Re: [libreoffice-users] Paragraph styles

On 05/01/2013 08:44 PM, Michael Reich wrote:
> 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.
     I think this will work. Copy and paste some text with the style 
you want to share from the old document to a new one. You should see the 
style appear in the Styles and Formatting window as a custom style. I 
did this for a numbered list. In the paragraph styles custom list, the 
paragraph style use with the list appeared. In the List styles custom 
list, the list style I use also appeared.
     In my case, the pasted list appeared as a bullet list, but I think 
that was because a bullet list was directly above the pasted list. When 
I highlighted the pasted list and double clicked the copied numbered 
list style, the list became a numbered list.

--Dan
> 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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