Style Types and Links (MS Word 97)

[sclnet]

I'm a little confused on 2 items.

1. How many Normal Style(s) are in the normal.dot Template (just 1, or several)? What is the difference between the Normal Style and a Built-In Style? What are ome examples of Built-In Styles? Some people have said Built -In Styles have hidden Properties that make them easier to use? If True, what are these hidden properties? How do they save you time?

I have heard thatu Using Built-In Heading Styles for Cross-Referencing and Table of Contentsm nakes it much easier to create these? Why?

2. I have heard the following:
The Default Setting in a Word Template is to base Each Style on the Normal Style.
This Enables the Entire DOC to Inherit the Properties of Normal Style, so to Change the Font of a Document you Need Change Only 1 Style.

In Professional documents Never DO This. Is this correct? Should you break every Style's (including Built-In Styles) Link to the Normal Style and Base the Styles on nothing? Why?

[Charles Kenyon]

Hi Steve,

We've discussed this before. See and the responses as well as <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.wopr.com/cgi-bin/w3t/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=wrd&Number=104567> this post and its responses.

I recommend that you read <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm> Understanding Styles in Microsoft Word</A> (addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm) if you haven't already done so.

I believe the "some people" you refer to is John McGhie. Did you download the Word version of <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Customization/CreateATemplatePart2.htm> How to Create a Template - Part II?</A>.

Some thoughts on your 2? items:

1. How many Normal Style(s) are in the normal.dot Template (just 1, or several)? There is one normal style in each template and each document. Additional names can be appended to that style but there can be only one normal style in a document.

1. ...What is the difference between the Normal Style and a Built-In Style? The normal style is a built-in style and is the base for all other built-in paragraph styles.

1. ...What are ome examples of Built-In Styles? Start up Word. In the blank document that is there, go to Format => Styles...
Click to see all styles. Those are your built-in styles.

1. ...Some people have said Built -In Styles have hidden Properties that make them easier to use? If True, what are these hidden properties? How do they save you time? See my previous responses to this question.

1. ...I have heard thatu Using Built-In Heading Styles for Cross-Referencing and Table of Contentsm nakes it much easier to create these? Why? See <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/complex_documents.htm> Complex Documents in Microsoft Word</A> (addbalance.com/usersguide/complex_documents.htm).

2. I have heard the following:
The Default Setting in a Word Template is to base Each Style on the Normal Style.
This Enables the Entire DOC to Inherit the Properties of Normal Style, so to Change the Font of a Document you Need Change Only 1 Style. In Professional documents Never DO This. Is this correct? Should you break every Style's (including Built-In Styles) Link to the Normal Style and Base the Styles on nothing? Why?

This is very much a matter of opinion. I base no styles on normal. Others whom I respect tell me that I am being superstitious on this. In my latest templates, I do have a base style that serves as the basis for all of my other paragraph styles. To the extent possible, styles related to one another are based on one another, always relating back to the base style. I have deliberately disconnected all of the other built-in styles from the normal style. This was work to do and may have been unnecessary.

Since my heading styles use a different font from my body text styles, the font setting in the base style is carried forward into the body text styles and is not carried forward into the heading styles.

For documents which I worry much about the formatting being messed up by styles coming from the user's normal.dot, I will use only my own styles rather than the built-in styles. Again, this is a lot of work and may not be necessary. It is hard to create styles that have the utility of the built-in heading styles without basing them on the built-in styles. One method of doing it is to create them based on the built-in styles and then break that linkage. When the linkage is broken, though, substantial repair may be required.