Re: [libreoffice-users] Paragraph styles

I haven't seen this posted yet so here goes.   I recognize the 
benefits/uses of paragraph styles and do use them, but one major 
drawback for me is the apparently very complicated steps involved in 
using them in other documents.   I know I can save a styled document as 
a template, but short of that, it's a PITA to share styles (IMO).  There 
ought to be an easier way than the "import" procedure.

On 5/1/13 3:00 PM, users+help@global.libreoffice.org wrote:
> Subject:
> Re: [libreoffice-users] Paragraph styles
> From:
> "Virgil Arrington" <cuyfalls@hotmail.com>
> Date:
> 4/30/13 3:53 PM
>
> To:
> <dsliesse@liessefamily.net>, <users@global.libreoffice.org>
>
>
> Dave asked,
>
> > Are you implying that if I want to, say, indent one paragraph with no
> other changes, I should create a new style for that?  Seems like a lot
> of work since it can be done with one mouse clicks (or, if I ever get
> around to learning how to create shortcut keys, one keystroke
> combination) plus navigating to the paragraph.
>
> Valid question. Your example demonstrates the tension between using 
> styles and direct formatting. To make such a small change using styles 
> would indeed be more work than using direct formatting. But, in my 
> experience, too many users use that one paragraph as an illustration 
> of why they don't want to learn or use styles at all. In order to keep 
> from spending a few minutes to create a new style, they end up 
> sentencing themselves to hours of unnecessary labor directly 
> formatting paragraphs when they could be much more efficient with styles.
>
> Obviously, that one change to that one paragraph isn't going to 
> destroy your document, but small changes like that tend to multiply. 
> Do it too many times in a document, and you will end up with 
> formatting problems, such as remembering which paragraphs were 
> formatted with styles and which were formatted directly. Also, let's 
> say you make that one small change, and then later decide you want to 
> change something more globally. That one directly formatted paragraph 
> could get in the way of a later global change.
>
> Also, don't get sucked in to comparing amounts of labor to perform a 
> task. At first, the creation of a paragraph style *always* appears to 
> take more work than direct formatting, which is why many users never 
> cross the styles threshold. But, cross that threshold once, and you 
> will save yourself mountains of labor later by using the styles it 
> took you so much time to create in the first place.
>
> Ideally, I will use styles for each and every paragraph in my 
> documents. It provides formatting consistency, and I never have to 
> remember which paragraphs I may have formatted directly. Yes, on 
> occasion, I will spend more time formatting a single paragraph by 
> creating a new style, but I consider that a one-off "cost of doing 
> business" with styles, which will be more than offset by the hours I 
> will save myself later by using styles throughout my documents. I also 
> remember that I'll probably use that same paragraph format later in a 
> different document, so having the style created and saved in my 
> default template saves me more time later.
>
> Virgil


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