I can't change a setting and its label is colored blue

Each object has settings or "properties" which tell Author-it how that object behaves. Objects are usually based on an object template, and they inherit some of their settings from the template. This means you can update the settings of all related objects at once, and your standards will remain consistent. It's also quicker than having to set each property every time you create a new object.

If the label of any setting is blue, it means the setting is inherited from the object's template. Such inherited settings cannot be directly changed. For example, when you base a Book object on the "Normal" template, you'll notice that the Include object in settings on the General tab are all inherited.

Solution

To change an inherited setting:

• Open the object's template, then make your change there. Author-it will update all objects based on that template. This may take a while. Think carefully before you do this, because the change may not be appropriate for all other objects based on the same template.

  -or-

• Open the object's template and make a duplicate of it. Make your change to the settings in your new copy of the template, rename it, and make sure the object is based on that template (from the object's General tab, choose the new template's name from the Based on drop-down list). This approach is good if you want to make a change to your object's settings, but that change is not appropriate for all other objects based on the same template. You can even base templates on other templates.

  -or-

• From the object's General tab, choose "(none)" from the Based on drop-down list, instead of the name of the current template. Author-it makes sure the current settings are kept, but now you will be able to change the inherited setting. This solution is not recommended because future changes to related objects will no longer affect this one, reducing consistency and increasing the work you need to do when updating standards.