Creating and editing paragraph style sheets

A paragraph style sheet is a named package of paragraph and character attributes. You can apply all of a paragraph style sheet’s formatting attributes to text by simply applying the style sheet to the text. To create, edit, duplicate, or delete paragraph style sheets, use the Style Sheets dialog box (Edit > Style Sheets).

QuarkXpress db style sheets Creating and editing paragraph style sheets

Use the Style Sheets dialog box to create, edit, and delete style sheets.

To create a paragraph style sheet, choose Paragraph from the New drop-down button. The Edit Paragraph Style Sheet dialog box displays. Use the controls in this dialog box to configure the attributes of the style sheet.

QuarkXpress db edit paragraph style sheet Creating and editing paragraph style sheets

Use the Edit Paragraph Style Sheet dialog box to configure a paragraph style sheet.

First, configure the controls in the General tab:

  • Name: Enter a name in this field, or the application will use a default “New Style Sheet” name.
  • Keyboard Equivalent: To define a keyboard command for the style sheet, enter one in the Keyboard Equivalent field. You can enter any combination of Command, Option, Shift, or Control/Ctrl or Ctrl+Alt, along with a function or keypad key.
  • If you define a keyboard equivalent for a style sheet with a key sequence that also defines an existing command, the style sheet command will override the existing command when the Text Content tool QuarkXpress tool text content Creating and editing paragraph style sheets is selected and a text box is active.
  • Based on: To base the attributes of a new style sheet on an existing one, click the Based on drop-down menu and choose a style sheet from the list. Note that if you use the Based on drop-down menu in the Edit Paragraph Style Sheet dialog box to base a style sheet on an existing one, changes you make to the original style sheet are automatically applied to those based on it.
  • Next Style: To select a transition from one paragraph style sheet to another after entering a carriage return, choose a paragraph style sheet from the Next Style drop-down menu.
  • Style: To associate a character style sheet with the paragraph style sheet, choose an option from the Style drop-down menu in the Character Attributes area. To create a character style sheet, see “Creating and Editing Character Style Sheets.”

Next, use the Formats, Tabs, and Rules tabs to specify additional attributes for your paragraph style sheet. When you’re done, click OK to return to the Style Sheets dialog box, then click Save to save the style sheet. After you save a paragraph style sheet, it is listed in the Paragraph Style Sheet submenu (Style menu) and also in the Style Sheets palette.

Note: When you create a style sheet with no projects open, that style sheet becomes part of the default style sheet list and is included in all subsequently created projects. When you create a style sheet with an project open, that style sheet is included only in the active project’s style sheet list.
Note: To create a paragraph style sheet based on formatted text, first place the text insertion point within a paragraph that uses the format attributes that you want in your paragraph style sheet. Choose Edit > Style Sheets to display the Style Sheets dialog box. Choose New > Paragraph and enter a name in the Name field. Click Save. Then apply the new style sheet to the paragraph.

Updating paragraph style sheets

When you place the cursor in a paragraph that has uniform local formatting applied, you can update the style sheet applied to that text to include the local formatting by clicking the Update button QuarkXpress icon update char style sheet Creating and editing paragraph style sheets. Alternatively, you can choose Style > Update Style Sheet > Paragraph.

To update both the paragraph style sheet and the character style sheet applied to text so that they reflect local formatting, choose Style > Update Style Sheet > Both.

Creating and editing paragraph style sheets