Paragraph and Character Styles, which should I be using?

[KathleenDarcy@adobeforums.com]

I'm working on a long document. I've created a ton of styles for both Paragraphs and Characters and it's becoming unmanagable and difficult to remember which combinations of styles I've used. What's the simplest most effective way of using styles? Should I only use Paragraph styles? Please help. I've got a deadline and this is becoming a nightmare.

thanks,
Kathleen

[Scott_Falkner@adobeforums.com]

Since you're new to styles and keeping paragraph and charater styles separate, you'll probably find it easier to work exclusively with paragraph styles, at least for the moment. That is what I recommend, using local formatting to make any charater formating when necessary.

But spend some time, when you get it, learning the differences and especially ID's nested styles, a feature I don't remember seeing anyone request, but one that makes we wonder how we did without it for so long.

[Dave_Saunders@adobeforums.com]

Use paragraph styles for everything you can. Only use character styles for stretches of characters within paragraphs. Use nested styles for any situations where they can save you a lot of repetitive manual application of character styles.

Dave

[KathleenDarcy@adobeforums.com]

I used styles a little bit in PageMaker 7, but InDesign is much more complex. What are nested styles? I've got a ton of bulleted lists, would those be best created with nested styles?

thanks,
Kathleen

[Dave_Saunders@adobeforums.com]

Which version are you using? Nested styles are new in CS and yes they can help a lot with bulleted lists (although, CS also has a bulleted list feature if you have the PageMaker plug-ins).

If you're using 2.0.2, then nested styles are academic.

Dave

[Scott_Falkner@adobeforums.com]

Nested Styles are ideal for buletted lists. You first need to define the character style for your bullets. Once the Character Style is defined, set up a Paragraph Style called "Bullet List" or whatever. In the Drop Caps and Nested Styles section create a new nested style. Make the first chacated your bullet style, so the line reads "Bullets through 1 Chracters". The rest of the formatting will adopt the paragraph style's defualt text formatting.

[Gabriel_Ayala@adobeforums.com]

Nested Styles

To gain a much better understanding of what they are, watch the Training CD that came with your ID CS. It explains how to work with Nested styles fairly clear.

[KathleenDarcy@adobeforums.com]

well, I guess it's just academic, because I'm using version 2.0.2 for the moment.

thanks,
Kathleen

[Dominic_Hurley@adobeforums.com]

Interesting. I always use character styles and never use local formatting. This may be more a reflection of my long-document background - go over to the FM forum and suggest local formatting and see what sort of reaction that provokes! Interesting that several of these posts advocate the opposite for ID.