As I edit in Microsoft Word, I mark the various typesetting spec levels with styles, which will later be converted by our QuarkConverter program so they can be used as style sheets in QuarkXPress. However, I hate reaching for my mouse to apply styles. So, to make applying styles easy, I sometimes rename the styles with an "alias," which I can quickly type using the keyboard. For example, if I had a style called "Block," I might give it the alias of "b." Here's how it works:
1. Click the Format menu.
2. Click "Style."
3. Click the name of the style you want to rename with an alias.
4. Click the Modify button.
5. In the "Name" box, add a comma to the end of the name, followed by the alias you want to use. (There should be no space after the comma.) For example, to give our Block style an alias of "b," your entry would look like this:
Block,b
6. Click the "OK" button.
7. Click the "Close" button.
Now, to apply the style, do this:
1. Make sure the Formatting toolbar is displayed (View/Toolbars/Formatting).
2. Press CTRL + SHIFT + S to activate the list of styles in the Formatting toolbar.
3. Type the style alias ("b").
4. Press the Enter key.
The currently selected paragraph will be formatted with the Block style.
Aliases aren't limited to one character, and you can use aliases with character styles as well as paragraph styles.
In addition to using aliases, you can use keyboard shortcuts to apply styles. We'll talk about that next week.
To learn more about our QuarkConverter program, click here:
http://www.editorium.com/14846.htm
