Edit "Styles" and/or include "Text Frame" parameters within "Text Styles"

[Nathan Shirley 7]

Allow "Styles" to be modified in a similar way that they're saved. Currently they can't be modified/edited.

You could simply select the modified object which you want to use to update the "Style," right-click on the "Style" you want to update/edit, and click on the new option "update Style from selection." That would be great.

And/or...

Allow "Text Styles" to include "Text Frame" parameters.

[walt.farrell 5,046]

From our other discussion, you probably also want the updated Style to apply to objects that had the old Style applied. That can't happen without tracking the Style that is applied to objects.

But in the case of Text Frames, that gives the other problem that, for example, different pieces of text in a frame can have different Paragraph or Character Text Styles applied. If you have a frame that has a Style applied, and that Style has Paragraph or Character Text Style information in it, that information will update all the text in the frame.

Reapplying the Style would lose any individual paragraph or character settings for the text. It's really only safe to apply such a Style to a frame that has not had any text added to it.

[Nathan Shirley 7]

Right, that's a very good point.

 

So in that case Styles should be left alone (well, it would still be handy to be able to update them from a selection).

 

But Text Styles should include Text Frames in saved settings. Also there should be an option to "update all items associated with this Text Style." That way, if you made a change to a Text Style, for example modified paragraph spacing, you could then update all items in a project created with that Text Style so they would all reflect the new paragraph spacing. Having to select hundreds or thousands to change them all would be a nightmare.

[walt.farrell 5,046]

1 hour ago, Nathan Shirley said:

Also there should be an option to "update all items associated with this Text Style." That way, if you made a change to a Text Style, for example modified paragraph spacing, you could then update all items in a project created with that Text Style so they would all reflect the new paragraph spacing. Having to select hundreds or thousands to change them all would be a nightmare.

That's already the way that Text Styles work. No option needed. Change a Text Style and the items it was applied to are updated automatically.

[Nathan Shirley 7]

Ah good to know, I guess I was assuming that wasn't the case since it's possible to modify an item associated with a Text Style, but not modify the Text Style by doing so (unless you specifically tell it to). Good to have all options.

So yes, just add Text Frame parameters to Text Styles and it would be perfect.

[walt.farrell 5,046]

And when the text within a Text Frame has different Text Styles applied, which should "win" for setting the Text Frame parameters?

Also, is this just for stroke/fill, or is there something else associated with a Text Frame that you want the Text Styles to support?

[Nathan Shirley 7]

Okay I see what you mean. Perhaps there's just no great way to do something like this.

[james948 7]

Sorry to hop on this so late but I'd like Text Frame Styles so that I can apply insets. 

I can't see that this is possible at the moment. 

[Joachim_L 1,089]

8 minutes ago, james948 said:

Sorry to hop on this so late but I'd like Text Frame Styles so that I can apply insets.

Wouldn't left / right indents and space before and after paragraph not work for you?

[OzFrog 0]

On 3/19/2021 at 2:49 AM, james948 said:

Sorry to hop on this so late but I'd like Text Frame Styles so that I can apply insets. 

I can't see that this is possible at the moment. 

Absolutely agree. All of the frame properties should be able to be applied with a style.

[james948 7]

On 3/18/2021 at 3:57 PM, Joachim_L said:

Wouldn't left / right indents and space before and after paragraph not work for you?

the indents work. the space before and after doesn't change oddly. 

[loukash 542]

55 minutes ago, james948 said:

space before and after doesn't change oddly

Watch out for the "Space between same styles", "Sum space before and after" and "Use space before" options.

On 3/18/2021 at 4:49 PM, james948 said:

I'd like Text Frame Styles

+1!

On 3/18/2021 at 4:49 PM, james948 said:

I can't see that this is possible at the moment. 

You can save formatted text frames as global assets, preserving all attributes incl. text style.
It's a different workflow (I'm trying to avoid the unbeloved "workaround" term here) but it can fit the same purpose in many scenarios.

[loukash 542]

On 3/18/2021 at 4:49 PM, james948 said:

I can't see that this is possible at the moment. 

Another workflow:

1. copy the formatted text frame (or any object, for that matter) to the clipboard
2. select the unformatted destination object(s)
3. Edit > Paste Style (note that it also affects any text inside a text frame)

Edited March 21 by loukash