Automatically Update Styles?

Question

In the dropdown Styles box / Modify there is an Automatically Update box.

I find it checked in some of my documents and unchecked in others. [All are being converted from Word 2003.]

I'd like to know what checking or unchecking that box means. I have no idea.

Answer 1

If you tick the check box "Automatically update" for a style, the following happens:

• If you change the paragraph formatting of one paragraph using that style, the change will be applied to the style itself, and hence to other paragraphs using that style. For example if you center one Heading 1 paragraph, Center will become a property of the Heading 1 style, and other Heading 1 paragraphs will become centered too.
• If you change the character formatting of an entire paragraph using that style, the change will be applied to the style itself, and hence to other paragraphs using that style. This won't work if you apply character formatting to part of a paragraph only.

If you clear the check box "Automatically update", changing the formatting of a paragraph won't affect the style. If you want to modify the style, you have to do so explicitly. In most situations, this is to be preferred in my opinion.

Answer 2

"Automatically update" can be even more insidious than Hans implied, especially if applied to the Normal style, because it also affects all styles that are based on the style that is updated, and almost all styles in Word are based on Normal. So if you modify the Normal style, you're also modifying every style based on it (or at least the ones that haven't already been used--the way this works is rather complex but is explained at http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/styles/HowStylesCascade.html).

There are some times or situations where automatic updating can be useful. If you're creating a template and are experimenting to figure out what formatting works best for a certain style, having it set to update automatically can save you the extra step of updating it every time you make a little tweak. And it is useful in styles that are more difficult to update manually (such as the TOC styles).

In the TOC styles especially, automatic updating does no harm because it is not possible to apply direct formatting to TOC entries permanently; every time you update the TOC, the entries will be reset to the formatting of the style. Having the style update automatically is a dramatic demonstration that this is what will happen.

Answer 3

Hans' description is on the mark. I can think of very few, actuall no, reasons why you would want automatically update turned on. As soon as you apply any manual formatting, like bolding a word, everything with thta style is bolded. Ahhhh!

Suzanne Barnhill wrote this article:http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/WholeDocumentReformatted.htm

Here are a couple of macros that can do it for you:

1.1  MACRO to disable “Auto Update” ALL Styles

**NOTE:**The Automatically update document styles under Tools/Templates & Add-ins means that no matter what changes you make to style definitions (NOT direct formatting changes) will NOT stick.  Every time you close & reopen the document (& possibly when you save, I can’t recall), the styles from the attached template are copied to the document & all your style changes are lost.

The automatically update under the Format/Style/Modify means that when you add any direct formatting to a charcter or paragraph, the style definition is changed to reflect your addition.  Therefore, all styles with that name in the document change.

By default in NORMAL.DOT MS creates some styles with “AUTO UPDATE STYLE” option turned on.  So whenever a change is made to format of text using that style, all uses of that style are changed also.  This macro will scan thru all styles and turn of the option.  Most useful when you have to recreate NORMAL.DOT.

Public Sub RemoveAutomaticallyUpdate()

' RemoveAutomaticallyUpdate Macro

' Created by Gary Frieder

'Dim aSty As Style

For Each aSty In ActiveDocument.Styles

If aSty.Type = wdStyleTypeParagraph Then

aSty.AutomaticallyUpdate = False

End If

Next aSty

End Sub

'MACRO THAT CRAWLS ALL THE STYLES AND TURNS AUTO-UPDATE OFFPublic

Sub RemoveAutomaticallyUpdate()

' RemoveAutomaticallyUpdate Macro

' Created by Gary Frieder

Dim aSty As Style

For Each aSty In ActiveDocument.Styles

    If aSty.Type = wdStyleTypeParagraph Then

    aSty.AutomaticallyUpdate = False

    End If

Next aSty

End Sub

Answer 4

"Automatically update" can be even more insidious than Hans implied, especially if applied to the Normal style, because it also affects all styles that are based on the style that is updated, and almost all styles in Word are based on Normal. So if you modify the Normal style, you're also modifying every style based on it (or at least the ones that haven't already been used--the way this works is rather complex but is explained at http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/styles/HowStylesCascade.html).

There are some times or situations where automatic updating can be useful. If you're creating a template and are experimenting to figure out what formatting works best for a certain style, having it set to update automatically can save you the extra step of updating it every time you make a little tweak. And it is useful in styles that are more difficult to update manually (such as the TOC styles).

In the TOC styles especially, automatic updating does no harm because it is not possible to apply direct formatting to TOC entries permanently; every time you update the TOC, the entries will be reset to the formatting of the style. Having the style update automatically is a dramatic demonstration that this is what will happen.

Thank you for the heads up. I will take your advice re the TOC styles.

Answer 5

If you tick the check box "Automatically update" for a style, the following happens:

• If you change the paragraph formatting of one paragraph using that style, the change will be applied to the style itself, and hence to other paragraphs using that style. For example if you center one Heading 1 paragraph, Center will become a property of the Heading 1 style, and other Heading 1 paragraphs will become centered too.
• If you change the character formatting of an entire paragraph using that style, the change will be applied to the style itself, and hence to other paragraphs using that style. This won't work if you apply character formatting to part of a paragraph only.

If you clear the check box "Automatically update," changing the formatting of a paragraph won't affect the style. If you want to modify the style, you have to do so explicitly. In most situations, this is to be preferred in my opinion.

I appreciate the explanation--and I will be sure uncheck that box every time I see it.