Forum Discussion
Word Styles - Custom Styles setup & txt formatted but shows as 'Normal' style
>>In other words, the appearance of each text paragraph is correct, but without the proper styles applied to text.
Correct.
>>It is as if someone has formatted each text paragraph one by one by applying the font, size, etc.? In Word terminology, this is called direct formatting (= formatting which is applied directly to text instead of being applied via one or more paragraph styles).
Correct again, but nobody has done any direct formatting. I setup and formatted the file with custom styles so information could be added and styled easily. As far as I'm aware, nobody has tried to reformat anything. They have cut and pasted things from other files or from websites, but not done any custom formatting. They send it back to me to reformat.
>> Sometimes, you see this happening with content which has been pasted from external files/programs.
I've been dealing with clients for over 20 years that send me docs like this where they cut and pasted from external files/programs, but this has NEVER happened before which is why it has me stumped.
CDFFAB ,
just what you typed confirms my suspicion. I've worked with Word since 1994 (Windows 3.11), just like you, and corrected many broken or unstyled documents - including some looking like the one you describe. Not an uncommon sight. I am nearly 100% sure that what you describe is due to users' improper use of Word's functions. I even have a suspicion someone might work on it using either a Word Perfect or Libre Office. It just strips the styles of their formatting.
Like you, we are left with fixing and restyling the documents again and again and again, just because people ignore some simple rules.
But, since you say the styles are still there, paragraphs are 'styled', but all the styles' attributes were stripped making them look like Normal, importing the styles from your original document should reapply the correct styles tributes to them.
You will be left with this work for as long as people will not adhere to a preferred way of working with MS Word and the template you created.
- Just to add, if it is the other way round, my mistake - working on two things at the same time - that all text is Normal but with direct formatting, you are also in luck. Using Find and Replace's Style part will also make the fix a quick process.
We won't be able to help you, though, wit the 'why', as there are other users involved, and unless you find out exactly who used what, you may never know the source :(.- >>Using Find and Replace's Style part will also make the fix a quick process.
Tried this but all text is attached to the Normal style, so I can't find other styles. they're blank. If I search for Normal and replace with (eg) heading 1, the WHOLE document will be formatted as Heading 1 😉- You need to be specific.
Find → Style, choose the attributes.
Replace → Style, choose the correct style.
For example:
Find → Style, Font: 14, Bold, Paragraph: Indent 0.25
Replace → Style Heading 1.
Etc.