2 em-dash & 3 em dash

[RMOP]

Is there any way to insert the 2 em-dash and 3 em-dash using the Calibre editor? Using serial em-dashes is the best I've been able to manage, but that risks having a line break when the longer 2 em-dash or 3 em-dash is needed. I tried pasting those characters, but they didn't display as expected.

[Karellen]

Try this.

2em dash. Type 2e3a then press alt-x
3em dash. Type 2e3b then press alt-x

[phossler]

Never mind

[Quoth]

On Linux en-dash is Compose --. and em-dash is Compose ---
Other longer dashes risk not being displayed in an ereader or app.
Gives:
–
—

You can copy/paste those too.

[rjwse@aol.com]

I make all these different kinds of dashes with snippets or .Xcompose. If you are in tag editor you can click 'insert special character' and search for 'dash' to see them all. From there, it is easy to make a calibre snippet. Or, if you prefer, there are .Compose key inputs for some. For the ones missing in .Compose you can make your own in .Xcompose. Best regards, Pop

[theducks]

Am I missing something here? This the EDITOR section.
There is a character tool IN the Editor

The icon is black and white crossed pages (letter A showing on the black)
en and em spaces are some of the first showing

[Karellen]

Originally Posted by theducks

Am I missing something here?

Yep, the OP wants 2em and 3em which is not shown. You have underlined spaces, not dashes.

https://www.compart.com/en/unicode/U+2E3A
https://www.compart.com/en/unicode/U+2E3B

[theducks]

oops

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Karellen

Yep, the OP wants 2em and 3em which is not shown.

And the Elephant in the room is that they may not work. Which is why I suggested stick to regular en and em dashes.

[Karellen]

Originally Posted by Quoth

And the Elephant in the room is that they may not work. Which is why I suggested stick to regular en and em dashes.

I've never used them, but I did wonder if they were included in any of the default font files for ereaders.

And the suggestion by @rjwse@aol.com of using a negative letter spacing, is probably not recommended either. I know it does not work on the Kobo Libra 2 which I tried to use once for a heading, which worked nicely on the Calibre viewer, but not on the Kobo.

[JSWolf]

Why would you want 2 & 3 em-dashes? They will look very much off.

Just use a single em-dash.

[Karellen]

... or create a line in a graphics program or an svg line.

[RMOP]

Originally Posted by Karellen

Try this.

2em dash. Type 2e3a then press alt-x
3em dash. Type 2e3b then press alt-x

Karellen,

Many thanks. I'd found that the 2-em dash, when copied/pasted, generated a control character in the Calibre editor. I didn't look any further, but after your reply, found that the 2e3a Alt-X sequence creates the identical control character in the editor. This time, I bothered to look at the viewer as well, and there was the 2-em dash, plain as day. Oddly, the 3-em dash displays as such in both the editor and viewer (i.e., no control character). I'll report back if there are display problems on my actual eReaders.

[RMOP]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Why would you want 2 & 3 em-dashes? They will look very much off.

Just use a single em-dash.

Why, indeed? Because the author of the books I've converted to ePub format uses them, and it would look very much off if I didn't follow suite. He uses the em dash very frequently, the 2-em dash infrequently, and the 3-em dash only a very few times and in only one book. He uses each type of em dash for different purposes, and while his style is a bit eccentric, so is his content, and I enjoy being as consistent w it as possible.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by RMOP

Why, indeed? Because the author of the books I've converted to ePub format uses them, and it would look very much off if I didn't follow suite. He uses the em dash very frequently, the 2-em dash infrequently, and the 3-em dash only a very few times and in only one book. He uses each type of em dash for different purposes, and while his style is a bit eccentric, so is his content, and I enjoy being as consistent w it as possible.

What are 2 and 3 em dashes used for?