Typing em dash in KDE

Missing em dash ("–", dash with length equal to font's upper-case "M") on your keyboard? Look no further! – It simply is not there! But with minor modifications it can be.

Here is how to setup a keyboard shortcut for typing em dash:

Open System Settings > Regional and Language > Keyboard Layout > Xkb options.
Scroll down to, and check Menu is Compose under Compose Key Position.

Holding down the menu key and pressing the regular en dash ("-") three times should produce an em dash ("–") in most Qt applications. The exception is Opera that has it's own handling of compose keys.

What is an em dash?

The em dash ("—"), also known as the em rule, indicates a sudden break in thought—a parenthetical statement like this one—or an open range (such as "John Doe, 1987—"). The em dash is used in much the way a colon or set of parentheses is used: it can show an abrupt change in thought or be used where a period is too strong and a comma too weak. Em dashes are sometimes used in lists or definitions, but that is a style guide issue; a colon should be used instead.

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