computers use hidden, "control" characters all the time-- we all know that this word, red, has two sets of contolling information, one to make it red, one to make it bold.
if you cut and paste text here from AWAD, these hidden characters can get lost, but from some sites(and or browsers), cut and paste will import hidden control characters.
the same is true for mail, if you use the "mail all replies to my email", you might see both the words and hidden characters, (or you might see the text as it appears in AWAD) it depends on your mail program.
In text there are also "soft returns" and "hard returns"
to force a new line, like i did after the word hard returns, you hit enter.Enter forces a hard return.
but if you just keep typing, and typing without hitting enter, you are letting the computer add the soft returns for you, and depending on your 1) monitor size, 2) monitor resolution, 3) window size. The number of characters you see on any given line will be dependent on these factors. this paragraph may be 3 line of text on some monitors, and 5 or 6 lines on other monitors.. letting the computer "break" the text, at the end of string is called using a soft return. most browsers will try to break a line at a "a space" character.
problems arise when you have a long line of characters, with no spaces,(ie, a long URL) or when there are hidden characters in the text that you are unaware of. any easy way to find and delete these characters, is to cut or copy the complete text, and paste into Word (Word Perfect, etc) and use the Show/Hide (hidden characters) or Reveal Codes. (both are under the VIEW menu)
Word perfects "reveal codes" shows codes similar to the Mark up text, for bold, font color =red, and other control codes. Word's Show/hide is different, (and in some ways better, some ways worse) but both will display codes that control the text. Once you can see them, they are easy to delete.
sneck
