I finally have some styles I think I can use as a Default.


When I enter a New Line, select the Style and start typing everything is OK.


HOWEVER, if I SELECT a line of text with an existing style, and then SELECT the New Style, if does NOT change.
Even if I get a popup message box asking to REAPPLY the style, NO change occurs.
Working with the line that will NOT change, sometime I can get it to change, other times NOT, by DELETING the Carriage Return and the ADDING in a NEW Line, or other actions related to that line.


For example:
Style1 (original)

The original first line is indented and all subsequent lines are indented so the entire paragraph is identified as Style1.


Style1-FirstIndent (NOW)

ONLY the first line is indented with the rest of the paragraph (following) at the left margin (Body TEXT).

Word does not work with lines but paragraphs, in general. It helps if you turn on display of non-printing formatting marks.

In Word 97 you have paragraph styles and character styles.

• Basic concepts of Microsoft Word: An introduction by Shauna Kelly, MVP
• Tips for Understanding Styles in Word by Shauna Kelly

If you are going to spend much time using Word, you owe it to yourself to learn how styles work. Importance of Styles in Word.

Perhaps that is what the style definition is configured to. I would expect a style named FirstIndent to have the ONLY the first line indented.

Post a document where you are seeing the problem if you want someone to look at the style definitions for you.

__________________
Andrew Lockton
Chrysalis Design, Melbourne Australia

Here's a portion of a document.
If I try to change First Line Styles from Style(number) to Style(number)-FirstLine by Selecting that Line and the choosing the Style ComboBox Item for Style(number)-FirstLine nothing changes. However if a New Line is entered the Style(number)-FirstLine shows and is formatted correctly.



Where it says Style1 {1.}, I want the first line ONLY to reflect Style1-FirstLine and the line(s) after that show Body


Where it says Style2 {2.}, I want the first line ONLY to reflect Style2-FirstLine and the line(s) after that show Body EVEN though it is a QUOTE for now, just to show the problem.



Where it says Style2 {2.1}, I want the first line ONLY to reflect Style2-FirstLine and the line(s) after that show Body


Thanks for Your Time.

Attached Files

TestStyle.doc (20.0 KB, 3 views)

Vote Up Charles Kenyon and those links.
Once you understand the existing Styles and just how many are already created in most Templates, you'll find little need to create a style. You may wish to modify a Style after going through Themes and Style Sets.

I believe I understand HOWTO CREATE a New Style and MODIFY an Existing One.


What I don't understand is WHY WORD won't change the Style by selecting the
line or paragraph, and then Invoking (selecting a different style from the Combobox),
the Style I just selected.


BTW: Mr. Kenyon and everyone else on this forum has done a great job and I thank them all for their efforts on my behalf. I've Read his links several time, just doesn't solve the problem OR I'm missing something.


PROBLEM SOLVED:
I need to get rid of the hard carriage returns and make sure I pick up where the paragraph ends (paragraph symbol), Then go back and enter a new paragraph symbol at the end of the first line so
I can select and mark the body text.

You probably need to look at 2.2 Why you should press Enter only once to end a paragraph.

That desire to have the first line of a paragraph would be cool effect in certain document types. I have also though of how one could have the Header in line/directly followed by the body text. Something like the header is the first word phrase of the first sentence. (That's a question for another thread.)

You have a couple ways to achieve including the one you've already described. One could apply a character style to the line by selecting the line regardless of the carriage return. Of course if the applied style yields a word-wrap, then another problem to work out. Using a Paragraph Style is what it sounds like you are going to use. The Paragraph Style associated with Heading Levels may be better since it will easily allow use of the navigator and Bookmarks if exported as a PDF.
Formatting versus layout where the desired formatting can mess with the layout.

I'm usually not concerned to much about the style criteria, Style for following Paragraph. That is also a setting that seems useful during concise document creation and not editing.

What is the difference between headings and headers?

If you want to be able to type and simply have it be the same indent in following lines in the same paragraph, you simply want to set the left indent for the paragraph style rather than a first-line indent.

Character style change character formatting. They have no effect on paragraph formatting like indents or line spacing.

You can have both a heading and body text on the same line but in two different Word paragraphs (and paragraph styles) using a Style Separator. See also Creating Run-in Sideheads by Suzanne Barnhill, MVP.

@Charles
Thanks.

Mr. Kenyon:


Have FLAGGED "Only Press Enter Once" as my biggest problem.
For those of us who learned how to type in the early 60's



Have a nice day.