Hi Norm:
You're getting yourself bogged down in the detail again. You cannot do this
by looking at the problem from the "bottom up": you overwhelm yourself with
the complexity and end up confused. You must look at this from the "Top
down".
Yes, but you're bogged in the detail. Ask yourself the top-level question:
"What is formatting?" The answer is "A collection of object properties".
The next question is: "What do we call a collection of object properties?".
The answer is "A Style". The next question is "Are all styles the same?"
And the answer to that is "No".
Physically, a style is a row in a table. The columns contain the values for
the various properties, of which there are about 1,200.
A List Style contains meaningful data in columns 256 through to 337. A
Paragraph style has data in columns 200 through to 280. I am making this
up: Microsoft won't tell us what's really in there, but note the overlap
between a Paragraph style and a List Style.
Again, it is a style, correct? I just want this to get through to what
grey matter there is.
Yes. You mean "is it a row in a table?" Yes, it is. But if you were to
ask "Is it the same as a List Style?" the answer is an emphatic "No." What
it contains is nothing like what a List Style contains
Think of trucks driving along the road. Two trucks: exactly the same model.
The Yellow one contains petrol. The red one is a fire-engine. Which one do
is useful to you? That's determined by what they contain, and what your
circumstances are. The answer depends a lot on whether you have just had an
accident with the yellow one
The contents of the yellow one are not
suitable for putting out fires. The red one is not suitable for filling
your fuel tank.
Similarly with styles. They are all "Styles". Which kind you want (which
properties it can contain) depends on what you want to use it for. A Table
style is no use at all for formatting paragraphs, even though it contains
some of the paragraph properties. A List Style is no use for formatting
characters: even though it contains some of their properties.
OK. But in addition to that definition, do "we" know that there is a
list being used in a document?
Not unless we go and specifically "look". If you click the bullet or number
on a list, the bullets or numbers on the other members of the list will go
grey: that shows you which paragraphs are members of that list.
Hmmm.... not sure I follow that but since I think I'm attempting to be a
"normal user" I will not try.
A Style contains properties. It does not have to contain all possible
properties. A List style can contain definitions linking paragraph styles
to it. Or not.
If you look at a legal document, most are required to contain very little
formatting. Most courts have not evolved much beyond the typewriter days.
But it will be full of numbered clauses. The numbering determines the
logical structure of the document. The formatting and indenting of the text
have nothing to do with that, and may not even exist: it's the numbering the
lawyer wants. So a lawyer will apply a numbering style that may have no
paragraph styles at all, because all the paragraph and character formatting
will be "Normal Style" throughout the document.
Part of my beginner or simple-minded question was/is, can I see that
there is a link (probably not the correct word) between the paragraph
styles of a particular list style or visa versa by looking at their
definition or in some other manner?
Link is the exactly correct word. If you look in the definition of a List
Style, you can see which Paragraph styles are linked to it. If you look at
the definition of a Paragraph Style, you cannot tell whether it is linked to
a List Style. I regard this as a bug.
Or asked another way, if I'm looking at a list of styles in a template
or document and there are 5 list styles and 20 paragraph styles that
someone made no attempt to name in a relational manner, can one
determine which paragraph styles go with which list styles?
Not easily. Ask me again when you get into VBA. You can write a macro that
will tell you instantly, but not in Word 2008.
Hope this helps
This email is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless you intend to pay!
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John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:
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