To create a style from the ground up, follow these steps:
1. Click the paragraph or heading for which you want to create a new paragraph style, or select the text for which you want to create a character style.
2. Choose Format | Style. You see the Style dialog box.
3. Click the New button. The New Style dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 9-3.
4. Enter a name for the style in the Name box. The name you enter will appear on the Style drop-down list.
5. In the Style Type drop-down list, choose Character if you are creating a character style. Otherwise, let the Paragraph option stand.
6. Select the following options and check boxes as you deem fit:
· Based On Choose a style from the drop-down list to tie the style you are creating to another style. For example, by choosing the Default Paragraph Font style, you tell Word to always display text in the Default Paragraph Font, whatever that font happens to be. If you change the default style, styles based on that style will change as well. The style you are creating will inherit formats from the style that is chosen in the Based On drop-down list.
CAUTION: When you choose a style from the Based On drop-down
list, either choose a bare-bones style like Normal or Default Paragraph Font or
choose (no style). If you choose an elaborate style from the drop-down list and
you or someone else changes that style at a later day, changes to the elaborate
style will be inherited by the new style. That can have bad consequences. But
by sticking to a bare-bones style or no style at all, you can rest assured that
changes to the based-on style won't have negative repercussions on the style
you are creating.
· Style For Following Paragraph If you want, choose a style from this drop-down list if the style you're creating is always to be followed by an existing style.
· Add To Template Click this check box if you want to add the style you are creating to the template with which you created the document. New styles are available only in the document for which they were created, unless this box is checked. Clicking this box saves the style you create in the document and in the template. A user who creates a file with the template can draw upon the style you create if this box is checked.
· Automatically Update Normally, when a formatting change is made to a paragraph, the style assigned to the paragraph does not change at all. Checking this box tells Word to redefine the style each time a paragraph to which the style has been assigned is reformatted. With this box checked, all paragraphs in the document that were assigned the style are reformatted automatically each time you reformat a single paragraph that was assigned the style.
TIP: If you are the type who likes to press keys to give commands, including style commands, click the Shortcut Key button. The Customize Keyboard dialog box appears. See "Assigning a New Keyboard Shortcut" in Chapter 4 to learn how to assign a keyboard shortcut to a style or command.
7. Click the Format button. You see a menu of formatting choices (Table 9-1 lists the command equivalents of these options):
8. Choose an option to open a dialog box and give formatting commands. For example, choosing Paragraph opens the Paragraph dialog box.
9. In the dialog box, choose formatting options for the new style and then click OK.
10. Repeat steps 7 through 9 as many times as necessary to create the style.
11. Click OK to close the New Style dialog box.
12. Click Apply to format the paragraph or selected text with the new style.