Style Definition Tab

The Style Definition tab contains a definition of how the style will be displayed in the Topic Text of a Topic object. The properties define the style name, the type of style; character or paragraph, and all the font, paragraph, tabs, borders, and numbering properties of the definition.

Style Name

Defines the name of the style. This name is displayed when selecting the style in the Topic Text. This name is mandatory and must be unique.

Style Type

Allows you to choose the type of style; character or paragraph. This property can only be changed when you first create the style, and will determine what other properties can be set.

Font Name

Allows you to choose the font face for the style.

Font Size

Defines the size of the font in points (pt).

Font Underline

Allows you to choose the type of underlining of the text in the style.

Font Color

Defines the color of the text for the style.

Font Effects

Determines if certain effects are applied to the text for the style.

Paragraph Indentation

Defines the indentation of text from the Left and Right margins of the topic editor, and also allows you to set a special indent for the first line, which will be relative to the Left indent.

For example, if the left indent is set to "0.5 cm", and the first line to "-0.5 cm", that will have the effect of a hanging indent of 0.5cm, with the first line flush with the margin.

Paragraph Spacing

Defines the amount of white space, in points, that will appear before and after each paragraph, and also allows you to set the spacing between individual lines within that paragraph.

Tip: You should never leave empty paragraphs between text to give the effect of white space, instead you should set this using the spacing.

Paragraph Alignment

Allows you to choose how the paragraph will be aligned in relation to the indents.

Tab Stop List

Defines a list of all the tab stops in the paragraph. To add a new tab stop, type in a new measurement (cm) and choose Set. To Remove a tab, select it from the list and choose Remove.

Tab Alignment

Allows you to choose the type of alignment the text will have to the tab stop selected in the Tab Stop List.

Default Tab Stop

Defines a measurement (cm) for the default spacing between tab stops.

Border Style

Allows you to choose a style for the border around the paragraph.

Border Shadow

Determines if a shadow is applied to the borders of the paragraph.

Borders Apply To

Determines which sides of the paragraph will have a border applied to them. Border Style sets the type of border applied to that side. You can choose All Sides to set all four sides automatically.

Numbering Type

Allows you to choose the type of numbering applied to the paragraph. The following types are allowed:

• None: no numbering is applied, and will restart any numbered paragraphs preceding it.
• Numbered: sequential numbering is applied. This will also restart any numbered paragraphs preceding it with a lower Outline Level.
• Bulleted: places a character before the paragraph. This will also restart any numbered paragraphs preceding it with a lower Outline Level.
• Skip numbering: no numbering is applied, and any numbered paragraphs will continue numbering in following paragraphs. This allows you to have multiple paragraphs for a single numbered point.

Numbering Style

Allows you to choose the style of sequential numbering to apply to the paragraph. This is only available when the Numbering Type is set to Numbering.

Numbering Start At

Allows you to choose the value sequential numbering starts at. This is only available when the Numbering Type is set to Numbering. This is usually set to 1.

Outline Level

In multi-level numbering this determines the level for this numbered or bulleted list. Lists of a lower level are reset by lists of a higher level. For example, a list at level 1 will reset a list at level 2, but a list at level 1 will not be reset by a list at level 2. A paragraph with no numbering will reset all lists.

Note: This outline level property applies to the Windows Help and HTML CCS style definitions as well.

Bullet Character

Defines the character that will be used for the bullet. This is only available when the Numbering Type is set to Bullet. To select a character choose the Change button.