StructHyphenationSettings.MinCharactersBefore

Property MinCharactersBefore As Long

The MinCharactersBefore property returns or sets the minimum number of characters (including spaces) that must appear in the hot zone before a hyphen. For example, if the MinCharactersBefore property is set to 3, a word in a paragraph text frame must contain at least three characters before a hyphen in order to receive hyphenation.

To return or set the MinCharactersBefore property, the UseAutomaticHyphenation property must be set to True.

The following code example enables automatic hyphenation for the selected text shape, specifying a minimum of 2 characters to be left on a line or carried to the next line following a hyphen:

Sub Test() 
 With ActiveShape.Text.HyphenationSettings 
  .UseAutomaticHyphenation = True 
  .MinCharactersBefore = 2 
  .MinCharactersAfter = 2 
 End With 
End Sub