Is it possible to add an em dash (—) on a TKL?

[Vanquish]

Hi all,

As the title suggests, I frequently used the en dash (–) and em dash (—) on my full sized keyboards. Now that I have a KBDFans KBD8x mkii, I am realizing that you can not use any of those keys cleanly. Most forums suggest third-party software and to apply a hot key. Can't I simply use QMK to add such a shortcut to my keyboard? Wondering if any of you have an elegant solution.

Thanks in advance!

[F eq ma]

Most likely you will need to enable unicode and use the correct code point.

https://beta.docs.qmk.fm/using-qmk/software-features/feature_unicode

There was a similar question at https://www.reddit.com/r/olkb/comments/pushw9/adding_the_emdash/ and at https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/issues/7049

[Findecanor]

I have the Compose key mapped on the "Menu" key, and press — by inputting the sequence Compose - - -

That is what I would recommend. It is very useful for typing all sorts of characters: «» ⇒ ♥ ….
The Compose key has to be enabled in the operating system. Unixes and Linux distros tend to support it by default. Windows might need a utility installed. Dunno about Mac.

https://deskthority.net/wiki/Compose_key
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compose_key

Because I'm European I use the Alt Gr key also for special characters. I think that for keyboards without a Menu key, it would make sense so map both Alt Gr and Compose on that same key: Compose when tapped, Alt Gr when held.

[ander]

As the title suggests, I frequently used the en dash (–) and em dash (—) on my full sized keyboards. Now that I have a KBDFans KBD8x mkii, I am realizing that you can not use any of those keys cleanly. Most forums suggest third-party software and to apply a hot key. Can't I simply use QMK to add such a shortcut to my keyboard?...

You didn't mention which OS you're using. If you're using Windows, though, there's a much simpler solution than changing your firmware, or even typing extended key codes.

It's a free little program called Clavier+. Its simple GUI lets you use the key-combinations of your choice to type special characters, or whatever text you wish. It then sits in the system tray and interprets your wishes, using a negligible amount of CPU time. (On my system, I've never seen it go past "0%".) You can also use it to run apps, open folders or websites, and do other stuff.

Other geekier, script-based programs like AutoHotKey are also available—but for just typing special characters like dashes, "bullets", etc., Clavier+ is light 'n' easy.

(I know this is a rather old topic now, but I thought a reply was worthwhile in case anyone else looks for ideas on this too.)