Applying Text Frame Styles To just the Frame (Publisher)?

[GMARTINARTIST]

Hiya. I am wondering if it is possible to apply just the frame styles to a new text frame without it also altering the text within the frame. So, for example, I have many frames full of already formatted text but I want the frames outlines, insets and colours to all match a previous box by adding a style but at the moment it also seems to chang the text within the frames too. It would be handy to be able to just apply just the frame (box) settings.

Hope that makes sense?

Edited December 1, 2024 by GMARTINARTIST

[GarryP]

Welcome to the forums @GMARTINARTIST

If you use the Style Picker Tool, and set Character Settings and Paragraph Settings to OFF, then you should be able to do what I think you want.

See attached video where I first Unload the Picker (not always necessary), then click the ‘donor’ frame and then Ctrl+click the ‘recipient’ frames. Note that the font used for the text doesn’t change from what it was originally in each ‘recipient’ frame.

[GMARTINARTIST]

Thank you @GarryP for putting that video together - that's really useful for quick changes. What I was hoping for was a way for the non-text styles to be stored in a style sheet so if I then change my mind about the outline or colour, I could just alter the 'frame' style sheet and it would affect all of the items in one go.

[GarryP]

Unfortunately there’s nothing like that that I know of, and Styles are not linked back to the original like Paragraph Styles are for instance.

You might be able to use States to do what you want but its usefulness might depend on how your document is organised.

[Latens]

Create a text frame on the masterpage>set its "frame style" there.
On the regular page select edit linked for the masterpage object/layer.
On the masterpage itself or with edited linked, use gradient tool>select stroke from first dropdown.
Select frame from second dropdown>alter the type and color.
Or use the select same options from Menu>Select>Select Same/Object and also use the gradient tool here.

[GMARTINARTIST]

Thanks @GarryP and thanks for the suggestion @Return, I'll give that a try tomorrow when I get back to the document.