Readers Write

After publishing last week's article on creating a standard style list, I received such amazing feedback that I decided to dispense with a feature article this week and go straight to the Readers Write column. There's enough information here to keep you reading, thinking, and implementing for some time, and I owe my thanks in particular to Eric Fletcher, LeAnne Baird (with comments from Roger Shuttleworth), and Wordmeister Steve Hudson. Enjoy!

ADDITIONAL STYLES FOR A STANDARD LIST

Eric Fletcher (chesley@attcanada.ca) wrote:

Wow, your style list would be a great reference for parts of books, let alone for managing the format!

I have a couple that we use that you might also consider.

Photo box

Used to identify an image by its file name or reference number. I usually have this set up in red text with a red box around it because if you zoom out (Ctrl-Scrollwheel), they are very visible even when the rest of the copy turns to black lines. When we are trying to "populate" a book with images, it can be a handy way to see if there are any gaping holes. If we are doing the layout with the images in Word, this is handy because I can put in the file name, then convert it to the includepicture field after we've dealt with the text of the file. If we are providing the images, we can provide information that helps in the layout (file name on CD, pixel dimensions & colour depth; identity and format of original art...)

Editorial note

Used for a note to the editor (or reviewer) about something we came across during the layout or editing. We have it set the copy in a light green filled box in Arial Narrow type so it is very visible on screen and quite visible if printed. It is also easy to spot in a very reduced view (as above) but I also have an associated button that finds the next "Editorial note" style to be able to quickly review them. The editorial note has been much more useful to us than Word's comments or review functions as many of our documents get sent out as paper copies. As well, many are being reviewed by people whose first language is not English (or French) so we often find ourselves having to be "diplomatic" in querying the intended meaning. (Some of the content is very technical so we cannot presume to be subject matter experts even if we see something that is clearly not correct--I'm sure you've had this experience now and then . . . ) This style enables us to copy a sentence and rework it as a "suggestion." If they agree, they don't have to write it themselves--and we don't have to try to decipher their writing!

MANAGING STYLES WITH WORD 2002'S "STYLES AND FORMATTING" TASK PANE

Eric also wrote:

I discovered a feature of Word 2002 that I'd hitherto overlooked--and it was so useful I thought I should share it with you.

With Word's task pane set to "Styles and formatting" and the bottom pull-down set to "Formatting in use", you are presented with what at first appears to be an often long and useless list of all of the variations of different formatting within the document. But when you select one of the items in this list (labelled "Pick formatting to apply"), instead of clicking on the format summary to apply it, right-click it and examine the pull-down menu that appears. From it, you can choose Modify and some other options, but the top line both shows how many instances of the selected format occur in the document AND gives you the opportunity to select all of them at once. Once selected of course, you can apply a style or do some other action on the whole set.

As an example, when I noticed that the panel listed both "Heading 3" and "Heading 3 + underline", choosing to select all 11 instances of the latter let me change all eleven of the instances of underlining contained within the Heading 3 style to no underline and italic instead--in one single action.

Of course, I could have done the same thing with find and replace but this is much faster and lets me see formatting issues that I might otherwise have overlooked. For example, I frequently end up selectively tweaking character spacing (condensing the font) or slightly reducing inter-paragraph spacing in several places throughout a document to manually adjust to fit text for a final print layout. Getting rid of such things for subsequent use of the content is complicated because they are not evident. This task pane feature makes it simple: all of the variations are listed and I can do all of it from the panel without potentially losing other formatting I do want to retain. (As would be the case with superscripts and the like if they were within a selection and I just used Ctrl-Space to reset the font for example.) My panel showed all such variations as "Condensed by 0.1 pt" as well as "Condensed by 0.25 pt" and "Block indent + Before: 5 pt" so it was easy to reset them to the normal conditions. As you do so, the list gets shorter until (ideally) you are left with only the standard style list with allowable variants like italics within them.

In addition to Formatting in use, the other options at the bottom of the task pane in this view let you see Available styles (just the styles), Available formatting (the styles plus variants), All styles (your own plus default ones), and Custom (lets you select what to display). All-in-all, a very powerful tool for anyone who is serious about managing style usage in a Word document.

PARAGRAPH NAMING SCHEMES

LeAnne Baird wrote:

The paragraph naming scheme below is a pain to implement because legacy documents may need to have their styles replaced, but we bit the bullet and did it in one team I was on just because it is SUCH an elegant solution--so elegant that I've used it at every new company since we did the first one, and so have many of the other team members in *their* subsequent assignments.

🙂 Note: I've never used a complete template that didn't have more than 100 and less than 120 styles. Seems always to come out about the same regardless of the subject matter or document type!

1. Rename each paragraph (and character) style with a two-letter prefix followed by a space. Begin master and reference page styles with z or x +[letter or number] to send them to the bottom of the list.

2. Tag paragraphs from the keyboard by pressing F9, entering the prefix, and pressing Enter (or you may need to press one or two down arrows, see below). The desired style is applied.

This strategy makes the shortcuts easy to memorize through frequent use because we try hard to be logical, with the exception of "aa body," so named because it can always float to the top of the list. If you're forced to scroll for something, at least you can get close with F9+one key.

aa body

b1 bullet 1st level

b2 bullet 2nd level

bp bullet para

bp bullet para 2 (F9+bp+Down Arrow)

h1 heading 1

h2 heading 2

tb table body

th table heading

t1 table bullet 1

tp table bullet 1 para

s1 step 1

s2 subsequent steps

zc Chapter name

zn Chapter number

I am about finished with a MS Word template with customized style and table-insert toolbars so that our non-writer internal customers can easily use the same styles to produce consistently styled documents. These documents then (ZIP!) import right into Frame and lay themselves out with only minor nudges for print and PDF, and (ZIP!) right out through WWP to reformat as online Help systems.

By the way, for organizations looking toward the XML future, these are the considerations in style naming according to the quick-and-dirty search I did. Some of the major databases (SQL, Oracle, Sybase) do not support underscores in XML tag names, and for SQL processing XML tag names must start with two alpha characters. Of course, use no special characters, and this includes hyphens. Mixed case would seem to be OK, but the suggestion is that all the style names be mixed case if some are. (I can't imagine why this would make a difference, but who knows what lurks inside those db engines.) Also, in the XML naming specs, titles should not be longer than 30 characters for Sybase and Oracle, 18 for Informix.

In corresponding with LeAnne about this, Roger Shuttleworth noted:

Some folks suggest that you should keep paragraph (and character) format names to one word. One reason for this is that XML tags cannot contain spaces, and you may want to (ZIP!) them across to XML in some way in the future, perhaps as attributes. So I use an underscore rather than a space, and run the words together, such as RI_ReferenceInfo.

STANDARD STYLE LISTS FOR PUBLICATION TYPES

Steve Hudson was good enough to share his standard style lists for a variety of publication types, including the formatting for the styles!

PUBLISH TYPE: DRAFT

Body Text: Generic + Font: Arial, Hyphenate, Outline numbered, Tabs: 0 cm

Body Text C: Generic + Font: Arial, Centered, Hyphenate

Body Text R: Generic + Font: Arial, Flush Right, Hyphenate

Code: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Courier New, 10 pt, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Raised 1 pt, Font color: Auto, English (Australia), No effect, Pattern: Clear

Default Paragraph Font: The font of the underlying paragraph style + English (Australia)

Emphasis: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Bold, Not Italic, Underline color: Auto, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

FollowedHyperlink: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Not Italic, Underline, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Gray-50%, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Footer: Header +

Generic: Font: Times New Roman, 10 pt, English (Australia), Kern at 10 pt, Flush left, Line spacing single, Space before 3 pt after 3 pt, Widow/orphan control, Keep lines together, Suppress line numbers, Don't hyphenate

Glossary: Default Paragraph Font + Underline color: Auto, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Header: Generic + Font: Arial, Tabs: 7.3 cm centered, 14.64 cm right flush

Heading 1: Heading 4 + Font: 26 pt, Indent: Hanging 0.74 cm, Space before 18 pt after 21 pt, Level 1, Outline numbered, Tabs: 0.74 cm

Heading 1 No TOC: Generic + Font: Verdana, 26 pt, Bold, Space before 18 pt after 21 pt, Keep with next, Not Keep lines together

Heading 2: Heading 4 + Font: 22 pt, Indent: Hanging 0.74 cm, Space before 18 pt after 15 pt, Level 2, Outline numbered, Tabs: 0.74 cm

Heading 2 No TOC: Generic + Font: Verdana, 22 pt, Bold, Space before 18 pt after 15 pt, Keep with next, Not Keep lines together

Heading 3: Heading 4 + Font: 16 pt, Indent: Hanging 0.74 cm, Space before 18 pt after 15 pt, Level 3, Outline numbered, Tabs: 0.74 cm

Heading 4: Generic + Font: Verdana, 12 pt, Bold, Space before 6 pt after 6 pt, Keep with next, Not Keep lines together, Level 4

Heading 5: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt, Level 5

Heading 6: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt, Level 6

Heading 7: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt, Level 7

Heading 8: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt, Level 8

Heading 9: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt, Level 9

Heading-table-centred: Heading-table-left + Centered

Heading-table-left: Generic + Font: Arial Narrow, 13 pt, Bold, Hyphenate

Heading-table-right: Heading-table-left + Flush Right

Hyperlink: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Not Italic, Underline, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Blue, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Index 1: Generic + Font: Arial, Hyphenate

Index 2: Generic + Font: Arial, Indent: Left 0.74 cm First 0.74 cm, Hyphenate

Index 3: Generic + Font: Arial, Indent: Left 1.48 cm First 1.48 cm, Hyphenate

Input: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Tahoma, 9 pt, Bold, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

KeyPress: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Tahoma, 9 pt, Bold, Underline color: Auto, Not Small caps, All caps, No Proofing, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

List Bullet: Font: Arial, 10 pt, English (Australia), Kern at 10 pt, Indent: Hanging 0.74 cm Flush left, Line spacing single, Space before 3 pt after 3 pt, Widow/orphan control, Keep lines together, Suppress line numbers, Outline numbered, Tabs: 0.74 cm

List Number: Font: Arial, 10 pt, English (Australia), Kern at 10 pt, Indent: Hanging 0.74 cm Flush left, Line spacing single, Space before 3 pt after 3 pt, Widow/orphan control, Keep lines together, Suppress line numbers, Outline numbered, Tabs: 0.74 cm

List Number Outline: Font: Arial, 10 pt, English (Australia), Kern at 10 pt, Indent: Hanging 0.74 cm Flush left, Line spacing single, Space before 3 pt after 3 pt, Widow/orphan control, Keep lines together, Suppress line numbers, Outline numbered, Tabs: 0.74 cm

Microline: Normal + Font: 1 pt, Font color: White

Normal: Font: Arial, 10 pt, English (Australia), Kern at 10 pt, Flush left, Line spacing single, Widow/orphan control, Keep lines together, Suppress line numbers

Output: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Verdana, 9 pt, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Page Number: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Arial, Bold, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Subtitle: Title + Font: 18 pt, Space before 12 pt, Keep lines together

Terminal Screen: Generic + Font: Courier, 8 pt, No Proofing, Indent: Left 0.55 cm Right 0.55 cm, Space before 1 pt after 0 pt, Border: Top(Single solid line, Auto, 1 pt Line width), Bottom(Single solid line, Auto, 1 pt Line width), Left(Single solid line, Auto, 1 ...

TextBox: Generic + Font: Arial Narrow, Bold, Space before 0 pt after 0 pt, Hyphenate

TextBox C: TextBox + Centered

TextBox R: TextBox + Flush Right

Title: Generic + Font: Tahoma, 36 pt, Bold, Centered, Space before 72 pt after 12 pt, Not Keep lines together

TOC 1: Generic + Font: Verdana, 12 pt, Bold, No Proofing, Space before 18 pt, Keep with next, Not Keep lines together, Tabs: 0 cm, 14.64 cm right flush ...

TOC 2: TOC 1 + Font: Not Bold, Space before 3 pt after 0 pt, Keep lines together

TOC 3: TOC 2 + Font: 10 pt, Indent: Left 0.74 cm

TOC 4: TOC 3 + Indent: Left 1.48 cm, Space after 3 pt

TOC 5: TOC 2 + Font: 10 pt, Space after 3 pt

TOC 6: TOC 5 +

TOC 7: TOC 5 +

TOC 8: TOC 5 +

Version: Subtitle + Font: 14 pt, Not Bold, Space before 6 pt after 3 pt

PUBLISH TYPE: HELP

Body Text: Generic + Font: Arial, 12 pt, Hyphenate, Outline numbered, Tabs: 0 cm

Body Text C: Generic + Font: Arial, 12 pt, Centered, Hyphenate

Body Text R: Generic + Font: Arial, 12 pt, Flush Right, Hyphenate

Code: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Courier New, 12 pt, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Raised 1 pt, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Default Paragraph Font: The font of the underlying paragraph style + English (Australia)

Emphasis: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Bold, Not Italic, Underline color: Auto, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

FollowedHyperlink: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Not Italic, Underline, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Gray-50%, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Footer: Header +

Generic: Font: Times New Roman, 10 pt, English (Australia), Kern at 10 pt, Flush left, Line spacing single, Space before 3 pt after 3 pt, Widow/orphan control, Suppress line numbers, Don't hyphenate

Glossary: Default Paragraph Font + Underline color: Auto, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Header: Generic + Font: Arial, Tabs: 7.3 cm centered, 14.64 cm right flush

Heading 1: Heading 4 + Font: 28 pt, Space before 18 pt after 21 pt, Level 1

Heading 1 No TOC: Generic + Font: Verdana, 28 pt, Bold, Space before 18 pt after 21 pt, Keep with next, Keep lines together

Heading 2: Heading 4 + Font: 24 pt, Space before 18 pt after 15 pt, Level 2

Heading 2 No TOC: Generic + Font: Verdana, 24 pt, Bold, Space before 18 pt after 15 pt, Keep with next, Keep lines together

Heading 3: Heading 4 + Font: 18 pt, Space before 18 pt after 15 pt, Level 3

Heading 4: Generic + Font: Verdana, 14 pt, Bold, Space before 6 pt after 6 pt, Keep with next, Keep lines together, Level 4

Heading 5: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt, Level 5

Heading 6: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt, Level 6

Heading 7: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt, Level 7

Heading 8: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt, Level 8

Heading 9: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt, Level 9

Heading-table-centred: Heading-table-left + Centered

Heading-table-left: Generic + Font: Arial Narrow, 13 pt, Bold, Keep lines together, Hyphenate

Heading-table-right: Heading-table-left + Flush Right

Hyperlink: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Not Italic, Underline, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Blue, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Index 1: Generic + Font: Arial, 12 pt, Hyphenate

Index 2: Generic + Font: Arial, 12 pt, Indent: Left 0.74 cm First 0.74 cm, Hyphenate

Index 3: Generic + Font: Arial, 12 pt, Indent: Left 1.48 cm First 1.48 cm, Hyphenate

Input: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Tahoma, 11 pt, Bold, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

KeyPress: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Tahoma, 11 pt, Bold, Underline color: Auto, Not Small caps, All caps, No Proofing, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

List Bullet: Font: Arial, 12 pt, English (Australia), Kern at 10 pt, Indent: Hanging 0.74 cm Flush left, Line spacing single, Space before 3 pt after 3 pt, Widow/orphan control, Suppress line numbers, Outline numbered, Tabs: 0.74 cm

List Number: Font: Arial, 12 pt, English (Australia), Kern at 10 pt, Indent: Hanging 0.74 cm Flush left, Line spacing single, Space before 3 pt after 3 pt, Widow/orphan control, Suppress line numbers, Outline numbered, Tabs: 0.74 cm

List Number Outline: Font: Arial, 12 pt, English (Australia), Kern at 10 pt, Indent: Hanging 0.74 cm Flush left, Line spacing single, Space before 3 pt after 3 pt, Widow/orphan control, Suppress line numbers, Outline numbered, Tabs: 0.74 cm

Microline: Normal + Font: 1 pt, Font color: White

Normal: Font: Arial, 12 pt, English (Australia), Kern at 10 pt, Flush left, Line spacing single, Widow/orphan control, Suppress line numbers

Output: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Verdana, 11 pt, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Page Number: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Arial, Bold, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Subtitle: Title + Font: 18 pt, Space before 12 pt

TextBox: Generic + Font: Arial Narrow, Bold, Space before 0 pt after 0 pt, Hyphenate

TextBox C: TextBox + Centered

TextBox R: TextBox + Flush Right

Title: Generic + Font: Tahoma, 36 pt, Bold, Centered, Space before 72 pt after 12 pt

TOC 1: Generic + Font: Verdana, 12 pt, Bold, No Proofing, Space before 18 pt, Keep with next, Tabs: 0 cm, 14.64 cm right flush ...

TOC 2: TOC 1 + Font: 10 pt, Not Bold, Proof Text, Space before 3 pt after 0 pt, Not Keep with next, Tabs:Not at 0 cm, 14.64 cm

TOC 3: TOC 2 + Indent: Left 0.74 cm

TOC 4: TOC 3 + Indent: Left 1.48 cm, Space after 3 pt

TOC 5: TOC 2 + Space after 3 pt

TOC 6: TOC 5 +

TOC 7: TOC 5 +

TOC 8: TOC 5 +

Version: Subtitle + Font: 14 pt, Not Bold, Space before 6 pt after 3 pt

PUBLISH TYPE: PRODUCT

Body Text: Generic + Font: Arial, Hyphenate, Outline numbered, Tabs: 0 cm

Body Text C: Generic + Font: Arial, Centered, Hyphenate

Body Text R: Generic + Font: Arial, Flush Right, Hyphenate

Code: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Courier New, 10 pt, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Raised 1 pt, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Default Paragraph Font: The font of the underlying paragraph style + English (Australia)

Emphasis: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Bold, Not Italic, Underline color: Auto, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

FollowedHyperlink: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Not Italic, Underline, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Gray-50%, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Footer: Header +

Glossary: Default Paragraph Font + Underline color: Auto, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Header: Generic + Font: Arial, Tabs: 7.3 cm centered, 14.64 cm right flush

Heading 1: Heading 4 + Font: 26 pt, Space before 18 pt after 21 pt, Level 1, Numbered, Tabs: 0 cm

Heading 1 No TOC: Generic + Font: Verdana, 26 pt, Bold, Space before 18 pt after 21 pt, Keep with next, Not Keep lines together

Heading 2: Heading 4 + Font: 22 pt, Space before 18 pt after 15 pt, Level 2

Heading 2 No TOC: Generic + Font: Verdana, 22 pt, Bold, Space before 18 pt after 15 pt, Keep with next, Not Keep lines together

Heading 3: Heading 4 + Font: 16 pt, Space before 18 pt after 15 pt, Level 3

Heading 4: Generic + Font: Verdana, 12 pt, Bold, Space before 6 pt after 6 pt, Keep with next, Not Keep lines together, Level 4

Heading 5: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt, Level 5

Heading 6: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt, Level 6

Heading 7: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt, Level 7

Heading 8: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt, Level 8

Heading 9: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt, Level 9

Heading-table-centred: Heading-table-left + Centered

Heading-table-left: Generic + Font: Arial Narrow, 13 pt, Bold, Hyphenate

Heading-table-right: Heading-table-left + Flush Right

Hyperlink: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Not Italic, Underline, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Blue, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Index 1: Generic + Font: Arial, Hyphenate

Index 2: Generic + Font: Arial, Indent: Left 0.74 cm First 0.74 cm, Hyphenate

Index 3: Generic + Font: Arial, Indent: Left 1.48 cm First 1.48 cm, Hyphenate

Input: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Tahoma, 9 pt, Bold, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

KeyPress: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Tahoma, 9 pt, Bold, Underline color: Auto, Not Small caps, All caps, No Proofing, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Microline: Normal + Font: 1 pt, Font color: White

Normal: Font: Arial, 10 pt, English (Australia), Kern at 10 pt, Flush left, Line spacing single, Widow/orphan control, Keep lines together, Suppress line numbers

Output: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Verdana, 9 pt, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Page Number: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Arial, Bold, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Subtitle: Title + Font: 18 pt, Space before 12 pt, Keep lines together

TextBox: Generic + Font: Arial Narrow, Bold, Space before 0 pt after 0 pt, Hyphenate

TextBox C: TextBox + Centered

TextBox R: TextBox + Flush Right

Title: Generic + Font: Tahoma, 36 pt, Bold, Centered, Space before 72 pt after 12 pt, Not Keep lines together

TOC 1: Generic + Font: Verdana, 12 pt, Bold, No Proofing, Space before 18 pt, Keep with next, Not Keep lines together, Tabs: 0 cm, 14.64 cm right flush ...

TOC 2: TOC 1 + Font: 10 pt, Not Bold, Proof Text, Space before 3 pt after 0 pt, Not Keep with next, Keep lines together, Tabs:Not at 0 cm, 14.64 cm

TOC 3: TOC 2 + Indent: Left 0.74 cm

TOC 4: TOC 3 + Indent: Left 1.48 cm, Space after 3 pt

TOC 5: TOC 2 + Space after 3 pt

TOC 6: TOC 5 +

TOC 7: TOC 5 +

TOC 8: TOC 5 +

Version: Subtitle + Font: 14 pt, Not Bold, Space before 6 pt after 3 pt

PUBLISH TYPE: README

Body Text: Generic + Font: Arial, Hyphenate, Outline numbered, Tabs: 0 cm

Body Text C: Generic + Font: Arial, Centered, Hyphenate

Body Text R: Generic + Font: Arial, Flush Right, Hyphenate

Code: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Courier New, 10 pt, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Raised 1 pt, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Default Paragraph Font: The font of the underlying paragraph style + English (Australia)

Emphasis: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Bold, Not Italic, Underline color: Auto, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

FollowedHyperlink: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Not Italic, Underline, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Gray-50%, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Footer: Header +

Glossary: Default Paragraph Font + Underline color: Auto, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Header: Generic + Font: Arial, Tabs: 7.3 cm centered, 14.64 cm right flush

Heading 1: Heading 4 + Font: 15 pt, Space before 18 pt after 9 pt, Level 1, Numbered, Tabs: 0 cm

Heading 1 No TOC: Generic + Font: Verdana, 15 pt, Bold, Space before 18 pt after 9 pt, Keep with next, Not Keep lines together

Heading 2: Heading 4 + Font: 12 pt, Space before 18 pt, Level 2

Heading 2 No TOC: Generic + Font: Verdana, 12 pt, Bold, Space before 18 pt, Keep with next, Not Keep lines together

Heading 3: Heading 4 + Space before 18 pt, Level 3

Heading 4: Generic + Font: Verdana, Bold, Space before 6 pt, Keep with next, Not Keep lines together, Level 4

Heading 5: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt after 6 pt, Level 5

Heading 6: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt after 6 pt, Level 6

Heading 7: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt after 6 pt, Level 7

Heading 8: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt after 6 pt, Level 8

Heading 9: Heading 4 + Space before 3 pt after 6 pt, Level 9

Heading-table-centred: Heading-table-left + Centered

Heading-table-left: Generic + Font: Arial Narrow, 13 pt, Bold, Hyphenate

Heading-table-right: Heading-table-left + Flush Right

Hyperlink: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Not Italic, Underline, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Blue, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Index 1: Generic + Font: Arial, Hyphenate

Index 2: Generic + Font: Arial, Indent: Left 0.74 cm First 0.74 cm, Hyphenate

Index 3: Generic + Font: Arial, Indent: Left 1.48 cm First 1.48 cm, Hyphenate

Input: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Tahoma, 9 pt, Bold, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

KeyPress: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Tahoma, 9 pt, Bold, Underline color: Auto, Not Small caps, All caps, No Proofing, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Microline: Normal + Font: 1 pt, Font color: White

Normal: Font: Arial, 10 pt, English (Australia), Kern at 10 pt, Flush left, Line spacing single, Widow/orphan control, Keep lines together, Suppress line numbers

Output: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Verdana, 9 pt, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Page Number: Default Paragraph Font + Font: Arial, Bold, Underline color: Auto, No Proofing, Font color: Auto, No effect, Pattern: Clear

Subtitle: Title + Keep lines together

TextBox: Generic + Font: Arial Narrow, Bold, Space before 0 pt after 0 pt, Hyphenate

TextBox C: TextBox + Centered

TextBox R: TextBox + Flush Right

Title: Generic + Font: Tahoma, 15 pt, Bold, Centered, Space before 0 pt after 0 pt, Not Keep lines together

TOC 1: Generic + Font: Verdana, 12 pt, Bold, No Proofing, Keep with next, Not Keep lines together, Tabs: 0 cm, 14.64 cm right flush ...

TOC 2: TOC 1 + Font: 10 pt, Not Bold, Proof Text, Indent: Left 0.74 cm, Space before 0 pt after 0 pt, Not Keep with next, Keep lines together, Tabs:Not at 0 cm, 14.64 cm

TOC 3: TOC 2 + Indent: Left 1.48 cm

TOC 4: TOC 3 + Space before 3 pt after 3 pt

TOC 5: TOC 2 + Indent: Left 0 cm, Space before 3 pt after 3 pt

TOC 6: TOC 5 +

TOC 7: TOC 5 +

TOC 8: TOC 5 +

Version: Subtitle + Font: 10 pt, Not Bold, Space after 3 pt

Again, thanks to one and all for the terrific tips and information.

Standard Style List

Last week's newsletter explained the importance of using styles consistently in Microsoft Word, with a promise that this week I'd share my standard style list. As you look at the list, keep in mind that it was developed for styling books. If you work mostly on journals or magazines, your list will probably look quite different. I'm sharing my list primarily to give you an idea of what a fairly complete standardized list might look like. If you can use it or adapt it for what you do, great.

You'll notice that my style names are long. I've made them that way because I don't like trying to decipher names like HD1NI and BQ2. In some situations, however, that kind of brevity might be important, so do whatever works best for you. Sometimes, I've modified the names of built-in Word styles by adding a comma and then some descriptive text.

I've also modified the drop-down style list on Word's Formatting toolbar so it's nice and wide to accommodate those long style names. You can learn how to do that here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1709196044

I keep my styles in a template that I attach to any document I need to edit, and I've formatted the styles so they're easy on my middle-aged eyes. You can learn more about that here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1700934923

I'm also fond of using color in heading styles so I know at a glance whether I'm dealing with a first-, second-, or third-level subhead. You can learn more about that here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1710757772

As you review the list, you might wonder why I have so many variations of styles for block quotations, poetry, and a few other items. These are necessary for decent typography, as explained here:

http://www.editorium.com/editkit/TH_49.htm

The style named Normal,Text 1 is the basic body text for any book. It's named Normal,Text 1 rather than Normal for ease in importing documents into QuarkXPress, which uses a style named Normal that isn't always compatible with Word's Normal style. Many editors prefer to use a style named something like "Body Text" for the same reason.

Some of the styles end in "NI," which stands for "no indent." I use these to mark text that should have no paragraph indent. For example, Block Quote Start NI marks the first paragraph of a block quotation that begins somewhere in the middle of the paragraph being quoted. Normal Text 1 NI is used after a block quotation to mark text that does not begin a new paragraph but continues the thought of the text before the block quotation. Using these styles is the equivalent of writing "No paragraph" or "No indent" on a paper manuscript.

The name of each style is followed by a description of its function. The styles marked with an asterisk are the ones I use most often. If you'd like to see an actual Word template that includes such styles, you'll find one (named Typespec.dot) included with our Editor's ToolKit Plus program, which you can download here:

http://www.editorium.com/14857.htm

Feel free to use the template and modify it to suit your needs.

And now, here's the list:

Bib Subhead

Subheading separating different kinds of bibliographic entries. For example, a bibliography might include different entries under the subheadings of "Books," "Periodicals," and "Archival Materials."

Bib Text

The text of a bibliographic entry, such as "Pyle, Howard. *Salt and Pepper.* Harper and Brothers, New York, 1885."

*Block

A block quotation of one paragraph (indented).

*Block NI

A block quotation of one paragraph (not indented).

Block Heading

A heading at the beginning of a block quotation.

Block Subhead

A subheading between paragraphs of a block quotation.

*Block First

First paragraph of a block quotation (indented).

*Block First NI

First paragraph of a block quotation (not indented).

*Block Middle

Middle paragraph of a block quotation. The quotation may include more than one of these.

*Block Last

Last paragraph of a block quotation.

Block Source

Citation following a block quotation (usually someone's name).

Block Poem

A single line of poetry inside a block quotation.

Block Poem Heading

Heading before a poem inside a block quotation (usually the poem's title).

Block Poem Subhead

Subheading between stanzas of a poem inside a block quotation.

Block Poem First

First line of a poem inside a block quotation (possibly indented).

Block Poem First NI

First line of a poem inside a block quotation (possibly not indented).

Block Poem Start

Starting line of any poetry stanza but the first inside a block quotation (possibly indented).

Block Poem Start NI

Starting line of any poetry stanza but the first inside a block quotation (possibly not indented).

Block Poem Middle

Middle line of any poetry stanza inside a block quotation (possibly indented). The stanza may include more than one of these.

Block Poem Middle NI

Middle line of any poetry stanza inside a block quotation (possibly not indented). The stanza may include more than one of these.

Block Poem End

Ending line of any poetry stanza but the last inside a block quotation (possibly indented).

Block Poem End NI

Ending line of any poetry stanza but the last inside a block quotation (possibly not indented).

Block Poem Last

Last line of a poem inside a block quotation (possibly indented).

Block Poem Last NI

Last line of a poem inside a block quotation (possibly not indented).

Block Poem Source

Citation following a poem inside a block quotation (usually someone's name).

*Book Byline 1

A book's author. Used on the book's title page.

*Book Byline 2

A book's second author. Used on the book's title page.

Book Byline3

A book's third author. Used on the book's title page.

Book Byline4

A book's fourth author. Used on the book's title page.

*Book Publisher

A book's publisher (such as Random House or HarperCollins). Used on the book's title page.

Book Puff

A testimonial for the book. Used on the half-title page or jacket.

Book Puff Source

The name of a person giving the testimonial. Used under a book puff.

Book Puff Source Affiliation

The position or affiliation of a person giving the testimonial. Used under a book puff source.

*Book Series

The title of a series to which a book belongs, such as *The Lord of the Rings* (by J.R.R. Tolkien).

*Book Subtitle

A book's subtitle, such as *There and Back Again* (whose title is *The Hobbit*). Used on the book's title page.

Book Subsubtitle

A book's subsubtitle (yes, these do show up from time to time). Used on the book's title page.

Book Teaser

A line of marketing or explanatory copy. Used on the book's title page.

*Book Title

A book's title, such as *Fellowship of the Ring* (by J.R.R. Tolkien). Used on the book's title page.

*Caption

The caption under a photograph or other graphic.

*Chapter Number

The number of a chapter. See "Heading 1,Chapter Title."

Chapter Quote

A quotation at the beginning of a chapter.

Chapter Quote Source

A citation for a chapter quote. This is usually someone's name.

Chapter Subtitle

A subtitle after a chapter title (Heading 2,Chapter Title).

Chapter Subsubtitle

A subtitle after a chapter subtitle.

Colophon

A statement, usually on the last page of a book, describing elements of the book's production.

*Copyright

A book's copyright notice.

*Dedication

A book's dedication.

*Endnote Reference

A superscript reference number that refers to an endnote.

*Endnote Heading

A heading that introduces some endnotes, either at the end of a chapter or in a notes section at the back of the book. An example is "Notes to Chapter 12."

Endnote Subheading

A subheading between sections of endnotes.

*Endnote Text

The text of an endnote.

Epigraph

A saying or quotation that introduces a book ("Caveat lector").

Epigraph Source

The source of an epigraph, usually someone's name.

*Folio

A book's page number.

*Footnote Reference

A superscript reference number that refers to a footnote.

*Footnote Text

The text of a footnote.

Glossary Subhead

A subheading in a glossary.

Glossary Text

The text of a glossary entry.

*Heading 1,Part Title

Heading for a major section of a book. Using this level for part titles makes it possible to browse a book's sections in Microsoft Word's Outline View or Document Map.

*Heading 2,Chapter Title

Heading for a chapter title. Using this level for chapter titles makes it possible to browse a book's chapters in Microsoft Word's Outline View or Document Map.

*Heading 3,Subhead A

Subheading level A.

Heading 4,Subhead B

Subheading level B.

Heading 5,Subhead C

Subheading level C.

Heading 6,Subhead D

Subheading level D.

Heading 7,Subhead E

Subheading level E.

Heading 8,Subhead F

Subheading level F.

Heading 9,Subhead G

Subheading level G.

*Index 1 (Subject)

Text of an entry in a subject index.

Index 2 (Scripture)

Text of an entry in a scripture index.

Index 3 (Custom)

Text of an entry in some other kind of index.

Index Subhead

Subheading indicating a grouping of index entries. For example, an index to a biography of Mark Twain might include such subheadings as "Mark Twain, early life of" and "Mark Twain, writings of."

Jacket Blurb Book

Text of marketing copy (blurb) on a book jacket.

Jacket Blurb Author

Text of "about the author" copy on a book jacket.

Jacket Continued

Line of text explaining that the jacket blurb is continued on the back flap.

Letter Date

Date of a letter quoted in the text of a book ("June 10, 1900").

Letter Place

Place of a letter ("Boston").

Letter Salutation

Salutation of a letter ("Dear Ella").

Letter First

First paragraph of a letter.

Letter Middle

Middle paragraph of a letter. There may be more than one of these.

Letter Last

Last paragraph of a letter.

Letter Signature

Signature of the person writing a letter ("Your affectionate husband, William").

List

An item in a "list" consisting of a single item.

*List First

The first item in a list of items.

*List Middle

A middle item in a list of items. There may be more than one of these.

*List Last

The last item in a list of items.

*List Bullet

An item in a bulleted "list" consisting of a single item.

*List Bullet First

The first item in a list of bulleted items.

*List Bullet Middle

A middle item in a list of bulleted items. There may be more than one of these.

*List Bullet Last

The last item in a list of bulleted items.

List Number

An item in a numbered "list" consisting of a single item.

*List Number First

The first item in a list of numbered items.

*List Number Middle

A middle item in a list of numbered items. There may be more than one of these.

*List Number Last

The last item in a list of numbered items.

*Normal,Text 1

The normal text level of the body of a book.

*Normal Text 1 First

The first paragraph in a chapter or following a subheading. Used when the paragraph requires special formatting, such as extra leading.

*Normal Text 1 NI

Normal text, not indented. Usually used after a block quotation when the subject of the paragraph has not changed.

Normal Text 2

The second text level of the body of a book. Usually used to designate long passages from a second author.

Normal Text 2 First

The first paragraph in a chapter or following a subheading in a second text level. Used when the paragraph requires special formatting, such as extra leading.

Normal Text 2 NI

Second text level, not indented. Usually used after a block quotation when the subject of the paragraph has not changed.

Normal Text 3

The third text level of the body of a book. Usually used to designate long passages from a third author.

Normal Text 3 First

The first paragraph in a chapter or following a subheading in a third text level. Used when the paragraph requires special formatting, such as extra leading.

Normal Text 3 NI

Third text level, not indented. Usually used after a block quotation when the subject of the paragraph has not changed.

Note Text

The text of an "author's note" at the end of a book or chapter; not to be confused with endnote or footnote text.

Note Subhead

A subheading in a note.

Note Subsubhead

A subsubheading in a note.

*Part Number

The number of a major section of a book. See "Heading 1,Part Title."

Part Quote

A quotation at the beginning of a section.

Part Quote Source

A citation for a part quotation. This is usually someone's name.

Part Subsubtitle

A subtitle after a part title (Heading 1, Part Title).

Part Subtitle

A subtitle after a part subtitle.

Poem

A single line of poetry ("April is the cruelest month").

Poem Heading

Heading before a poem; usually the poem's title ("The Waste Land").

Poem Subhead

Subheading between stanzas of a poem ("What the Thunder Said").

*Poem First

First line of a poem (possibly indented).

*Poem First NI

First line of a poem (possibly not indented).

*Poem Start

Starting line of any poetry stanza but the first (possibly indented).

*Poem Start NI

Starting line of any poetry stanza but the first (possibly not indented).

*Poem Middle

Middle line of any poetry stanza (possibly indented). The stanza may include more than one of these.

*Poem Middle NI

Middle line of any poetry stanza (possibly not indented). The stanza may include more than one of these.

*Poem End

Ending line of any poetry stanza but the last (possibly indented).

*Poem End NI

Ending line of any poetry stanza but the last (possibly not indented).

*Poem Last

Last line of a poem (possibly indented).

*Poem Last NI

Last line of a poem (possibly not indented).

Poem Source

Citation following a poem (usually someone's name).

Pull Quote

A quotation set apart from the body text for emphasis.

Running Head First

First running head in a chapter, where such a running head needs different formatting from the other running heads (it may be centered, for example, while the others are left- and right-justified).

*Running Head Even

Running head on a left-hand (verso), even-numbered page.

*Running Head Odd

Running head on a right-hand (recto), odd-numbered page.

Sidebar Text

Text in a separate text box used as a direction, additional information, or tip.

Sidebar Head

Heading for sidebar text.

Table Heading

Heading that introduces a table.

Table Subhead

Subheading in a table.

Table Subsubhead

Subsubheading in a table.

Table Text

Text of a table.

_________________________________________

RESOURCES

Want to look at many more styles and templates? Check out the Microsoft Office Templates Gallery:

http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/templategallery/

Also, don't forget that Microsoft Word comes with a variety of useful templates. To see what these are:

1. Click "File."

2. Click "New."

3. Click the various tabs ("Publications," "Reports," etc.).

Styles and Standardization

In the early days of printing, the "source" for the words on a printed page was the metal type used in the press. Once the pages had been printed, the type was removed from the printing forms and resorted into bins, completely destroying the source text. Producing a new edition of the book meant setting, proofreading, and correcting the type all over again--an enormous investment of time and money.

Too often people still do essentially the same thing today, even though we now have the technology (and the necessity!) to preserve source text (which is now electronic) and create new editions from it in a variety of forms:

* Printed books.

* Web pages.

* Electronic reference libraries.

* PDF (Adobe Acrobat) documents.

* Palm and PocketPC documents.

* Dedicated e-book reader documents.

And so on.

FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION

Because people often need to produce a document (or parts of a document) in a variety of forms, a document's structure is far more important than its appearance--and in fact, its appearance should be derived from its structure. This is true because a document's appearance will change depending on the form in which it is presented. For example, a document presented on the printed page may look very different from the same document presented on a Web site.

In traditional typesetting, a chapter heading might be designed and typeset as 24-point Palatino. However beautiful that may be, it gives us no clue that the type is a chapter heading--information that would be crucial on a Web page or in an electronic reference library, where chapter headings might be used for linking, navigation, and so on. In other words, the heading's *function* is much more important than its *form.* Even in a particular printed book, if one chapter heading is set in 24-point Palatino, *all* of the book's chapter headings should be set in 24-point Palatino, because that signals the reader that any type so displayed *is,* in fact, a chapter heading. In type design, as in all other kinds of design, form should *follow* function.

Now consider what would happen if you had to put 300 different books together for an electronic reference library or Web site and needed to display all of the chapter headings for navigational purposes in a single table of contents. If chapter headings were electronically marked *as* chapter headings, it would be a piece of cake. If not, it would be a nightmare.

That's why it's no longer adequate to simply set type as 24-point Palatino. Instead, the type's *function* needs to be designated in a consistent, standardized way. Fortunately, that is not hard to do. In Microsoft Word, it's done with styles.

USING STYLES

Paragraph styles are a way to specify the function of a block of type and then assign a form (the type's appearance) to that function. As an example, consider the subheading above, "Using Styles." In a book, it might be formatted with a paragraph style named Heading 3, designating the line as a subheading. Heading 3 might format the line as 16-point Verdana type. However, it would be easy to redefine Heading 3 as 28-point Garamond, which would completely change its look. Nevertheless, it would *still* be styled as Heading 3--a subhead--and that can be useful in many ways.

For one thing, it would allow you to *change your mind* about a document's appearance. Let's say you've directly formatted (without styles) all of your main headings--102 of them, to be exact--as 24-point Arial, but the managing editor now thinks they should be bigger--28 points instead of 24. Let's also say you've used 24-point Arial elsewhere in your document, so you can't just find and replace the formatting you need to change. What does that mean? It means you now have the painful task of selecting and reformatting every single one of those 102 headings--unless, of course, you've used styles, in which case you can adjust the heading style with a few clicks of the mouse, *automatically* changing all 102 headings at once.

Using styles has other advantages, too:

* You can easily find one style and replace it with another. This is much simpler than having to search for directly applied formatting, such as 24-point Arial bold no indent.

* You can see and change the structure of your document in Outline view and Document Map.

* You can use the styles to automatically generate (or--after the author has added a new chapter--regenerate) a table of contents.

* You can use the styles to create automatic headers, footers, and cross-references.

If you're not using styles, you're spending a lot more time on formatting than you need to, and you're missing much of the power of Microsoft Word. In addition, you're making it difficult to reuse electronic text for other purposes--something we will all increasingly need to do.

STANDARD STYLE LIST

Because of this problem, you should consider marking type levels using a standard list of styles that will work well in your publishing environment. That doesn't mean every publication needs to *look* the same, since designers can *define* the styles any way they want. It does mean:

* Every publication should use styles from a standard list.

* No other styles should be used. In other words, don't just make up new ones as you go along. If you *need* a new one for a certain function not covered by the standard list, consult with others in your organization (such as typesetters and designers) so that everyone can be consistent.

* Styles should be used consistently from document to document. For example, you might always have Heading 1 be a part title, no matter what publication you are working on. Heading 2 could always be a chapter title. Heading 3 could always be a first-level subhead. And so on. If you then used the Heading 1 style for a chapter title or the Heading 2 style for a subhead, you would be at variance with the standard list, and that could cause problems in the future. Try not to think of a book as a single publication. Each book may eventually be part of a larger electronic *library* of books; if so, those books will need to be consistently produced.

* Text should not have directly applied formatting. For example, don't just select a heading and format it as 20-point Helvetica. Instead, apply the correct style for that heading and then *define* the style as 20-point Helvetica. In the short run, this may be a pain. In the long run, it will save enormous amounts of time, money, and frustration.

Stand by; next week I'll share my standard list of styles.

_________________________________________

READERS WRITE

David O. Taber wrote:

I'm looking for a MSWord add-in that supplements the spell/grammar checker functionality, to add extra rules of style. The idea is to catch hackneyed/overused words, expressions, or constructions automatically. For example, it would be cool to automatically flag the passive voice, incorrect capitalization, split infinitives. The usage mode is for a writer (me) to copy edit his own work for his own peculiar foibles.

I responded:

You might be interested in our MegaReplacer program, which allows you to customize your own list of such things. It also comes with some (free) lists of common corrections. You can learn more here:

http://www.editorium.com/14843.htm

In addition, you might want to make an "exclude dictionary" to take care of such things. You can learn more here:

http://www.topica.com/lists/editorium/read/message.html?mid=1709082320

Word's grammar checker will, to some extent, check passive voice, incorrect capitalization, and split infinitives, as well as overused words, etc. You may already know this, but you can set many such options under Tools/Options/Spelling & Grammar/Settings.

If those options aren't enough, you might be interested in Grammar Expert Plus, which looks more sophisticated than Microsoft's offering. You can learn more here:

http://www.wintertree-software.com/app/gramxp/index.html

Thanks to David for his message.

_________________________________________

RESOURCES

You'll find helpful tutorials on using styles at the following places:

Microsoft Word Legal User's Guide

http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/legal/styles.asp

Computer Tutor of San Francisco

http://www.geocities.com/w2css/styles/

Charles Kenyon's ADD Balance site

http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm