Styles Panel

[SonjaThompson]

Hi,

Problem:  I keep running up against this problem with the Styles panel:

1. I create a style, say a line style I want around an object.

2. I go to an object I want to apply that line to.  I want the object to keep it's fill, just apply the line.

3. When I select the object then apply the style, the fill is replaced with all attributes of whatever the style was created with, including transparent fill.  

Question: is there a way to save a style so that it only applies the attributes I want it to, similar to the Style Picker?  Or even allow selecting attributes when I apply it?

Styles Example.afpub

[GarryP]

Styles are a quick ‘all or nothing’ way to apply formatting and you cannot selectively apply parts of the formatting when applying a Style.

[Alfred]

11 hours ago, SonjaThompson said:

Question: is there a way to save a style so that it only applies the attributes I want it to, similar to the Style Picker?  Or even allow selecting attributes when I apply it?

This would be a useful and powerful enhancement. In PagePlus, Serif’s legacy DTP application, there is a ‘Paste Format Plus’ command which allows the user to choose which of the copied attributes they don’t want to apply to the target object/s, as well as setting the parameters for the attributes to be applied, including any new ones. For example, having selected and copied a red shape with a drop shadow and a linear transparency, selecting a green object and choosing ‘Paste Format Plus’ invokes a style attributes editor dialog where you could clear the colour and transparency checkboxes (so that only the drop shadow is applied) or you could change the fill to blue, tweak the appearance of the drop shadow, and add a ‘Bevel and Emboss’ effect.

Edited August 8, 2024 by Alfred
Added more details

[walt.farrell]

For now, you could create a temporary object, apply the Style to it, use the Style Picker on that temporary object, then apply just what you want to the real object using the Style Picker. Then delete the temporary object.

[SonjaThompson]

Seems like a lot of extra work...especially when I want to apply a consistent style for objects across a document or a book...

[thomaso]

39 minutes ago, SonjaThompson said:

I want to apply a consistent style for objects across a document or a book...

Workaround: Since the Style Picker Tool allows you to assign only selected style attributes, and you seem to use the style frequently, you could place objects with the desired style attributes on the pasteboard of a master page. This will offer you this style template objects next to each spread you want, and allow you to pick + assign just the stroke each time. So the objects on the pasteboard get used like a "custom Style Panel" that is displayed next to every spread.

[SonjaThompson]

That's a pretty good workaround, best yet.

I'm going to forget and have to Ctrl-Z a lot.  If I'm not using a master page, I'll have to create it and delete it.  If I'm using multiple masters, I'll have to put it on each one. 

I'd prefer to set up a style, identifying the intended part(s) to transfer as a convenience, just because I'm lazy and don't want to think hard about the tool when I'm being creative with a project.

But I get it...and I'll stand down at this point...hope for something convenient down the line.  I'm a programmer by the way -- and in an odd way, I just like to do that kind of stuff, even though I'm retired.  Do you need help? LOL.

[dominik]

14 minutes ago, SonjaThompson said:

If I'm using multiple masters, I'll have to put it on each one. 

Hello @SonjaThompson,

you can apply a master page to another master page. In other words you can have one master page that holds all your 'style templates' and this one you apply to all of your other master pages. If you change something in one place it will be transferred to all other pages.

d.

[thomaso]

1 hour ago, dominik said:

you can apply a master page to another master page. In other words you can have one master page that holds all your 'style templates' and this one you apply to all of your other master pages. If you change something in one place it will be transferred to all other pages.

… and you can assign multiple master pages to your document pages: This way a page can have Master A + Master B assigned, or Master A+C, or B+C, or A+B+C or C only for instance, @SonjaThompson.

Unfortunately, no list or overview of the applied masters is available. Instead, we have to hover over the page thumbnails spread by spread to see the applied names. In this respect, it may make more sense to apply master pages to master pages instead. The most efficient method depends on the required number of masters and on the frequency of multiple masters on document pages.