Apply chained paragraph styles to multiple paragraphs

Build 1501 on 14/Nov/2017  This topic last edited on: 17/Mar/2016, at 17:26

Chained or sequential paragraph styles contain the "next style" attribute where you specify the style to be applied on the next paragraph.

For example, you can chain the styles kicker, head and subhead. Then, type a heading line, and format it as a kicker. Press the 8 key, and it automatically applies the style head on the next paragraph. Write the head, and then hit 8 again. It applies the style subhead on the next paragraph. Write the subhead line.

You chain the styles at the creation time. The prerequisite is that they have to be in the same style library. If you need to chain the style A to B, and B to C, the quickest way is to create first the style C, then style B, chaining it to C, and then A, chaining it to B. Otherwise, you can create the styles A, B and C in any order, and then return to the style A and chain it to B, and then return to the style B, chaining it to the style C.

Apply the chained styles by a style selector in the Text style toolbar, making sure you ticked the Chain check-box.

Click to toggle expandTo apply chained style

Click the end of the paragraph, which is formatted by a style that have a chained member, and then press 8. The chained style is auto-applied to the next paragraph.
Click to toggle expandTo apply a series of chained style on all selected paragraphs
1.Select at least as many paragraphs as the number of chained styles.
2.On the Text Style toolbar, tick Chain.
3.In the Paragraph style list, select the first chained style, and then click OK.

The above procedure applies chained styles, one after another on the selected paragraphs (the first style on the first paragraph, the second style on the second paragraph, the third style on the third paragraph, and so on).

For example, suppose you have three styles for formatting a newspaper column: Head, Byline, and Body. Head uses Byline for Next Style, Byline uses Body for Next Style, and Body uses [Same Style] for Next Style. If you select an entire article, including the headline, the author’s byline, and the paragraphs in the article, and then apply the Head style, the article’s first paragraph will be formatted with the Head style, the second paragraph with the Byline style, and all other paragraphs with the Body style.

If you selected more paragraphs than the number of styles in that chain, to the paragraphs in excess will not be applied any style.

Note: the chained styles may not work as you would expect if they contain tabulation characters, and the style is supposed to switch from one column to another, and back.
hmtoggle_plus1Writing a new paragraph formatted by a sequential style

If the paragraph you are writing is formatted by the Head style that is chained to the Byline style, when you press 8, the new paragraph is formatted by the Byline style.
hmtoggle_plus1Editing a paragraph formatted by a sequential style

Suppose that the current paragraph is formatted with the Head paragraph style, that is chained to the Byline style.

•If you press the 8 key at the end of that paragraph:

The new paragraph is created and it is formatted by the Byline style.

•If you press the 8 key in the middle of that paragraph:

The text located right of the cursor moves to the new paragraph and it is formatted by the Byline style.

•If you press the 8 key at the beginning of that paragraph:

The whole paragraph moves down and it is formatted by the Byline style.
hmtoggle_plus1Before putting styles in a sequence

Before putting styles in a sequence consider following:

•Chained styles are automatically repeated whenever the 8 key will be pressed, filling up the text with the appropriate GNML codes. This may not be desired, if you expect to apply automatic copy fitting based on the styles replacement.

•Do not globalize chained styles.

•Chained styles are suitable especially for headlines, but only if you write them in a predefined order, for instance, kicker (strap), main head, subhead and so on.

You cannot chain paragraph styles that are stored in different libraries, nor you can chain character styles.