Is it Possible to Merge Styles in Writer?

[MarjaE]

I’ve started using styles rather than direct formatting.

I’ve created custom styles such as “header big,” “header small,” “text small,” and “table small.” Now some features such as Chapter Numbering/Outline Numbering assume the default styles.

I’m not sure if I should have changed the default styles instead of creating custom styles. If so, how do I merge text using the custom styles to the corresponding default style? So “header big” merges into “header1,” “header” remains but the text is switched to “header2,” “header small” merges into “header3,” etc?

[MarjaE]

Also, I temporarily broke the layout by using “Chapter Numbering.” It indented the “header small” headings halfway across the page, but neither “Chapter Numbering” nor “Styles and Formatting” acknowledged any indentation. I didn’t spot the problem until after saving. I managed to fix this by changing the “heading small” style to have a negative indent, and then zero.

[mikekaganski]

You may either use built-in styles, or create your custom ones. Both ways have pros and contras. Using built-in styles allows for less overall styles in document, and simpler usage of some tools that by default use those built-in styles (you may reconfigure that in a document). But if you later insert your document data into another (differently-formatted) document, and for some reason, you want to retain original formatting in the resulting document, then it’s required to have different styles in original documents for that, which requires custom styles.

I use built-in styles when possible, and suppose that reasons to use custom styles in place of built-in styles are exceptionally rare.

To replace styles applied to paragraps, use Find & Replace feature, and select the Paragraph styles checkbox under Other options.

[ajlittoz]

@mikekaganski: wrt built-in styles, a guideline is missing to state precisely the intended use so that one is as close as possible to the assumed agreement. I’m talking about debatable styles like List x, - Cont. or those letter-flavored like Addressee or Sender

[mikekaganski]

… and? What does it have with the question? Personally I’d love to see such guidelines. They only wait for a volunteer writing them.

[MarjaE]

Or Header vs. Header #. The Navigator uses Header # by default, so Header is probably redundant.

[ajlittoz]

@mikekaganski: it was a general comment on your (praiseworthy) attempt to work only with built-in styles. The guide would encourage this behavior. As I said elsewhere, I volunteer to write but I need a more thorough internal understanding of LOW. My present knowledge is subjective (based on the solutions I developed for my own needs) and may conflict with what designers intended. Where can I find this information? Is there a point of contact?

[mikekaganski]

Well, we have ~all developers accessible on IRC : #libreoffice* at FreeNode. We have writer experts there.

You should know that there may be no reliable source of information about styles decisions though: they could have been taken by people not working on this anymore; they could be related to some interoperability requirements; they could be a matter of taste of some person. So, even without knowledge of internals, simply writing one’s way to use them is a good start.