default text style override

[JohnRobert]

How do you get default override behavior for text styles to stick? This is about Publisher's local/character formatting override behavior when applying a paragraph text style to text in a Publisher text frame, imported text in this case. The override options are available by right-clicking a style name in the text styles panel. Right-clicking a paragraph style in the text styles panel shows a list of potential overrides of local or character formatting that came in with the imported paragraph. For example, there is an option to apply the paragraph style to the selected paragraph(s) plus preserve local formatting like bold and italic. Publisher help says: "You can also set the default override behavior for your styles in readiness for applying the style directly from the [text styles] panel. "

I cannot get my default selection to stick, despite deselecting all text and text frames in the document per help's instructions. 

Any help much appreciated.

John Robert

[thomaso]

Hi @JohnRobert,
Welcome to the Affinity Forums!

Unfortunately this feature to "set the default override behaviour" mentioned in the Help appears not to work to make it preselected (= set the check mark).

Quote

You can also set the default override behaviour for your styles in readiness for applying the style directly from the panel. Simply deselect all text and text frames in advance, then check the above options you want enforced. When you select the text style name from the style list, the previously set override behaviour will be used on 'target' paragraphs. https://affinity.help/publisher/English.lproj/index.html?page=pages/Text/textStyles.html?title=Using text styles

Though the interface appears to be prepared to show a check mark the only option where it occurs is either none or the first only, »Apply "style name" to Paragraphs«, respectively »Apply "style name" to Characters« but never the wanted »Apply "style name" to Paragraphs and Preserve Local Formatting".

If I choose the wanted option for a style which has no check mark set the first option will get checked instead of the selected.

fig. 1.: first trial. Note, there is no check mark set yet.

fig. 2.: second trial. see the check mark: it is set at the first option, not the previously selected one of fig. 1.

I assume this is a bug. Hopefully someone might pop-in with a second experience.

[NathanC]

Hi @JohnRobert welcome to the forums,

You're only able to set tick the 'Apply <Text Style> to Paragraphs' and 'Apply <Text Style> to Characters' within this menu as defaults as these are the only options that apply when you are creating a new text frame, it wouldn't be logical to be able to tick the other options as default within this menu since they wouldn't apply to a new empty text frame since there wouldn't be any pre-existing local formatting.

[thomaso]

52 minutes ago, NathanC said:

it wouldn't be logical to be able to tick the other options as default within this menu since they wouldn't apply to a new empty text frame since there wouldn't be any pre-existing local formatting.

Why is that? If there is no local formatting, nothing would have to be preserved, but why would that preclude selecting the option? Otherwise, I couldn't/shouldn't select this option at all when applying a first style to a new, empty text frame – but I can. It just isn't then retained for the next object, as the help seems to suggest.

The confusing and possibly buggy part here seems to be that the Help mentions this option & workflow literally:

Quote

You can also set the default override behaviour for your styles in readiness for applying the style directly from the panel. Simply deselect all text and text frames in advance, then check the above options you want enforced.

Are you able to set the check mark as default (as durable ticked setting) for any situation at all? If yes, can you show doing this?

[NathanC]

59 minutes ago, thomaso said:

Why is that? If there is no local formatting, nothing would have to be preserved, but why would that preclude selecting the option? Otherwise, I couldn't/shouldn't select this option at all when applying a first style to a new, empty text frame – but I can. It just isn't then retained for the next object, as the help seems to suggest.

As far as I'm aware you're only able to tick the aforementioned Paragraph/Character style options to default only since this sets the default Para/Text style when a new text frame is created in a document. It's possible that the other Clear/Preserve options were prevented from being set as default since they wouldn't be relevant to a completely empty text frame which this Default override/Check is intended for.

59 minutes ago, thomaso said:

The confusing and possibly buggy part here seems to be that the Help mentions this option & workflow literally:

Quote

You can also set the default override behaviour for your styles in readiness for applying the style directly from the panel. Simply deselect all text and text frames in advance, then check the above options you want enforced.

Agreed, the help notes are not entirely clear about this, I'll raise this back here.

59 minutes ago, thomaso said:

Are you able to set the check mark as default (as durable ticked setting) for any situation at all? If yes, can you show doing this?

I've been able to ensure this check mark stays persistently as my default style by following the below:

1. Creating a New Document
2. With the text frame tool selected but no layers highlighted, I right clicked a text style and set it to Apply 'Bullet 1' to Paragraphs 
3. As I draw out multiple text frames, they all retain the default 'Bullet 1' paragraph style.

[thomaso]

16 minutes ago, NathanC said:

Agreed, the help notes are not entirely clear about this, I'll raise this back here.

It sounds clear to me. Consider, why would / should the UI design implement the visual checkmark in front of the various options if they are not meant to be possible, available settings? For just selecting an option, the checkmarks are entirely redundant, –  they don't occur with a selected option, instead the option gets highlighted.

16 minutes ago, NathanC said:

I've been able to ensure this check mark stays persistently as my default style by following the below:

1. Creating a New Document
2. With the text frame tool selected but no layers highlighted, I right clicked a text style and set it to Apply 'Bullet 1' to Paragraphs 
3. As I draw out multiple text frames, they all retain the default 'Bullet 1' paragraph style.

Yes, that is like selecting a fill colour or stroke width before drawing a rectangle.

But what I am asking / wondering is if you can manage that, if you choose your style "Bullet1" to apply it to a text with partially local formatting, the option to Preserve is automatically used (with or without being visually ticked). In my eyes it would definitely make sense to get this option working as the Help describes – just to increase the workflow efficiency this way if wanted.

Edited June 1, 2022 by thomaso
addition