One style keeps reverting; others unaffected

[Steve Troxell]

I have a document template with several dozen styles defined. Among these
styles are Heading 1, Heading2, and Heading 3. Heading2 frequently, but not
always, seems to revert itself when I open an existing document which uses
this template. By revert, I mean it gains a paragraph left indentation of
0.75" and a single tab stop at 1".

When this happens, I select the style, set the paragraph left indentation to
0 and clear all tabs. I check "Add to template" in the "Modify Style" dialog
and click OK. I save the document...it asks me if I want to save changes to
the document template, and I click Yes.

Sometime later when I open the same or another document using this template,
Heading2 mysteriously goes back to 0.75" left paragraph indent and a 1" tab
stop. Changes to any other style seem to stick OK, it's only Heading 2 which
seems to insist on being indented.

Can anyone offer any clues as to what I'm doing wrong or how to correct
this?

Steve Troxell

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If you're talking about existing documents rather than newly created ones,
then the style is not "reverting"; it's just using the definition that was
in effect when it was created. In order to pass the new style formatting
down to existing documents, you have to go to Tools | Templates and Add-ins
and reattach the template with "Automatically update document styles"
checked (be sure to uncheck it after you've updated the styles).

When you create a document based on a given template, its connection to the
template is immediately severed as far as styles and formatting are
concerned. Although you continue to be able to access toolbars, macros, and
AutoText in the template, any changes you make to the template's styles,
layout, boilerplate text, etc., are not propagated to the document.

 

[Chad DeMeyer]

Also, whenever you make changes to indentation and tab sets in a style that
is linked to outline numbering, you should make the changes in the outline
numbering scheme rather than the paragraph format to ensure that the
settings stick.

Regards,
Chad

 

[Steve Troxell]

If you're talking about existing documents rather than newly created
ones, then the style is not "reverting"; it's just using the
definition that was in effect when it was created.

I don't think so because I have to keep changing the style *in the same
document* over and over again.

Steve Troxell

 

[Steve Troxell]

If you're talking about existing documents rather than newly created
ones, then the style is not "reverting"; it's just using the
definition that was in effect when it was created. In order to pass
the new style formatting down to existing documents, you have to go
to Tools | Templates and Add-ins and reattach the template with
"Automatically update document styles" checked (be sure to uncheck it
after you've updated the styles).

I leave that setting checked in my documents specifically so that they will
update their styles from the template if it is ever changed. If I modify a
style in the template and then go load another existing document, then style
change is propogated.

Steve Troxell

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If the styles are numbered, then, as Chad pointed out, you need to make sure
that tabs and indents are defined in Numbering, not in Paragraph. But
leaving "Automatically update" on is notoriously treacherous where numbered
styles are concerned.