Rename Heading (Paragraph) Style w/ All Characteristics?

[Jeff]

Hi,

I am attempting to create a new set of Heading paragraph styles.

In a nutshell, I have used a particular set of heading paragraph styles in
specification documents for a number of years. I now must integrate some
proprietary work with a customer's documents. The problem is that we both
have different formatting for each of the heading styles.

I have tried to modify my styles by renaming them. The styles each appear
with their original name followed by a comma, and then the new name that I
gave them. If I attempt to use the Organizer tool in Templates, after copying
the styles into the default document template, it will then overwrite the
paragraph styles in my customer's document with the syles I have created
because the style names use the default name I suppose.

I realize that I can go through and recreate the different headings; but,
with the various formats for fonts and numbering, I would prefer just to be
able to copy and rename somehow.

Is that possible?

Thanks

Jeff

 

[Herb Tyson [MVP]]

You're discovering some of the problems that occur when not everybody is on
the same page. What you're seeing with the new names not replacing the old
is Word's "alias" feature. For built-in styles, you can add aliases, but you
can't rename them. But, rather than trying to go the indirect route like
this, it probably a lot more expedient to simply change one set of styles or
the other.

There are a couple of options, depending on what version of Word you're
using. You can, of course, use Find and Replace either to change the
customer's style names to yours, or vice versa. This works in any version of
Word. In the Find and Replace dialog, click More. Click in the Find what:
field, then choose Format - Style to set the style you want changed. Click
OK.

Click in the Replace with: field, then choose Format, etc. to set the style
you want to change to

Then use Replace or Replace All.

Repeat this for each of the styles you want to change.

Alternatively, if you're using a later version of Word, you can use the
Styles and Formatting task pane to selectively locate and change different
styles.

For me, Find and Replace seems easiest... tedious perhaps, if you have a lot
to do. But, it is otherwise fairly painless and quite reliable.