Problems with Font on Footnote Reference

[The Wes]

I have a user who is unable to change the default font on the footnote
reference to superscript. Usually I would tell them to highlight a footnote
reference and hit Shift+Ctrl+S. This brings up the "Apply Styles" box.
Making sure that "Footnote Reference" is selected, hit the "Modify" button.
On the "Modify Style" window, hit "Format", then click on "Font". Then,
click on "SuperScript" and hit the "Default" button. This has always worked
in the past, but now the "Default" button is greyed out. I talked with the
network admin and he says that he has not applied any policies that would
cause this. Does anyone have any clue why this would happen?
Thanks!

 

[Stefan Blom]

The Default button only works if you are using the Font dialog box to change
the defaults of the Normal style of the attaached template. In this case,
you should choose the "New documents based on this template" in the Modify
Style dialog box to copy the modified Footnote Reference style to the
template.

 

[The Wes]

Okay...That works..but I would like to have a better understanding of all of
this...What is the functional difference between hitting the "Default" button
and hitting "New Documents based on this Template"? Are they both not just
modifying the default template?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Default... in the Font dialog is changing the default font for the entire
template, not just for a given style.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[Stefan Blom]

Well, the dialog box states that it is about to change the "defaults font,"
but I believe it is actually changing the Normal style... Document defaults
couldn't be edited in versions prior to Word 2007.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Surely we're talking about Word 2007 here, though, given the reference to
"New Documents based on this Template" as opposed to "Add to template"? In
previous versions, changing the font of the Normal style amounts to the same
thing since most styles are based on it.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[Stefan Blom]

Yes, we are talking about Word 2007. I'm just saying that changing document
defaults and changing the Normal style (which is what the Default button
does in the Font dialog box) are two different things. A simple experiment
confirms this fact: If you set a new default *size* in the Font dialog box,
that won't be reflected on the Set Defaults tab of the Manage Styles dialog
box. I have to admit I don't have a full understanding of the implications
(if any) of the difference, though.

 

[Stefan Blom]

I have to take back what I just wrote... I'm confused today, apparently.

Changing (say) the default font size via the Font dialog box *does* affect
the setting in the Manage Styles dialog box, but the reverse isn't true:
changing the defaults in the Manage Styles does *not* affect the Normal
style.

So I guess the words in the Font dialog box makes sense, after all?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

What I was surprised to find is that the Set Defaults dialog doesn't include
language, so if clicking Default... in the Set Language dialog doesn't
"take," there's not much recourse. You can explicitly change the language of
the Normal style, but this really shouldn't be necessary.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[Stefan Blom]

Good point.

--
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP

What I was surprised to find is that the Set Defaults dialog doesn't
include language, so if clicking Default... in the Set Language dialog
doesn't "take," there's not much recourse. You can explicitly change the
language of the Normal style, but this really shouldn't be necessary.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org