Writer Guide

purpose styles only (such as those styles used in writing this user
guide), select instead Custom Styles. The Hierarchical Styles view
is most useful when modifying styles as it reveals which styles are
linked together. This topic is discussed in more detail in Chapter 7
(Working with Styles).
If you select the Paragraph Styles view in the Styles and Formatting
window, the drop-down menu contains many more filtering options so
you can view, for example, only Text Styles, Special Styles, and so
on.
Drag-and-drop a selection to create a style
Another little known property of the Styles and Formatting window is
the capability of creating a new style with a simple drag-and-drop of a
text selection into the Styles and Formatting window.
1) Open the Styles and Formatting window.
2) Select the style category you are going to create (for example a
character style) using one of the five icons in the top left part of
the window.
3) Select the object you want to base the style on and drag it to the
Styles and Formatting window. The cursor changes its shape
indicating whether the operation is possible or not.
4) In the Create Style dialog box (Figure 170), enter a name for the
new style. The list shows the names of existing custom styles of
the selected type, if any. Click OK to save the new style.
Caution
You cannot use the drag-and-drop method to create a custom
page style.
Applying styles
Styles can easily be applied by means of the Styles and Formatting
window. However, alternative ways exist to apply certain styles, as
explained in this section.
Applying paragraph styles
The most used style when drafting a document is the paragraph style.
OOo offers two quick alternatives to the Styles and Formatting window
to apply this category of style: the Apply Style menu and the Format
Paintbrush icon.
Chapter 6 Introduction to Styles 191