Ctrl+Alt+Hyphen

[Daleje]

In a recent thread I saw this combination suggested. I thought it was supposed
to result in the cursor becoming a minus sign. I tried it (in Word 97) and it
became a plus sign. I clicked on an item in Word's MRU list but the only thing
that happened was that the document opened.
I'm really curious as to what this minus (or plus) sign is intended for.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I think you must have pressed Alt+Ctrl+Equals Sign instead of
Alt+Ctrl+Hyphen. This will, I believe, give you the plus sign. I have the
shortcut assigned to something else, so I can't test, but the shortcut key
listing says this is assigned to Customize Add Menu Shortcut. According to
the Description in Customize: "When you run this command, the pointer
changes to a plus sign (+), and Word adds the next command you click to a
menu. Word adds built-in commands to the command's default menu and adds
macros to the bottom of the Tools menu. Doesn't add commands to shortcut
menus."

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word

 

[Daleje]

I checked and, indeed, I had hit the wrong key combination. Doing it correctly,
I got the minus sign and successfully removed some items from the MRU list.
In your original mention of this, you cautioned a correspondent to be very
careful, implying that it could be dangerous. Of what use is this minus sign
when working in a document? And what, exacty, are the dangers?

Subject: Re: Ctrl+Alt+Hyphen

From: "Suzanne S. Barnhill"
(e-mail address removed)
I think you must have pressed Alt+Ctrl+Equals Sign instead of Alt+Ctrl+Hyphen.
This will, I believe, give you the plus sign. I have the shortcut assigned to
something else, so I can't test, but the shortcut key listing says this is
assigned to Customize Add Menu Shortcut. According to the Description in
Customize: "When you run this command, the pointer changes to a plus sign (+),
and Word adds the next command you click to a menu. Word adds built-in commands
to the command's default menu and adds macros to the bottom of the Tools menu.
Doesn't add commands to shortcut menus."
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word<

"Daleje" <[email protected]> wrote

In a recent thread I saw this combination suggested. I thought it was supposed
to result in the cursor becoming a minus sign. I tried it (in Word 97) and it
became a plus sign. I clicked on an item in Word's MRU list but the only thing
that happened was that the document opened.
I'm really curious as to what this minus (or plus) sign is intended for.<

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

The danger is that, once you have invoked this command, it will remove the
next menu item you click on--*any* menu item, not just files on the MRU list
or Work menu. I suspect that this is how a lot of menu items unaccountably
disappear--people press that key combination inadvertently, click on a menu
item, and then can't find it again! If you do ever press Ctrl+Alt+Hyphen
unintentionally, ESC will clear it.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word

 

[Daleje]

Thanks Suzanne. And your last sentence anticipated what would have been my next
question.