Updating style definition (2003)

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I often update a style definition by applying manual formatting then clicking the drop-down next to Style on the toolbar and reselecting the style. A dialog appears saying do you want to update the style and I say Yep. However, I’m now using Word 2003, and when you select the drop-down the style isn’t listed (just, eg, “TOC 2 + bold”). Anyway, it doesn’t work. Anyone know what the problem is?

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I suspect you may have a problem with your settings. Go into Tools-Options and then click on the “Edit” tab. There is an option that says “Keep track of formatting” make sure you uncheck that box and you will have much more predictable experiences with styles

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Turning off “Keep track of formatting” doesn’t help, and nor does Stuart’s suggestion of turning on “Prompt to Update Style” (it was already on, but I turned it off, saved, turned it on again, and still no help).

Mmmm, odd. I’m sure I’ve had this working since I started using 2003.

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Check the value of Tools > Options > Edit > Prompt to Update Style

StuartR

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You have a few hints already in this thread but there is one thing that has not been mentioned yet – You can’t update the ‘Normal’ style by this method in Word 2003 (and possibly in Word 2002 as well). The other styles seem to respond as per the old action if your options are set correctly.

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And, I’ve discovered that the drop-down only lists the first 142 styles (if I’ve counted correctly), after which a “more…” appears. This means you can’t use the technique for the 143rd, 144th, etc style (which was my original problem – I was trying to update TOC1, and it didn’t appear in the list (being after the 142nd style).

Unfortunately, clicking “more…” doesn’t help, as it displays a panel that doesn’t seem to provide the update functionality.

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I assume you know that you can use the Styles and Formatting Pane, click the drop down arrow by your style and select “Update to match selection”.

StuartR

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No, I didn’t realise that. However, it still doesn’t help in this case, because the list of styles in the “Styles and formatting” panel is limited to the first 142(?) styles, and TOC1 isn’t in the list.

Starting to look like a bug.

Edited later
And even if you change to show “Styles in use” (which reduces the size of the list), TOC1 still doesn’t appear.

Edited even later
But you can change “Show” to “Custom”, which brings up a dialog. Put a tick beside TOC1 (in the list of “Styles to be visible” then click OK. Now TOC1 appears in the “Styles and formatting” panel and you can click it’s drop-down arrow and select “Update to match selection”. Whew.

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You can also set the “Automatically Update” state for the TOC styles in a different place to all the other styles.

Insert > Cross Reference > Index and Tables > Table of Contents > Modify > Select TOC 1 > Modify >
and there you will see a check box marked Automatically Update.

StuartR

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I have not heard of the 142-style limitation, but I do know that the TOC styles don’t show up in the All Styles version (or any other) of the Styles and Formatting pane unless you specifically select them. You do this from the “Styles to be visible” section of the Format Setting dialog. (You get there by clicking Custom in the Show drop down at the bottom of the pane.) I generally use “Available styles” so I make them show up in that list.

Pam C

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