If the mountain won't come...

[alexpgp]

I absolutely adore my ScanSnap scanner, except for one small peeve: the keyboard shortcut that calls up the unit's organizer software (Ctrl+Shift+Space) is the same key chord that inserts a nonbreaking space in Microsoft Word, the software I use to put bread on the table.

One easy fix to this problem would be to simply not have the organizer software running when I'm not actively scanning something, except doing so does away with much of the convenience of having the scanner available at all times.

I undertook a more active approach, and found some information on the Internet that purported to fix the problem by disabling the ScanSnap software's key chord. This was okay by me, since my princpal way of activating the software consisted of putting something through the scanner. Unfortunately, none of the advice I found online actually, like, worked (which I increasingly suspect may be a problem with Windows 8, but that's a separate rant).

It then occurred to me that Word lets one assign (and remove) keystrokes to various actions. The sequence of steps is:

1. On the keyboard, press Ctrl+i and then s. This brings up the symbol insertion dialog box. (Since I insert a lot of symbols, I learned to do this with the keyboard instead of the mouse. I'm sure it's pretty easy to do with a mouse, I just don't know how. :^)
   
2. Click on the Special Characters tab
   
3. Click on the line for the Nonbreaking Space.
   
4. Click on the Shortcut Key... button.
   
5. With the cursor in the Press new shortcut key field (it's there when the dialog box comes up), press your desired key chord. This will display a text description of the chord in the field and a line starting Currently assigned to will appear under the Current keys list box, to warn you if your chord already does something else.
   
6. If you like your new shortcut key chord, you can keep your new shortcut key chord by clicking on the Assign button. Doing so will override any action performed previously by the key chord. You can also get rid of the old shortcut key by highlighting it in the Current keys list box and clicking on the Remove button.>
   
7. Click on the Close button.

See? Easy peasy!

In any event, I've restored the balance on my machine, allowing the ScanSnap software and the "insert a nonbreaking space" function in my copy of Word to coexist.

Cheers...

Comments

[velvet-granat.livejournal.com]

If you are using MS Word 2010 (with the ribbon), it's Insert tab > Symbol > More symbols. In the right corner of the ribbon, right under Equation.

:)

[alexpgp.livejournal.com]

I think I'll keep using Ctrl-I,S. It's hugely faster.

(I was trying to be funny. I guess I should fire my writer!)

Cheers...

[velvet-granat.livejournal.com]

Mmm, only if you are used to working with keyboard shortcuts. Personally, I much prefer the mouse!

The writer is probably too busy pondering on that detective story ;)