Please define Text Style [No Style]

[chunkyRice]

Could you please define the characteristics of [No Style]? (and subsequently those of [Basic Paragraph])

I know there's a precedence for not defining basic styles in software, but from a logical point of view it's simply impossible to have text with no styling. Just like an object cannot exist without a few basic properties (dimensions, for instance, and the material it's made from), text (or a text style) cannot exist without some basic styling. Currently this logical impossibility is denied, showing no properties for [No Style] and showing [No change] for the Style settings and all individual properties of [Basic Paragraph].

It may sound like a very minor request, but I do think this oversight says something about the akward way Affinity treats Text Styles. Something which is reflected in some of the errors and feature requests that I find in these community forums. Acknowledging the fact that no style can exist without properties, might be a step in the right direction.

[walt.farrell]

In case you're not aware of it, you can define what you want [No Style] to be.

1. Create some text with [No Style].
2. Style it as you want, then make sure it's selected.
3. Edit > Defaults > Synchronize from Selection then Edit > Defaults > Save.

[MikeTO]

IMO, Edits > Defaults > Save doesn't define No Style, it defines defaults. For example, if you turn off Underline and save defaults, and then later choose No Style for underlined text, the underline will not be removed.

1 hour ago, chunkyRice said:

from a logical point of view it's simply impossible to have text with no styling

Text without a text style still has local formatting (individual character and paragraph attributes) which is inherited from the current defaults, which you can update as Walt pointed out.

1 hour ago, chunkyRice said:

Currently this logical impossibility is denied, showing no properties for [No Style] and showing [No change] for the Style settings and all individual properties of [Basic Paragraph].

There is no Basic Paragraph in Publisher and Publisher's No Style is not a direct equivalent to ID's Basic Paragraph. If you have Basic Paragraph style listed, it's because you opened an IDML document. The IDML Basic Paragraph is imported as a regular paragraph style, no different from any other paragraph style, because that's what it really is.

In ID, Basic Paragraph means "change the paragraph style to Default Paragraph" which applies the attributes of Default Paragraph. In Publisher, No Style means "remove the paragraph style" which removes its attributes, leaving the local formatting. Both are logical ways of working but if you're used to the InDesign/MS Word approach to text styles it may require a bit of a mind shift.

When 2.3 is released I'll upload an expanded version of my free Publisher manual and in that version I've described in detail how text styles and local formatting works..

Good luck.

[Old Bruce]

2 hours ago, MikeTO said:

IMO, Edits > Defaults > Save doesn't define No Style, it defines defaults. For example, if you turn off Underline and save defaults, and then later choose No Style for underlined text, the underline will not be removed.

I think that is most likely because the underline is a Character trait, unless it is applied to the entire paragraph's text. Applying [No Style] (as a paragraph style) won't remove the underlining because the underlining is not defined.

Does seem weird that the underlining isn't removed when applying [No Style] though.