You can apply an OpenType “style” to characters to display different, specially designed, or repositioned glyphs within the current font. For example, you can apply Fractions to access specific fraction glyphs instead of manually formatting fractions by resizing and repositioning existing characters. Likewise, applying Standard Ligatures represents characters according to ligatures available in the font. (See “Using ligatures” for more information.) You can apply many styles in combination, although some, such as Superscript and Subscript, are mutually exclusive.

To apply OpenType styles in the Character Attributes dialog box (Style > Character) and the Edit Character Attributes panes (Edit > Style Sheets) for setting up character and paragraph style sheets, click the arrow next to OpenType to display the styles, and then use the check boxes to apply styles. A check box that is unavailable or a drop-down menu option in brackets indicates an OpenType style that the current font does not support.

OpenType styles available in the Character Attributes dialog box

OpenType styles include the following:

• Standard Ligatures: Apply ligatures that are designed to enhance readability and are in standard use.
• Discretionary Ligatures: Apply ligatures that are not in standard use. This feature covers the ligatures that may be used for special effect at the user’s preference.
• Tabular Figures: Apply equal widths to numbers.
• Proportional Figures: Apply unequal widths to numbers.
• Small Caps: Apply small capital letters to lowercase non-CJK (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) characters.
• All Small Caps: Apply small capital letters to all non-CJK (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) characters.
• Lining Figures: Apply modern numeric styles that align better with text that is in all capital letters.
• Oldstyle Figures: Apply numeric styles that are best suited for numbers that are integrated into text.
• Italics: Apply italic glyphs.
• Fractions: Apply slashed fraction glyphs.
• Swashes: Apply calligraphic glyphs.
• Ordinals: Apply ordinal number glyphs.
• Titling Alternates: Apply capital letter glyphs designed for titles at larger point sizes.
• Contextual Alternates: Apply alternate glyph variations based on contextual juxtapositions of text.
• Localized Forms: Replace default forms of glyphs with localized forms.
• Position: Apply superscript, subscript, scientific inferior, numerator, and denominator glyphs to selected text.