What's this blue underline, and how do I make it stop?

[turner111]

Suddenly I'm getting this annoying blue underline that won't let me type unless I hit the keyboard like 3 times...

Please help me make it stop 🙂

thx

[Mike Witherell]

Is it part of an applied character style?

What do you really mean when you say "hit the keyboard 3 times"?

[turner111]

Hi Mike - I'm being literal.

When that line appears, it gives me alternate styles underneath. If I want to change that number to a 4, for example, I have to hit "4" 3 times.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

It's one of the "show text overrides" or "H&J violations"?

[Mike Witherell]

Robert, Is that something new? I have never seen that before. I thought maybe it was a blue underline.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Robert, Is that something new? I have never seen that before. I thought maybe it was a blue underline.

By @Mike Witherell

I think you're right - those violations should be on the left side of the TextFrame?

[turner111]

Doesn't seem to be a style override:

Also, it doesn't appear if I select a series of characters - only a single one.

I can't screen-capture the little popup style thing, or whatever it is.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

[...] I can't screen-capture the little popup style thing, or whatever it is.

By @turner111

You mean this?

https://www.sketchbookb.com/journal/2016/10/2/whats-the-deal-with-the-blue-underlines-in-indesign-20...

[Joel Cherney · Accepted solution]

That link is mostly still accurate; pretty good for something from 2016. But the feature has a new name, now: 

"Show for Character Alternates, Fraction, Ordinals, and Ligatures."  There's a similar "Show adornment on text selection" that you may also want to turn off. 

[turner111]

Yes! Thank you!

Never seen that before. I assume an update (or perhaps the install on my new computer) changed it to "on."

cheers

[Mike Witherell]

Robert and Turner,

OK, so this is a feature that I have turned off in Preferences since long ago. I never use it, and forgot it exists.

Preferences > Advanced Type > Type Contextual Controls > Show for Character Alternates, Fractions, Ordinals, and Ligatures

[Dirk Becker]

For the history of this feature, watch minutes 3 thru 7 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDb9TdUEEko

[Mike Witherell]

I added this screen symbolism to my list of InDesign 2025 Onscreen Symbols, an exhaustive list of icons, adornments, white space characters, etc.