wordcraft/docs/typing-parity.md

Typing parity with Word

Last reviewed: 2026-10-11 · Last updated: 2026-10-11 · Change: trivial (complex-script caret and Backspace, #604; Move Paragraph Up/Down, Promote/Demote, Go Back and Alt+X keys, #343; previously trivial: outline keys in Outline view, #493) · Target: Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365) for Mac 16.113.4

What Word does when you type, observed black-box (same keystrokes typed into Word and WordCraft, results read back paragraph by paragraph) and pinned by tests in crates/engine/src/tests_typing.rs. When typing behaviour changes, change it here and in the tests together. Line breaking and pagination are in layout-parity.md; the overall picture is in target-app-parity.md.

Lists

Keys	Word's result	Test
* item Enter Enter text	the second Enter ends the list; text is a Normal paragraph (no list indent left behind)	enter_twice_after_a_list_item_ends_the_list, the_paragraph_after_a_list_is_normal_text
… Enter ×3, ×4	each further Enter adds a blank Normal paragraph (never swallowed)	more_enters_after_a_list_make_blank_paragraphs
Enter on an empty nested item	moves it up one level; only a top-level empty item leaves the list	enter_on_an_empty_nested_item_moves_it_up_a_level_first
* Enter (nothing typed)	list cancelled, Normal paragraph	enter_right_after_starting_a_list_cancels_it
Tab / Shift+Tab at the start of an item	demote / promote	shift_tab_and_tab_change_list_levels
Backspace at the start of an item	1st: number removed, indent kept; 2nd: Normal paragraph — not joined to the one above	backspace_at_the_start_of_an_item_removes_the_number_then_the_indent
Enter mid-item / at item start	splits the item / inserts an empty item above	enter_in_the_middle_or_at_the_start_of_an_item
Shift+Enter in an item	line break inside the same item	shift_enter_stays_inside_the_list_item
Paste: Keep Text Only A, empty line, B into an empty item	three paragraphs A, empty, B: pasted paragraph breaks are text, not Enter (they never end the list)	plain_text_paste_keeps_an_empty_paragraph_in_a_list
* - 1. 1) a. a) A. i. I. + text	bullet, dash bullet, 1. 1) a. a) A. i. I. lists	list_autoformat_triggers
> -> => + text	bulleted list with an arrow bullet (➢ ➔ ⇨; Word takes them from a symbol font, we use the Unicode arrows) ¹	arrow_bullets
1. after other text	a new list restarting at 1 (never continues an earlier list)	typing_1_dot_starts_numbering_again
⌘Z right after an AutoFormat	undoes only the AutoFormat (* comes back as text)	undo_right_after_autoformat_undoes_only_the_autoformat

Undo

Keys	Word's result	Test
type, select some of it, type over it	two undo steps: the first ⌘Z brings the selected text back (still selected), the second removes the typing. Uninterrupted typing stays one step	typing_then_selecting_then_typing_are_two_undo_steps
⌘B with nothing selected, ⌘Z, type	the text isn't bold (Undo takes the waiting caret formatting back too); ⌘Y brings it back	undoing_bold_at_the_caret_turns_bold_typing_off_again

Track Changes

Keys	Word's result	Test
Enter (tracking on)	the new paragraph mark is a tracked insertion; Reject All joins the paragraphs again, Accept All keeps them	tracked_enter_and_backspace_track_the_paragraph_mark, tests::reject_all_removes_a_tracked_paragraph_break
Paste of several paragraphs (tracking on)	every paragraph mark the paste adds is a tracked insertion; Reject All restores the one paragraph, Accept All keeps the pasted ones	reject_all_takes_out_the_paragraph_breaks_a_tracked_paste_inserted
Backspace at a paragraph start / Delete at a paragraph end (tracking on)	the paragraph mark is marked deleted (still shown); the caret moves before it (Backspace) or past it (Delete). Accept joins the paragraphs, Reject keeps them. A mark you inserted yourself is just removed	tracked_enter_and_backspace_track_the_paragraph_mark, tests::tracked_backspace_and_delete_mark_a_paragraph_break_deleted

Editing keys

Word's documented keyboard behaviour (Microsoft's shortcut list, feature names only); the Windows/Linux keys are given first, macOS second.

Keys	Word's result	Test
Alt+Shift+Up / Down (⌃⇧↑ / ⌃⇧↓)	the paragraphs the selection touches swap with the paragraph above / below, keeping style and list membership; the selection moves with them; one undo step. A selection ending at the start of a paragraph doesn't take it along. Refused at the top or bottom of the story or cell, next to a table and across a section break	alt_shift_down_then_up_moves_a_paragraph_and_back_and_undoes
Alt+Shift+Left / Right (⌃⇧← / ⌃⇧→)	Promote / Demote: a heading goes up or down one level (Heading 1 and Heading 9 are the ends); promoted body text becomes a heading at the level of the heading before it; a list item changes level like Shift+Tab / Tab	alt_shift_left_and_right_promote_and_demote_headings_and_list_items
Outline view: Alt+Shift+Up / Down, Left / Right	as above, but a collapsed heading takes what is hidden under it along: moving passes whole shown paragraphs with their hidden content; promote/demote shifts the hidden subheadings too	outline_collapse_hides_descendants_and_expand_restores
Outline view: Alt+Shift+Plus / Minus, Alt+Shift+1–9, Alt+Shift+A	Expand / Collapse the heading (one level at a time); Show Level 1–9; show all levels. The caret never stays in hidden text: it moves on to the next shown paragraph	outline_show_level_filters_paragraphs
Shift+F5	Go Back: the caret cycles through the last four places edited, most recent first	shift_f5_goes_back_through_the_last_edits
Alt+X (no macOS default)	the hex code before the caret (up to six digits, U+ optional) or the selected code becomes its character; otherwise the character before the caret becomes its code (é ↔ 00E9); one undo step	alt_x_toggles_between_a_character_and_its_code

AutoCorrect and AutoFormat as you type

Applied when a word is finished by a space, punctuation or Enter (enter_finishes_a_word_for_autocorrect):

• First letter of a sentence (paragraph or list item start, after . ! ?) is capitalised; not after abbreviations (e.g., Dr., …) or initials (J.), and not for mixed-case words (iPhone) or single-letter labels (a.). teh→the, i→I, (c)→©, (tm)→™, wait...→wait…, smart quotes (autocorrect_as_you_type).

• 1/2 1/4 3/4 → ½ ¼ ¾; 1st 22nd 13th get superscript suffixes (ordinals_become_superscript).

• word -- word → en dash, word - word → en dash, word--word → em dash (dashes).

• Web addresses become links; following text isn't linked (web_addresses_become_links).

• A hyperlink covers only its own text: typing at either end of it, or after Enter at its end, isn't linked; typing inside it is. Linking a whole paragraph doesn't link its mark, so the paragraphs Enter makes from it aren't links (#413; a_link_covers_only_its_own_text, typing_at_either_end_of_a_link_is_not_linked).

• Enter after --- === *** ___ ~~~ ### → a bottom border on the paragraph above (single, double, dotted, thick, wave, triple) (border_line_autoformat). ⌘Z right after brings the characters back and removes the border; the Enter stays (one undo step) ¹ (undo_right_after_a_border_line_brings_the_characters_back).

• +---+------+ Enter (plus signs around runs of hyphens, the whole paragraph) → a one-row table across the text width, each column as wide as its share of the hyphens; the caret goes into the first cell. ⌘Z right after brings the characters back. More than 63 columns stay text ¹ (plus_and_hyphen_line_becomes_a_table).

• Smileys :) :-) :( :-( :| → ☺ ☹ 😐, also straight after a word (ok:) → ok☺) ¹ (smileys_are_replaced_inside_words_too).

• Names of days are capitalised (monday → Monday). AutoCorrect Options (#412, tools.autocorrect, saved per user) switch each of these off: replacements, sentence and table-cell capitals, days, smart quotes, fractions, ordinals, dashes, links, bulleted and numbered lists, border lines; user entries are added, replaced or deleted (built-in ones too), and "don't capitalize after" exceptions extend the abbreviation list. A replacement of several words takes a sentence capital on its first (autocorrect_options_change_what_typing_does).

¹ From Word's documented AutoFormat and AutoCorrect options; not yet keystroke-compared with Word.

Editing options (File › Options › Advanced)

Keys / setting	Result	Test
Typing over a selection	replaces it (Word's default); with "Typing replaces selected text" off, the text goes in front of the selection, which stays	typing_over_a_selection_follows_the_replace_selection_option
Overtype on, typing	each character replaces the one after the caret, never the paragraph mark or an object; Insert switches overtype only with the Insert-key option on (off by default, as in Word)	overtype_replaces_the_characters_after_the_caret

Layout

• No line break right after a slash (and/or, URLs) unless the word can't fit a line (layout::tests::no_line_break_right_after_a_slash).

Complex scripts

• Myanmar, Khmer and the Indic scripts are typed in memory order (consonant, medials, then vowel signs such as ေ, which is drawn before its consonant); the caret steps over whole syllables (Myanmar vowel signs and stacked consonants never split off), Backspace removes one character (vowel sign, medial, stacked consonant), Delete the whole syllable — the platforms' standard behaviour, not yet compared against Word (#604, myanmar_typing_steps_by_syllable_and_backspaces_by_sign, indic_and_khmer_backspace_removes_one_character).

Known gaps

• Word's body font Aptos isn't installed outside Office; our substitute (Carlito, else Helvetica Neue) is wider, so lines wrap earlier than in Word. Needs a metric-matched open substitute.
• Moving paragraphs with Track Changes on isn't recorded as a tracked move; whole table rows don't move yet (a selection across cells is refused). Go Back's places aren't mapped through later edits (they are clamped to the document).
• Not yet compared: Correct TWo INitial CApitals; the rows marked ¹ above.

How to compare

• WordCraft: the headless ui_shot example (no window, no focus) with UI_SHOT_FULL=1 prints the whole document.inspect; drive it with ui.text / ui.key lines so keys take the real input path.
• Word: the machine is shared. Prefer AppleScript that doesn't take focus (open, read paragraphs, export PDF). Keystroke runs steal focus and race the person at the keyboard: keep them short, read the document back to verify, and ask first. Screenshots of Word's window only, under plan/word/screenshots/.

Revision history

Date	Change	Summary
2026-10-11	minor	AutoFormat tables from +---+, arrow bullets, smileys inside words, undo after a border line (#546)
2026-10-11	trivial	Outline view keys: expand/collapse, Show Level, moving and promoting with collapsed content (#493)
2026-10-11	minor	Editing options: typing replaces selection, overtype and the Insert key (#485)
2026-10-11	minor	Pasted paragraph breaks: tracked under Track Changes (#417), kept in a list by Keep Text Only (#422)
2026-10-11	minor	Complex scripts: caret by syllable, Backspace by character (#604)
2026-10-11	minor	Undo rows: a selection ends the typing group (#419); Undo of Bold at the caret restores unbolded typing (#424)
2026-10-11	minor	Names of days capitalised; AutoCorrect Options (user entries, deleted built-ins, exceptions, every AutoCorrect/AutoFormat switch) change typing (#412)
2026-10-11	minor	Editing keys: Move Paragraph Up/Down, Promote/Demote, Go Back (Shift+F5), Alt+X (#343)
2026-10-11	minor	Hyperlinks: text typed at either end of a link or after Enter stays outside it (#413)
2026-10-10	trivial	Status line, revision history and cross-links added (progress-docs standard)
2026-10-10	minor	Track Changes rows: tracked Enter, Backspace and Delete on paragraph marks (#244)
2026-10-10	major	First version: lists, AutoCorrect and AutoFormat as you type, observed against Word (#204)