Using formatting of existing text to modify an existing style

[Steven Marzuola]

A long time ago, on a computer far away, I used to be able to define
a piece of text to have the format I wanted. Then later, I could
make an existing style acquire that format, overriding the previous
formatting that was part of that style.

This is mostly useful when I receive a document prepared by somebody
else that doesn't use styles. Instead, it has headings that have
been consistently formatted (numbered, bold, underline, typeface,
etc.) but left with the Normal style.

I want to keep the appearance of these headings, but at the same
time, change the headings so that they are identified with the style
"Heading 1". That will enable me to easily prepare a Table of
Contents, for example.

I hadn't been able to do this in Word. Instead, my only option was
to define the Heading 1 style to match what's on screen. Then I
apply this style to other headings using the Heading 1 shortcut key.

Finally, a few weeks ago, while working late at night and being very
sleepy, I somehow was able to do what I wanted. I was fixing a
document and highlighted some text and I don't remember what I did
next, but Word offered to redefine the style to match the selected
text. It worked.

How did I do it?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Good question. The message you quote usually applies when you reapply an
existing style to text whose formatting has been changed. But I believe that
the Styles and Formatting task pane in Word 2002 and 2003 does offer
something like what you describe; unfortunately, I also don't remember how
it's done!

You can copy and paste formatting using Ctrl+Shift+C and Ctrl+Shift+V, but
this will not be helpful from a TOC standpoint. You can define a new style
based on the formatting of a given paragraph, but that won't be helpful if
you want to apply an existing style.

ISTR that Doug Robbins was the one who brought up the technique of applying
formatting to styles; perhaps he will look into this thread and help us out.

 

[Charles Kenyon]

The message you recall comes up when you have text formatted in a given
style, change the formatting, and then apply the style. Word recognizes that
it is already in that style and that you have made changes.

You could copy (and paste) one of your headings immediately below the
heading, then apply the style you want. Modify the second heading so that it
looks like the first, and reapply the style. This should let you modify the
style. Then delete the first heading. You would then want to run a replace
to pick up the direct formatting applied by the original author and replace
it with the style.

Not fun.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
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[Daiya Mitchell]

I think the command might be called Redefine Style? You could try digging
it out of Tools | Customize in order to trigger it manually.

However, I've tried to deliberately bring up that dialog, and had no luck,
but I'm on a Mac, could be different for you....

 

[Charles Kenyon]

I ran it under Tools > Macros > Word Commands
However, you need to be in the style you want to redefine, already, when you
run the command.
Also, you need to check "prompt to redefine style" under Tools > Options >
Edit.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
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[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

No, it's not Redefine Style, but it's something similar, and now I'm
thinking it was Terry Farrell that clued us in to this. Maybe Style by
Example?

 

[Margaret Aldis]

I think what you're looking for is in the Styles and Formatting pane. Select
text with required formatting but not in the style, and then from the
dropdown beside Heading 1 or whatever you can choose "Update to match
selection". The built-in style is then updated to match the example.

Neat feature - I keep forgetting about it as I rarely work that way now, but
I remember tearing my hair out in earlier versions of Word in search of a
way to do this ;-)

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Ah, I knew it was in the task pane, but I had forgotten that you could use
it on a different style from the one selected.

 

[Charles Kenyon]

I think this is worth updating my Styles page! Thank you for sharing.

Did this come in with Word 2002?
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
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[Steven Marzuola]

Margaret,

"Update to match selection" sounds exactly like what I want. I did
it by mistake and can't figure out how to reproduce it, and I can't
remember the last time I worked on something other than Office 2000.

Is it available in Word 2000? What is the Styles and Formatting
pane, and is it included in this version?

Selecting the dropdown beside the style name in a toolbar doesn't
have this effect. It applies the formatting from the style and
doesn't change the style at all.

Steven

 

[Margaret Aldis]

Hi Steven

The Styles and Formatting Pane came in in Word 2002.

The only thing I can think to try is Word 2000 is the Format painter
(something I never use). I think that will apply the selected formatting as
direct formatting, so if you selected your formatted text, clicked the
Format Painter, applied it to a virgin Heading 1 style, then applied Heading
1 again, you'd be prompted to 'update the style to match recent changes'
(provided you have the "prompt to update style" option checked) in the usual
way.

Sorry not to be of more help.

 

[Charles Kenyon]

The format painter applies formatting exactly as in the original, as does
Ctrl-Shift-C and Ctrl-Shift-V. In later versions of Word, though, where less
than a paragraph is selected (and at least a character is selected) it will
create a hybrid char style.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
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[Margaret Aldis]

Thanks for the clarification. So I guess this would work for transferring
Steven's direct character formatting (and might be what happened in the
middle of the night) but is as useless as every other pre-2002 method for
transferring paragraph formatting to another style.

Hey hoh - thanks be for the Styles and Formatting pane then <g>.

 

[Charles Kenyon]

I'll second that! I really appreciate your bringing it back to my attention.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
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This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
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