the selected text from breaking across lines (so, for example no hyphenation allowed in that text). The second prevents breaking the line between the two words separated by the non-breaking space, but sill allows either word to hyphenate if allowed otherwise in the paragraph styling applied.

Using the non-breaking sapce, for example, would keep both parts of a proper name together on the same line, but allow either to break if needed, while selecting the entire name and applying no break makes the entire name sty together no matter what.

If the non-breaking space will do waht you want it's much less likely to cause unexpected line breaks later when editing text as a non breaking space in the middle of a line does nothing special.

    J
    Joseph22490790erfpAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    August 16, 2023

    Thank you. That was the explanation I was looking for. Using the Character Palette "No Break" yields no invisible characters, and so it has been difficult for my team to troubleshoot certain documents. For example, they will copy/paste text into an area that used "No Break" and then suddenly everything 'disappears' (they have to select all and "unbreak" something they can't see for the text to reappear). Strange.

    Peter Spier
    Community Expert
    Peter SpierCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    August 16, 2023

    The easiest way to deal with that problem (overset text that you can't see) is to open in Story Editor and look at the beginning of the overset text.


    And that's a perfect example of why No Break should only be applied when absolutely necessary.

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