Can't figure out why style keeps changing

[Guest]

I'm trying to apply simple custom styles to a doc. Success in the first
couple paragraphs. But then in a new paragraph when I apply the style, using
the Format Painter, the font comes up different (Garamond instead of TNR).
The correct style name shows in the "AA" area, but the in the tool bar area
next to it, it says Garamond. I went into Modify Style and it shows the
correct format that I want. So where did Garamond come from?

I did not select Automatically Update when I created the style. The content
was pasted in from another doc, but it was not Garamond.

I've been reading various tutorials and I wonder if this is based on the
style parent/child and cascading style sheets effect. Should I re-create the
styles using No Style? How do you absolute prevent a style from changing,
unless you manually tell it to? (I know that you can do something to prevent
other users from changing the style, but I don't think that's the intent I'm
after.)

I'm using Word 2003.

 

[Herb Tyson [MVP]]

I wonder if perhaps the Keep Track of Formating setting is part of the
problem/confusion. Tools - Options - Edit tab.

It sounds like in one of your locations, Word is showing the direct
formatting information, which can be confusing. To restore all formatting in
a paragraph to the formatting provided only by the style definition, select
the paragraph and press Ctrl+Space (this resets all character formatting to
that of the style), and then Ctrl+Q (this resets all paragraph formatting
to that of the style).

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

To add to what Herb has said, I would suggest applying the style directly
from the Style box or Styles and Formatting task pane or with a keyboard
shortcut, not by using the Format Painter. If you want to tag a number of
paragraphs quickly, you can apply the style to the first, then click in the
next and press F4 (repeat), repeating till you've done them all.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

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[Guest]

Interesting...I turned off "keep track of formatting." The Control tasks
didn't do anything. Then I tried a couple different things:

1. Selected text, opened up Styles and Formatting panel on the right, and
clicked the desired style = Garamond font.

2. Selected text, went up to the AA area on the tool bar, pulled down the
menu, and chose the desired style = Garamond font.

3. Clicked on format painter, dragged through text = correct style, shows
correct style in the right style panel and also in the AA area. But, when I
moved to another paragraph to continue using the format painter, instead of
converting to the desired style, it brought up the Normal style, showing
Normal in the right Style pane and also in the AA area. Had to end format
painter, then turn it back on again. In other words, the painter applied the
right style to the first paragraph, but not the second one in one continuous
act.

I'll try Suzanne's suggestions next.

 

[Guest]

Ugh, wrote a long description of what happened when I tried your suggestions
and the site jammed when I tried to post it...did turn off the keep
formatting option in Edit. the control commands didn't work, using the Style
task pane on the right, as well as the pull-down menu under the AA feature,
still didn't work (that's why I was trying format painter in the first
place). But was able to use format painter to apply correct style to one
paragraph, but would work on next paragraph. Had to turn off painter, then
turn it back on. When I try to use the painter across multiple graphs, it
works for the first graph, then applies the Normal style instead of the style
I selected for all the other graphs. The task pane and AA area show this
happening -- display goes from desired style to Normal.

This problem happens to me a lot, as I use all kinds of source docs in my
work, with cut/paste...I just never tried to post a question about it until
today.

So I'd like to be able to use the Styles task pane instead of format painter.

 

[Guest]

Sorry all, site did post the message I thought had been lost, so that's why
two similar messages from me.

 

[Guest]

Tried F4 and style changes to Normal, instead of the custom style I want.

I opened up another doc and tried to apply the desired style, but this time
I just placed the cursor in the paragraph and then applied the style from the
task pane. It works. I had been selecting text within the paragraph, because
I had used a 2nd custom style to bold a few words at the start of the
paragraph, and when I select the text, then apply the style, is when the
funny business starts.

So I'm having to put the cursor in the paragraph, apply the 1st style, then
select a portion of that text and apply bold.

 

[Herb Tyson [MVP]]

I wonder if life might be easier for you if, when pasting from another
document, you were to use Paste Unformatted. It sounds a lot like you're
being haunted by formatting you don't want. If that's the case, the paste
unformatted would be just the ticket. Edit - Paste Special - Unformatted. I
use this all the time, and have it assigned to Ctrl+Shift+V. To see how to
do this, take a look here:

http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=128


--
Herb Tyson MS MVP
Author of the Word 2007 Bible
Blog: http://word2007bible.herbtyson.com
Web: http://www.herbtyson.com

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

F4 repeats the immediately previous action, so it won't help unless that
immediately previous action is applying the desired style (via the Styles
dropdown or the Styles and Formatting task pane).

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
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