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| Registered: March 14, 2007 | Reputation:  |  Posts: 4,680 |
| | Posted: | | | | I'm working on a new program that is essentially an expansion of my old OverviewCheck, but with the capability to update the overview from within the program (using mediadogg's HTTPJolie plugin). One of the features I was contemplating was an option to change free standing dashes to en dashes. But then I became uncertain if it shouldn't be em dashes instead. I googled a bit, and this is what I found: Quote:
The shorter en dash (–) is used to mark ranges.
The longer em dash (—) is used to separate extra information or mark a break in a sentence.
Usually when I see contributions changing dashes to something else, it's to en dashes. But if the above is correct, then in most cases it ought to be em dashes, because it's seldom about ranges. So here's what I was thinking: If I find free standing dashes in an overview, I flag them, and you can change them all from the context menu " Change all free standing dashes to xx dashes". But what kind of dashes should it be? | | | My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar |
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| Registered: March 24, 2007 | | Reputation: |  Posts: 1,230 |
| | Posted: | | | | I tend to use en dashes because they aren't too big, larger than an average character, but are slightly bigger than a normal hyphen. I wouldn't have an objection either way. |
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| Registered: October 4, 2008 | Reputation:  | | Posts: 330 |
| | Posted: | | | | Not sure if this is right, but I've always gone off of the size of the dash in the overview, not how it was being used grammatically. | | | | Last edited: by primetime21 |
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| Registered: March 14, 2007 | | Reputation: | | Posts: 4,680 |
| | Posted: | | | | Quoting primetime21: Quote:
Not sure if this is right, but I've always gone off of the size of the dash in the overview, not how it was being used grammatically. Well, that makes sense, but it's not something that can be done automatically. I would like to find which dash most users would prefer for doing with just one menu click. The "other" dash can always be done manually. | | | My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar |
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  | T!M | | Profiling since Dec. 2000 |
| Registered: March 13, 2007 | | Reputation: |  Posts: 8,736 |
| | Posted: | | | | Quoting primetime21: Quote:
Not sure if this is right, but I've always gone off of the size of the dash in the overview, not how it was being used grammatically. Same here: I copy whatever kind of dash/hyphen is used on the actual cover. |
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| Registered: March 24, 2007 | | Reputation: | | Posts: 1,230 |
| | Posted: | | | | Quoting Nosferatu: Quote:
I tend to use en dashes because they aren't too big, larger than an average character, but are slightly bigger than a normal hyphen. I wouldn't have an objection either way. I'm the same. I want the overview in my profile to match the overview on the box, including any errors. My answer above was about my personal preference when writing, not when contributing/voting on changes to overviews. |
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| Registered: March 13, 2007 | | Reputation: |  Posts: 17,334 |
| | Posted: | | | | yes... it needs to match the cover. Rules say it must match the back cover. | | | | Pete |
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| Registered: March 18, 2007 | Reputation:  | | Posts: 1,639 |
| | Posted: | | | | Depends on the type of dash used in the overview on the back cover. |
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| Registered: March 13, 2007 | Reputation:  | | Posts: 3,197 |
| | Posted: | | | | it was probably not a good idea to post this in the contribution forum, next time try the plugins forum.  | | | | First registered: February 15, 2002 |
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| Registered: March 14, 2007 | | Reputation: | | Posts: 4,680 |
| | Posted: | | | | Quoting Nexus the Sixth: Quote:
it was probably not a good idea to post this in the contribution forum, next time try the plugins forum. You may be right. Despite my clarification, nobody has bothered to answer the actual question.  | | | My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar |
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| Registered: March 24, 2007 | | Reputation: | | Posts: 1,230 |
| | Posted: | | | | Quoting GSyren: Quote:
So here's what I was thinking: If I find free standing dashes in an overview, I flag them, and you can change them all from the context menu "Change all free standing dashes to xx dashes". But what kind of dashes should it be? In answer to that question, I *wouldn't* change them all to a uniform size. A freestanding dash should be the same type as in the overview on the packaging. |
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| Registered: March 14, 2007 | | Reputation: | | Posts: 4,680 |
| | Posted: | | | | Quoting Nosferatu: Quote:
Quoting GSyren:
Quote:
So here's what I was thinking: If I find free standing dashes in an overview, I flag them, and you can change them all from the context menu "Change all free standing dashes to xx dashes". But what kind of dashes should it be?
In answer to that question, I *wouldn't* change them all to a uniform size. A freestanding dash should be the same type as in the overview on the packaging. You wouldn't have to keep them uniform. You could edit them (in the program) afterwards. The question is - if there are dashes, which type would most likely be useful to (initially) change them as? My ambition is to make it as easy as possible to check many overviews in one session, and in testing I found that for me it was much easier to change things via a context menu-click that actually move the cursor to the correct position and edit it there. Most overviews seem to use en dashes, and I can't recall seeing overviews with mixed freestanding dashes, although I assume they exist. It's not a matter of trying to force a certain type of dashes. It just a tool in the program that can be used to change dashes more easily, where applicable. | | | My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar |
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| Registered: March 14, 2007 | | Reputation: | | Posts: 4,680 |
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| Registered: March 24, 2007 | | Reputation: | | Posts: 1,230 |
| | Posted: | | | | Quoting GSyren: Quote:
Or, let me make the question simpler:
When you see freestanding dashes in overviews, are the usually en dashes or em dashes, in your opinion? The ones I see most frequently are en dashes. A minority of profiles in my collection have em dashes in the overview. |
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| Registered: March 29, 2007 | | Reputation: | | Posts: 2,749 |
| | Posted: | | | | Without reading the whole thread, we use whichever dash is used in the overview with or without spaces. Sometimes even hyphens are used as dashes. The rules say: "Copy the overview from the back of the DVD case exactly as written...". This is what I do. That's my 2 pennies...for what they are worth. | | | | Marty - Registered July 10, 2004, User since 2002. |
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| Registered: December 13, 2008 | | Reputation: | | Posts: 334 |
| | Posted: | | | | “So here's what I was thinking: If I find free standing dashes in an overview, I flag them, and you can change them all from the context menu "Change all free standing dashes to xx dashes". But what kind of dashes should it be?”
I’d say en-dash is more common and so that would be the default option. Wouldn’t have to change as many then. |
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