Style Mystery

November 21, 2008 6:40 PM

How do I make a Word style that leaves certain attributes alone?

In MS Word (2007), I'd like to make a paragraph style that specifies a font family and size, but not text color. In other words, if I apply my style to a block of text, I want the color to be left alone. I tried Font Color: Automatic, though I confess I don't know what that means, but applying the style still changed the color.

posted by king walnut to Computers & Internet (2 answers total)

Hmm... I know what you are trying to do, and I can't seem to do it either.

Have you ever considered creating a macro instead? They are pretty easy to do in Word, and you don't need any programming skills. I love macros!!!!

I have Word 2003 the method for doing this in 2007 will likely vary, but here it goes:

1) Select (i.e. highlight) text whose style needs to be changed.
1.5) In the menu bar, click Tools, Macro, Record New Macro.
2) The Record Macro dialog box appears.
3) Indicate a name for the macro and specify either a button or a keyboard shortcut for the macro.
4) Click OK to start recording.
5) Apply the formatting changes to your text
6) Click the Stop button once you are finished.

To run the macro, click on the button or press the keyboard shortcut combination you created for the macro.

Hope this works!
posted by bitteroldman at 7:40 PM on November 21, 2008

Font Color: Automatic means "go with the default color for this context", which is almost always black.

I tried defining a style based on a mixed-color paragraph; that didn't work.

THEN I went into the Style definition (Format / Styles and Formatting... / Fomatting of selected text / dropdown menu: Modify...), changed the new style to Style based on: "(no style)", and voila! A multicolor paragraph in Normal style, changed to my new style, retains its multicolor formatting (but changes font & font size).
posted by IAmBroom at 7:45 PM on November 21, 2008