Stop converting text to fractions

Question

Level 1

16 points

Stop converting text to fractions

Using El Capitan - In Settings>Keyboard>Text I have unchecked "Correct spelling automatically". Still, when I enter a date such as January 3 the system now converts it to a fraction. I would like to get it to stop this. I do not believe this is coming from the settings area since I have tried changing the replace column to -1/3 and have it convert to ---1/3. When I type the numeric January 3 it still converts it to a fraction. Where else can I look?

Thanks for hel[ing

Dan

iPhone 5, iOS 9.3.5, OS X on Mac 10.11.6

Posted on Apr 6, 2017 4:56 PM

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Answer 1

Eric Root

Level 10

685,215 points

Apr 6, 2017 5:27 PM in response to Nikon Dan

Go back to the same System Preferences/Keyboard/Text and look in the left pane to see if you have shortcuts set up like in the screen shot below. If so, select the item and hit the minus sign at the bottom.

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Answer 2

Nikon Dan Author

Level 1

16 points

Apr 6, 2017 5:48 PM in response to Eric Root

Thanks Eric but I tried doing just that by renaming both the replace column and the with column with something easily identifiable. See my explanation in the original post The substitution does not come from the setting area.

Originally in settings

1/3 equals ⅓

Changed to

--1/3 equals ----⅓

Still when entering1/3 I get the fraction ⅓

tough to explain

dan

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Answer 3

Nikon Dan Author

Level 1

16 points

Apr 6, 2017 8:43 PM in response to Barney-15E

Just went into settings and deleted all substitutions from list. Went to type numeric January 3 and still received ⅓. After deleting all of them I restarted machine just to make sure nothing lingered. Still same problem.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Dan

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Answer 4

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,072 points

Apr 7, 2017 3:45 AM in response to Nikon Dan

Do you have an iPhone or iPad using the same iCloud account. The text substitutions are sync'd between the two.

They might be getting them from iCloud.

However, what app are you using where it converts the fractions? It may have its own substitutions.

If standard Apple Apps, did you try just turning off Text Substitution?

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Answer 5

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,072 points

Apr 8, 2017 6:40 AM in response to Nikon Dan

Try removing the offending text substitutions from your iPhone.

I'm not sure how the syncing is controlled anymore. It used to enabled when you turned on "Documents and Data" on iCloud Drive, but that option doesn't exists (and it is not Desktop & Documents)

I don't know about the others, but Office has its own text substitutions and doesn't use the OS's text substitution. It's in the Preferences under Autocorrect.

Mail and Stickies should be using them if you have it enabled in the Edit menu (Substitutions > Text Replacement).

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Answer 6

Nikon Dan Author

Level 1

16 points

Apr 9, 2017 7:52 AM in response to Barney-15E

Thanks again Barney. Turned off as much as I could find in both iPad and iPhone. When pitting January 3 in Notes on each did not automatically get the fraction but the hint to auto change which I could ignore (fine). Went back to the desktop and viola still the same problem. Still at a loss.

BTW - when I went to Stickies and tried to turn off substitutions there it refers back to the keyboard settings panel and it no longer substitutes. Tried same thing in Mac Mail. Looked the same as Stickies menu and changed so that they were the same but it still substitutes. Go figure! My main problem is having this occurring in Acrobat Pro bookmarks. Now that I am totally confused I checked a few other places. My next spot was Word which I knows does it owns thing. I checked there and added an Exception to AutoCorrect saying to omit converting January 3 (using / and numbers) to ⅓. That worked in Word but Acrobat still gave me fraction. I next looked at Excel and there was nothing there that I could see but the fraction problem occurs in Excel yet so it is picking it up from whomever else too. Checked One Note and same as Excel. On the off chance also checked to see if anything existed for this in Photoshop but no substitutions there.

Another interesting behavior using Stickies and Acrobat Pro. Remember Stickies no longer has any substitutions enabled. I am in Stickies and type the date it no longer inserts the fraction. I change to Acrobat Pro (click on open window), click back onto stickies and type the date it now substitutes again, however if I enter the date again it no longer substitutes . Go figure again!

I am officially out of ideas

VERY frustrating spending more time trying to get rid of "timesaver" than will ever save.

Thanks for listening - all ideas welcome.

Dan

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Answer 7

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,072 points

Apr 9, 2017 1:15 PM in response to Nikon Dan

Again, Office doesn't use the built-in Text Replacements.

My problem with Excel is it turns fractions into dates; if I wanted a date I would enter the whole thing, quite annoying.

I looked in Excel 2011, 2016 and didn't find anything that looked familiar as far as text substitution like in Word.

Did you try disabling "replace text as you type?"

Both Word and Excel do not use any of the replacements I have in the built-in text replacement, so those are coming from something else. Do you remember installing anything like that?

I don't have Acrobat, but I have a hard time believing Adobe would implement the built-in substitutions. They are pretty hard over about making everything not look or act like a Mac.

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Answer 8

Nikon Dan Author

Level 1

16 points

Apr 9, 2017 2:28 PM in response to Barney-15E

Yes I did try dialing built in text replacements and it worked in Word. Acrobat is picking up a substitution from emplane but I'll be darned if I can figure out from where.

Thanks for your helping

Dan

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Answer 9

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,072 points

Apr 6, 2017 8:10 PM in response to Nikon Dan

Dont' change it, delete the entry.

Or, turn off Text Substitutions altogether. It has nothing to do with spell checking, though it is in the same menu.

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Answer 10

Nikon Dan Author

Level 1

16 points

Apr 7, 2017 5:18 AM in response to Barney-15E

Yes I do have iCloud account with iPad and iPhone. How do I go about "unsynching" this. Also, this happens everywhere - Acrobat Pro, Word, Excel, BusyCal, Mail, Stickies, Evernote, Chrome, etc.

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