Insert a symbol or special character into a topic

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Inserting a symbol or special character into your text that is not available on the standard keyboard is a very straightforward process.

Note: Symbols and special characters are contained in the different fonts installed on your computer (for example, Wingdings and Symbols include arrow symbols). However, when you're looking for a symbol to insert, Author doesn't allow you to select from any font group. You can only select from the fonts specified in the paragraph style or available character styles where your cursor is positioned. This is because Author enforces text formatting standards by requiring you to apply paragraph and character styles, rather than specify text formatting directly.

To insert a symbol or special character:

  1. Open your topic.
  2. Position the cursor where you want to insert the symbol or special character.
  3. If it is necessary, change the style applied to that paragraph or the character style applied to that part of the paragraph to one that has the font that contains the symbol or special character you want.
  4. Click Edit > Insert > Insert Symbol. The Symbol window opens, displaying characters available in the current paragraph font.

    Symbol

  5. If required, select a different character style. The list of symbols is updated when you choose a character style with a different font.

    Note: Not all character styles will specify a font that is different from the one specified in the underlying paragraph style - they may just change other text attributes, like making text bold or using italics.

  6. Click the required symbol character, and then click OK. The window closes and the selected character is inserted in the topic text. If you specified a character style, that is also applied to the inserted character.