[Solved] Using a checkmark ("tick") symbol regularly

[Rychard]

I would like to use a tick symbol regularly in my documents, as I am a teacher. Is there a better way of doing this than each time going to Insert Special Character, scrolling the Font down to Wingdings, then scrolling down the table within Wingdings to locate the tick on the bottom line. In Word, symbols could be selected for a keyboard shortcut. Is this not possible for Special characters in Open Office?

Thanks very much.
Rychard

[floris v]

There's no direct way as in Word.

You can do Tools - Macros - Organize, select the user set of macros (your own) and paste the below code at the bottom.
Then Tools - Customize - Keyboard - select macros in the box in the left hand corner, browse through the folder list to your own macros, highlight the new macro, select a keyboard shortcut from the list above, click Change and it should work (it took me a while to figure that out without the Help).

Code: Select all

sub tick
rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
rem define variables
dim document   as object
dim dispatcher as object
rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
rem get access to the document
document   = ThisComponent.CurrentController.Frame
dispatcher = createUnoService("com.sun.star.frame.DispatchHelper")

rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
dim args1(1) as new com.sun.star.beans.PropertyValue
args1(0).Name = "Symbols"
args1(0).Value = ""
args1(1).Name = "FontName"
args1(1).Value = "Wingdings"

dispatcher.executeDispatch(document, ".uno:InsertSymbol", "", 0, args1())


end sub

If your problem has been solved, please edit the first post in this thread and add [Solved] to the title bar.

[johnoo]

Rychard,
If you do not want to create a Macro, I have used this "get around"
Create a file in "Writer" call it Specials or words to that effect, add to this file all of the Specials you use, then when you want to use them call up this file and Copy/Paste, to the document you are working on.
Hope this helps

[acknak]

It's better to avoid using "Wingdings" if you can possibly help it. Maybe newer versions of the font have changed, but the older versions were non-standard, and if you ever open your document on a system that does not have the Wingdings font, it will have different characters in place of the symbols. Even if you just want to make handouts and don't care about other systems, it's just as easy to do it right and break the old Wingdings habit.

The newer, standard, way of handling this is to use the proper Unicode character. That way, when you put a check mark in your document, it will always be a check mark--just like when you type the letter 'a' it will always show up as an 'a'.

The standard character is: U+2713 CHECK MARK (✓), or U+2714 HEAVY CHECK MARK (✔). You can see them in the special character dialog if you select the "OpenSymbol" font (it comes with OpenOffice) and scroll down about 1/3 of the way.

What I suggest is this: insert the symbol from the special character dialog, then select it and do Format > Default. The symbol should still appear, but now it will not be tied to any particular font--OOo will use whatever font can provide it.

Once that's done, there are a number of ways to avoid having to do all that again. You can use copy/paste, define a replacement (where you type something like /cm and Writer replaces it with ✓), or if you use it a lot, just enter it by the numeric code--I find that just as easy for the symbols I use often. If you really want it on a key, you can make a macro for it.

There is a request to provide a feature for assigning characters to specific keys: Issue 4579: Special Character Shortcuts
You can register there and add your vote (up to two) or comment if you want to support that request.

[johnoo]

I am interested in this thread, and I use a workround as described above.
But how do you enter a tick mark by entering U+2713?
Would you please explain in detail, thanks

[acknak]

For OOo in Linux, I use the Ctrl+Shift+U digits space sequence.

For Windows, you can try Alt+(num pad zero, then digits)--at least that's my understanding; I can't test it myself.

[floris v]

That works, except that you get ™ because Windows doesn't know the difference between hex and decimal code, so it defaults to decimal.

[johnoo]

Yes i have tried it on XP putting in ALT+(number Pad 0, then number) gives the trade Mark sign not a tick, so i stll can't do a tick by direct input!
Any ideas?

[floris v]

Convert hex to decimal. 16^3*2 + 16^2*7 + 16*1 + 3, except that doesn't work

Another way once you have entered it, is to copy it and paste it where needed.

[johnoo]

This is what I do, as stated on earlier post.
I have created a file of symbols that I use, and I Copy and Paste as required.

But are we saying that using OO Write thre is no way of entering directly using ALT+ number?

[floris v]

Only for lower numbers, or you have to get really technical - an option to make the keyboard accept hex numbers. I found a page explaining how to do that - I had to edit the registry for that - and it still doesn't work.

[johnoo]

OK, but it does work for the Euro Symbol, ALT+0128, using the Number Pad, starange it does not work for all.
Never mind just keep on Copy/Paste!

[acknak]

The check marks are (decimal) 10003 & 10004; U+2611 BALLOT BOX WITH CHECK (☑) is (decimal) 9745. Do any of those codes work?

Any decent character map utility (that doesn't include OOo's) should tell you the code point in both hex and decimal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_Map

There are also good web sites for this kind of information:
http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode ... /index.htm

Also: http://www.fileformat.info/tip/microsof ... nicode.htm (and the Wikipedia article linked there) describe several methods.

[floris v]

Those are all in the ANSI range - below 256. The trouble starts with the higher values.

The check marks are (decimal) 10003 & 10004; U+2611 BALLOT BOX WITH CHECK (☑) is (decimal) 9745. Do any of those codes work?

Not for me, but I may have an old version of OpenSymbol, it's still marked as TryeType. I can set the font to it, but when I enter the hex or decimal code, it displays characters from, I think, Arial. End of story.

[johnoo]

Those are all in the ANSI range - below 256. The trouble starts with the higher values.

The check marks are (decimal) 10003 & 10004; U+2611 BALLOT BOX WITH CHECK (☑) is (decimal) 9745. Do any of those codes work?

Not for me, but I may have an old version of OpenSymbol, it's still marked as TryeType. I can set the font to it, but when I enter the hex or decimal code, it displays characters from, I think, Arial. End of story.

I have tried U+2611 and I get the diget 3
I therefore assume that to do tick marks quickly it is best to Copy/Paste

[Jon]

I've used some of the workarounds mentioned in these posts and the cut and paste has been about the most useful. The problem was exacerbated by a change (feature or error) in version 3.2. I used to just hit alt-i-p and it would default to the last symbol I selected, so then I just hit enter and went on with life. Now it takes you to the symbol page for the font you're working in instead, obliging you to, as the original post mentioned, scroll through your fonts to the one that has the symbol you want, find the symbol and select it.

[Rychard]

Many thanks for these helpful replies.

Rychard

[kramrajesh]

The tick symbol is available in open office.org.

Insert>Special Characters>Select Font "Open Symbol". Open Symbol font is coming bundled with OpenOffice.

Scroll down to find the tick symbol.

Use the same if you are doing it in regular basis.

[slabz]

I use the wing dings solution, once I have the first one I copy and paste the rest.

[Bill]

Since Wingdings is a Windows-only font, using Wingdings is not a universal solution. It is a workaround for Windows users who don't share documents with non-Windows users.

[JeJe]

You can use autocorrect for this so that say the letter t typed as a word is replaced by a tick.

[John_Ha]

See [Solved] Card Suit Symbol Shortcuts in OpenOffice For Bridge

Use AutoCorrect to correct, say, zzt or %t, something you never type, to the tick symbol. Paste the tick symbol into the Replace box in AutoCorrect.

[Gibbanator]

There's no direct way as in Word.

You can do Tools - Macros - Organize, select the user set of macros (your own) and paste the below code at the bottom.
Then Tools - Customize - Keyboard - select macros in the box in the left hand corner, browse through the folder list to your own macros, highlight the new macro, select a keyboard shortcut from the list above, click Change and it should work (it took me a while to figure that out without the Help).

Code: Select all

sub tick
rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
rem define variables
dim document   as object
dim dispatcher as object
rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
rem get access to the document
document   = ThisComponent.CurrentController.Frame
dispatcher = createUnoService("com.sun.star.frame.DispatchHelper")

rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
dim args1(1) as new com.sun.star.beans.PropertyValue
args1(0).Name = "Symbols"
args1(0).Value = ""
args1(1).Name = "FontName"
args1(1).Value = "Wingdings"

dispatcher.executeDispatch(document, ".uno:InsertSymbol", "", 0, args1())


end sub

If your problem has been solved, please edit the first post in this thread and add [Solved] to the title bar.

Pure Genius. This works great.. I now use F3 for my tick marks.. why does not Open Office do something like this.. Nicely done

[FJCC]

I can use the AutoCorrect replacement table to add a check mark in Calc if I use the character with the code E4C2 from the OpenSymbol font. As long as there is a space separating my text-to-be-replaced, %t, from any previous text in the cell, it works.

[JeJe]

Pure Genius. This works great.. I now use F3 for my tick marks.. why does not Open Office do something like this.. Nicely done

floris v's code is what you get when you turn on the macro recorder and insert the special character from the dialog and save the recorded events. OO can't have every possible feature anyone might want - but the macro recorder gives users the ability to create a macro to do it without any coding knowledge.

[Lupp]

OOo 3.2 is very old, and I can't test with it.
However, LibO 3.3 (which I used for a test) should be next to identical.

1. Use the AutoText tool. (Only working in Writer)
As already mentioned, appropriate characters are to find in the OpenSymbol font.
Once having inserted them in any temporary Writer document and having selected one, you can call Ctrl+F3 to get the AutoText dialog. There you can define a name and a shortcut, and then use the dropdown for the AutotText button and choose 'New'. This done you can anywhere in a text type the shortcut, and immediately following F3 to insert the defined autotext entry.

2. Use a newer feature of LibreOffice 5.1 or higher. (This works in any component.)
Enter anywhere the HEX representation of an unicode codeplace (like

Code: Select all

2713

for CheckMark or

Code: Select all

2714 

for HeavyCheckMark) and hit Alt+X then. This will convert the code to the character. You can also use Alt+X to get converted a character to unicode. This reverse conversion may only be useful to learn the code without further research. Toggle back then.