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Modifying Styles -- Changes Are Not Applied To Paragraphs

Anonymous
2019-06-11T22:19:42+00:00

I have a Normal style and Body Text style, which is based on Normal.  (Among others.)

I thought that if I modified the Normal style, to change the line space, for example, that change would automatically be reflected in all of my Body Text paragraphs.  It isn't.  Is there a setting or something for this?

Similarly, I though that if I modified the Body Text style by right-clicking on Body Text in the ribbon, modify -- that the changes would automatically be applied to all my Body Text paragraphs.  It's not.  I tried to select all Body Text paragraphs first, but that didn't work.  Instead, after I modify the style in the ribbon, I need to put the cursor, one by one, in each Body Text paragraph and click on "Body Text" in the ribbon.  This seems very awkward.

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  1. Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 322.9K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2019-06-11T23:09:59+00:00

    If the line spacing of the Body Text style has not previously been modified, then a change in the line spacing of the Normal style should be applied automatically to text that is formatted with the Body Text style.

    If however, the line spacing in the Body Text style had previously been changed from Single to 1.5 lines, and then the line spacing in the Normal Style was changed from Single to Double, that change will no longer be reflected in the definition of the Body Text style or in text to which that style has been applied.

    If however, you modify the formatting of the Body Text style itself, then such modification should automatically be applied to text that is formatted with that style UNLESS that text has been modified by the use of direct formatting.  If that has been done, you can get such text to be formatted with the Body Text style as modified by selecting it and then pressing CTRL+Q, which has the effect of removing any direct formatting so that the text returns to the format defined in the style.

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-06-12T16:27:59+00:00

    yes, very helpful.

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