So, possibly I've got an alternative for you than having to do a (complicated) transform.

Not sure it's better or easier or will really work (no guarantees), but maybe. It does involve doing more complicated things in the CSS.

It's really the generated space that's the crux of the challenge, because a space is always an implied word end and if the space is generated then you are attaching "generated text" to the end of a word (and thus it won't hyphenate because of the limitation).

I tried another approach, where I separated the handling of the generated period from the generated space and attempted to account for (and use) all the intricacies of the handling of spaces, and using your sample mocked up something that appears to work.

In the data stream, I just have ...</test1><test2>… (i.e. nothing added at all to the actual data stream).

I added this macro definition (name it as you want):
Macro name: testspace
Expansion: <mc;%lnwidth]0;nul;skp><mh;0>

And in the CSS I have this:
test1::after {
    content: ".";
}
test2::before {
    content: -xpp-macro(testspace) " ";
}
test2 {
    display: -xpp-word;
...
}

What I found was that the -xpp-word needed to be in the <test2> element; trying to do the end word with '!' at the beginning of the <testspace> macro expansion did not work.

And, I am using the magic <mh;0> as well.

When I compose the sample as provided, the word "understandably" does hyphenate and it's followed by a period and a "space".

When I remove the word "times" that appears a few words before "understandably" and compose, the word "understandably" followed by a period falls at the end of the line and the word "presented" falls at the beginning of the next line (w/o any "space" before it).

Only potential "problem" I see is that while in the xyview if I was doing a Search with Codes/Tags set to "ignore" then Search would see "understandably.presented" as the data sequence. Maybe not worth worrying about since in the original data stream if you were ignoring tags you would see "understandablypresented" anyway.

I'm imagining that you'll be able to figure out what I'm doing (and why), as far as the <mc> and <mh;0>, but if you want me to explain further just ask.

If you look at it all as doing this sequence then it probably is easier to understand it: "... understandably</test1>.(-xpp-word from <test2>)<mc;%lnwidth]0;nul;skp><mh;0>(generated space)<test2>presented ..."

Jonathan Dagresta
SDL XPP Engineering

Initial testing look good - thanks Jonathan - will look more carefully in the morning.

Hi Jonathan - this routine is working in 99% of cases perfectly - however there is one scenario where it is causing an issue. If the word before the routines above are actioned is a long work that would normally hyphenate - with this routine in place no matter what I do it won't hyphenate and that is potentially leaving a very badly spaced line on the preceding line. Any suggestions?

Chris,

I guess that this means you will have to go the dreaded transform route....

Yes that is what I am afraid of!!!

You can do this, Chris!

Hi Chris,

I'm sorry, but I do not understand what is this 1% case that is not working as you desire.

Can you please be more explicit?

Hi Jonathan

The routine is working perfectly in terms of adding the space either mid-line or doing the correct thing if the line needs turning over. However if the last word before where the space is added can hyphenate (when a traditional space is added) it does not hyphenate and turns over - this is leaving a very gappy line because hyphenation is not happening.

So, where the generated space comes before the word Next, instead of getting:

... text that needs to hyphen-
ate. Next sentence aaa here

we end up with:

...      text      that     needs    to
hyphenate. Next sentence aaa
here ....

This is OK on ragged text but not when justification is required which it is in this job.

Chris

Hi Jonathan

The routine is working perfectly in terms of adding the space either mid-line or doing the correct thing if the line needs turning over. However if the last word before where the space is added can hyphenate (when a traditional space is added) it does not hyphenate and turns over - this is leaving a very gappy line because hyphenation is not happening.

So, where the generated space comes before the word Next, instead of getting:

... text that needs to hyphen-
ate. Next sentence aaa here

we end up with:

...      text      that     needs    to
hyphenate. Next sentence aaa
here ....

This is OK on ragged text but not when justification is required which it is in this job.

Chris