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

[Joseph22490790erfp]

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?

[Peter Spier · Accepted solution]

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.

[Joseph22490790erfp]

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]

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.

[Peter Spier]

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

[Joseph22490790erfp]

I was hoping to use No Break instead of a soft return — soft returns copy out to plain text as full returns, and it is plain messy to work with. No break helps resolve some of my poor rags, and it copies out intact (without full paragraph returns)

[Peter Spier]

Forced line breaks are a terrible way to adjust rag except in short blocks in things like posters and ads.

Turning off hyphenation (or changing the hyphenation settings might accomplish what you want, especially coupled with non-breaking spaces, or turning on balance ragged lines.

If you absolutley need to use no break, apply it to individual words, or parts of words, and couple it with non-breaking spaces between the no break words if necessary.

[BobLevine]

Best practice is create a no break character style and apply it. My additional bit of advice is to also assign a color to the character style so you can spot the applied style easily. When you're done with the document, delete the color from the style.

[Peter Spier]

great advice

[BobLevine]

I get lucky now and again. 🙂