Quick Style that Greys out Text

[RN]

I want to create a quick style that can be used to gray out text. The
intent is to use this through out the document and if I want to turn it on I
can by modifying the quick style instead of grabbing each area and changing
them individually. This greyed out text will include headings, normal text
and figures. Maybe style is not the way to do this.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I think a style is the way to go, but I'd suggest using a character style.
That would leave the underlying paragraph style (and its formatting) intact,
and it would be easy to restore the normal font color with Ctrl+Spacebar.

 

[RN]

Could you please walk me thru the steps. I have tried but have failed.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

To create a character style? There are instructions at
http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/StyleRef.htm

 

[RN]

I am using Word 2007. I have created a greyed out text quick style based
on the default paragraph but, unlike your examples it implies that the text
will be 11 point. I don't want to change the size of the text and can't
figure out how not to.

Also under selections
ie see (underlying properties)
Body Text Char
that seem like they might apply. How do you figure it out?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

You should base the character style on Default Paragraph Font; then it will
apply only the font color, not any specific font or font size.

 

[RN]

The issue under Word 2007 is that it gives you a font size box that allows
you to modify the size but not change it to nothing. On the bottom of the
same form is a format button. After pressing this button and selecting font
it is possible to delete the point size entry. Then it won't save the font
size. However when I apply the greyed out text quick style I am still
changing the font size in unpredicatable ways. Under word 2007 should I be
using Default Paragraph Font. Some items are body text, some are normal
text. Also in selection box for style based on there are confusingly
simular entries of Default Paragraph Font, underlying properties, body text
char, body text indent char and others that I know don't apply.

The text info box says that I have set up the quick style as: Font color:
Custom Color(RGB(191,191,191)), Style: Quick Style, Based on: Default
Paragraph Font

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I think you're not paying attention. In the Styles window, click Manage
Styles. In the Manage Styles dialog, click New Style. In the Create New
Style from Formatting dialog, select Character as the style type. The "Style
based on" setting will change to Default Paragraph Font, and the font
formatting boxes will go blank. When you click Format | Font, you'll see
that these boxes are still blank. Change only the font color and click OK.
Give your style a name and click OK twice more to close all the dialogs.

 

[RN]

Sorry we aren't on the same page. I select the Greyed Out Text I created as
a quick style. Then I right click on the greyed out text button on the
styles area of the home tab of the ribbon bar. Note that is behaves
flakely. Until you left click it you can't effectively right click it. Then
you get select the modify choice.
I can send you a screen shot if you like but I don't see how in this forum.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If you will create the style from scratch as I explained (instead of
creating a Quick Style from selected text and then modifying it), it will
work as described. As mentioned, these steps are detailed in
http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/StyleRef.htm

I would guess that the style you are creating is a paragraph style, not a
character style, but in any case you are doing it the wrong way.

 

[RN]

Sorry Susan are you saying Word 2007 is buggy and will only work when done a
specific way? Will we not be at the same point. I used something simular
to what you are describing to get the Greyed Out Text Quickstyle. But then
discovered it wasn't setup correctly. Hence I am using modify to get it
right.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Nothing you do to modify it will help if you have defined it as a paragraph
style instead of a character style, nor is there any way (that I know of) to
remove specific font formatting once it has gotten into the style. I do know
that if you create the style the way I described, you will get the result
you want.

 

[RN]

Yes I see what you mean about paragraph versus character. That box is
grayed out in modify. However it does say based on character. Yes you can
change the font size to blank as I stated in an earlier email. The trick is
to ignore the drop down font box and select the format tab at the bottom of
the modify box. It brings up another font box. This font box will let you
delete the font point size value so you end up with nothing. I got that much
to work but my difficulty is it does not always work correctly. I suspect
it has to do with underlying styles. Word 2007 adds another layer of
indirection (multiple styles sets within a template?) . The effect of
greying body text versus normal text surprises. The problem is the original
document is 2003 and is 300 pages long and composed of many different peoples
work. Which means formating was not done the same throughout. Some comes
from Word documents created in different countries and whose native language
is not English.