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How do I change what the enter key does?

Anonymous
2012-06-08T00:30:04+00:00

Hi.

To get a manual line break, I have to press shift + enter.

I want to change it so that it inserts a manual line break, not a paragraph break, when I press enter.

I want this because

  1. It's cumbersome to keep going shift + enter
  2. I want to know exactly how many paragraphs there are in my document. If every time I have a new line there's a paragraph mark, it is overcounting the number of paragraphs.

If you don't know how to do it that's fine, but please don't tell me I ought to just press shift + enter :)

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Anonymous
2012-06-10T16:19:48+00:00

In my earlier response I was basing my suggestion on my understanding of paragraph use in written dialog.  That being that each person gets his or her own paragraph every time they speak.

I've checked and found a least one source that supports that understanding.

http://edhelper.com/ReadingComprehension_33_85.html

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Anonymous
2012-06-10T16:12:45+00:00

Ok UNCLE.  Who am I to advise you how to use Word.

You will have alter the key bindings so when you press the enter key it will no longer do what it is suposed to do but what you want it to do instead.

Copy the following into the VB project module of the template you use to create your stories.  If you want to have more control then stet out the Auto procedures.

Option Explicit

Sub TurnThisOn()

  CustomizationContext = ActiveDocument.AttachedTemplate

  'Bind the ENTER key to the EnterKeyMacro.

  KeyBindings.Add KeyCode:=BuildKeyCode(wdKeyReturn), _

  KeyCategory:=wdKeyCategoryMacro, Command:="EnterKeyMacro"

End Sub

Sub TurnThisOff()

CustomizationContext = ActiveDocument.AttachedTemplate

  FindKey(KeyCode:=BuildKeyCode(wdKeyReturn)).Disable

  'Disables prompt to save template changes.

  Templates(1).Save

End Sub

Sub EnterKeyMacro()

Selection.TypeText Text:=Chr(11)

End Sub

Sub AutoOpen()

  TurnThisOn

End Sub

Sub AutoNew()

  TurnThisOn

End Sub

Sub AutoClose()

  TurnThisOff

End Sub

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  1. Anonymous
    2012-06-10T20:41:35+00:00

    Rohn007,

    As the OP didn't appear to be interested in any thing but an answer to the explicit question asked, I've tried to provide an answer. There is nothing else I know of that lets you hit the enter key and get a line break.

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-06-10T14:55:18+00:00

    I'm not pressing enter at the end of every line. I am writing a story. It goes like this:

    Blah blah,' said Blah.

    'Blah blah blah... blah.' Blah said.

    'Blah blah,' said Blah.

    'Blah? BLAH! replied blah. Blah was blah, and the blahing of the blahs blahed.

    Blah blah, blah blah-blah. Blah blah. Blahdy blah (blah blah). blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah, blah blah-blah. Blah blah. Blahdy blah (blah blah). blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.

    Blah blah, so blah. Blah, blah blah.

    In the above, there are only 3 paragraphs. But I pressed enter 5 times, so word thinks there are 5 paragraphs. This makes it hard to measure things like sentences per paragraphs. I want to do this because it helps me to assess how difficult the story is to read, and I want to do my own assessment, not rely on Word's 'grade levels'

    Word is designed keep going till the end of the line, of course. But you have to have a line break when someone has finished speaking in a story, otherwise it is confusing to the reader.

    The answer is manual line break, which is not counted as a paragraph. I want to be able to press 1 key and get a manual line break, not have to remember to go shift+enter.

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  3. Charles Kenyon 167.5K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2012-06-08T03:10:27+00:00

    Word is not a typewriter.

    Change your margins or indents so that your lines wrap by themselves where you want.

    See http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/concepts/introduction.html.

    While you probably could reassign the Enter key the side-effects on other actions would be enormous and unpleasant. It is used in Word to do other things than end a paragraph.

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