OpenOffice.Org 1.0 Resource Kit

Styles let you save a particular set of attributes, such as font, spacing, and bullets; and, for drawing objects, area fill, color , line ends (round, arrow), and so on. It's a good idea to use styles if you need to use an object frequently that's formatted in a particular way, such as a line with an arrow that you've defined yourself, or text formatting for headings.

There are two types of styles in Impress: presentation styles, for text, and graphics styles, for objects.

For an extended explanation of how to import styles, and the ways you can save time using styles, refer to Power Formatting With Styles on page 247.

Modifying the default formats for headings and other elements is covered in Modifying Presentation Default Fonts on page 692.

Available Styles

The styles available for use, and to be modified, depend upon the slide layout. This is determined by one of the following:

• The layout you selected in the Modify Slide window (choose Format > Modify Layout)

• The template or background you based the presentation on

Applying Styles

Select the object or text, then use either of the following methods to apply the style.

• Display the Stylist (choose Format > Stylist), select the style category you want, and double-click the style.

• Choose Formats > Style > Catalog, select the style category you want, and double-click the style.

Creating and Modifying Styles

Note

For more information, see Power Formatting With Styles on page 247. This is in a Writer chapter; however, the principles are the same throughout the program. It tells you not only how to make the styles but to get a style from one document or template to another.

Impress doesn't allow you to create new presentation styles, but you can modify the numerous existing ones. You can create new graphics styles, or to modify either type of style.

1. Choose Format > Styles > Catalog.

2. Select Presentation Styles and click Modify or select Graphics Styles and click New or Modify.

   Presentation styles are primarily for things like bullets and numbering, and you can see the corresponding feature coverage in Impress or Writer chapters.

   Graphics styles are for things like fills, line styles, etc., and you can see the correspondent feature coverage in Draw and Impress chapters.

3. Make the settings you want and click OK to save the changes and close the window.

4. Apply the styles using the Stylist. Choose Format > Stylist. Select the item or text to apply the style to, then select Graphics or Presentation styles and double-click the style in the window.

Use Figure 26-20 for guidance.

Making Styles Reusable in Other Documents

Unless you jump through a couple hoops, any styles you create or modify will be available only in the document where you made them. To make them available in other documents:

• Create the styles in a document that you then save as an Impress template.

• Then base new documents on that template by choosing File > New > From template.

You can also import styles from other documents following the instructions in Loading Individual Styles on page 266.

Changing the Font Styles for All New Presentations

You can change the styles for a particular presentation, but if you want all new presentations to have a particular set of styles, you need to create a template. (See Creating and Modifying Templates on page 648.) Then base new presentations on that template. (See Using AutoPilot to Create a Presentation on page 639). To affect other Impress documents, you need to modify the template.