Can't type straight single quotes

[mikethebook]

I'm running El Capitan but I think the problem existed when I ran Mavericks too. I can't get the single quote key to type a straight quotation mark. Whether I tick or leave unticked the "smart quotes and dashes" box in Text Preferences the single quote mark comes out curly. Can anyone help me to fix this?

 

[JohnDS]

Does this happen in all apps or only some?

 

[KALLT]

The general setting in System Preferences does not disable it for all programs, only when that program has not changed the default. Go to the program in question → ‘Edit’ → Substitutions → ‘Smart Quotes’.

 

[mikethebook]

I've not tried it in all apps but the problem exists in all those I've tested and I don't ever recall changing defaults with regard to quotes in any app. The app I want it to work in is a simple abcnotation app called EasyABC. I don't understand your suggestion Kallt because under the Edit menu in EasyABC there is no Substitutions.

 

[KALLT]

Try right-clicking on a text field.

 

[mikethebook]

Sorry don't follow.

 

[KALLT]

Wherever you type text, you can right-click. There is also a menu called ‘Substitutions’. Perhaps the app you are using changed the Edit menu.

 

[mikethebook]

Thanks. I understand now. But right-clicking on text doesn't always bring up such a comprehensive menu. I tried with LibreOffice, the word processor I use, without success and as for EasyABC, it came up with a very simple menu with nothing like Substitutions etc.

 

[JohnDS]

The problem likely is that some of your apps have their own autocorrect which overrides the system wide preferences. For instance in LibreOffice, check: Format > Autocorrect > Autocorrect Options...

 

[mikethebook]

That's quite possible but not EasyABC which has very limited options.

 

[KALLT]

I’ve had a look at this program and I am unable to reproduce the problem. Seems to be working fine on my system. Can you type the following command into a Terminal window and paste the result here?

defaults find quotesubstitution

 

[mikethebook]

I can try to do that but first, to understand fully my problem, run the following in EasyABC and tell me whether the symbol over the second note is a wedge/straight quote or a curly quote. The straight quote comes out fine, as a straight quote, in the example I've sent (just after the ^) but it doesn't appear as such over the note in the music.

X: 1
T: Test
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Dmaj
%%annotationfont Larsen 21
G2"^'"Bd BAGB |

Here's what I got from Terminal:
Found 1 keys in domain 'com.piriform.ccleaner': {
NSAutomaticQuoteSubstitutionEnabled = 0;
}
Found 1 keys in domain 'com.apple.messageshelper.MessageController': {
SOInputLineSettings = {
automaticDashSubstitutionEnabled = 0;
automaticDataDetectionEnabled = 0;
automaticEmojiSubstitutionEnabledLegacy = 0;
automaticEmojiSubstitutionEnablediMessage = 1;
automaticLinkDetectionEnabled = 0;
automaticQuoteSubstitutionEnabled = 0;
automaticSpellingCorrectionEnabled = 1;
automaticTextReplacementEnabled = 1;
continuousSpellCheckingEnabled = 1;
grammarCheckingEnabled = 0;
smartInsertDeleteEnabled = 1;
};
}
Found 1 keys in domain 'Apple Global Domain': {
NSAutomaticQuoteSubstitutionEnabled = 0;
}
Found 1 keys in domain 'com.apple.iBooksX': {
TSWPAutomaticQuoteSubstitution = 0;
}
Mikes-Mac-mini:~ mikewallbridge$

 

[KALLT]

I can try to do that but first, to understand fully my problem, run the following in EasyABC and tell me whether the symbol over the second note is a wedge/straight quote or a curly quote. The straight quote comes out fine, as a straight quote, in the example I've sent (just after the ^) but it doesn't appear as such over the note in the music.

This sounds like a problem with the program then.

 

[mikethebook]

Thanks for trying anyway.