Styles are stored in style sheets. A style sheet is a collection of styles, images for bullets, and other details that define the look of web pages. A single style sheet can contain multiple styles, with each style identified by a unique name. You can also create separate style sheets for different projects if each project has its own set of visual standards. Whether you choose to save all of your styles in a single style sheet or multiple style sheets, it is a good idea to decide the formatting for those styles before starting a documentation project.

If you want all of your content to have a consistent look, you should assign a style sheet as the default style sheet for new web pages in the Options dialog box and then apply that style sheet to existing content. See Web Page Defaults under the Content Defaults section in the Set Developer Defaults section of the Get Started Using the Developer chapter for more information about setting a default style sheet.

Tip: If a team of authors are collaborating on a project, the project administrator should send out a content defaults (.ops) file that sets every author's web page default to the same style sheet.

The Developer Library installation includes a style sheet named Standard in the System/Style Sheets folder. The Standard style sheet, which is initially assigned as the default in the Options dialog box, contains a set of pre-defined styles that you can start using immediately to format text elements and objects in the Web Page Editor. You can choose to edit the included styles or add your own styles to the Standard style sheet. Conversely, you can create a new style sheet and assign it as the default.

You create new style sheets just as you create any other document in the Library and save them to any folder in the Library. New style sheets open with a single document body style named Document. The Document style is set to use the Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif font family and a black font color (#000000). The style includes language variations for Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, and Korean, with the fonts set to best display those languages. If you delete all styles from a style sheet, the style sheet displays a hint about using and creating styles. The hint then disappears when a style is added to the style sheet.

Styles can be copied from one style sheet to another. For example, you may want to copy one or more styles from the Standard style sheet to a new style sheet so that you can use the styles as a basis to build new styles. Only full styles can be copied; you cannot copy an individual print style or language variation.

Delete a Style Sheet

If a style sheet you want to delete is stored in /System/Style Sheets folder, you are prompted with the standard System file warning that altering the structure of the system folder may impair the operation of the software. You can proceed to delete it.

Related Documents

Style sheets are included as related documents for certain transactions. When duplicating content with Paste Special, you have the option to duplicate all style sheets that are linked to the content. If the duplicate content links to the original style sheet, changes made to the style sheet affect both the original and duplicate content. Conversely, you may want to duplicate the style sheet so that you can change the formatting of your duplicate content without affecting the original source content. See Copy and Paste Special (Library) in the Work with Documents section of the Manage the Library chapter and Copy and Paste a Document (Outline Editor) in the Develop and Outline section of the Build an Outline chapter for more information about including or excluding style sheets when duplicating content.

Note: If you are using images in a package for custom bulleted lists, it is important to decide where the package is stored. Packages stored in the System folders are not duplicated when you use Paste Special to duplicate content with style sheets. If the image package is stored in a Systems folder, such as the Style Sheets folder, a duplicate action with style sheets makes a copy of the linked style sheet, but the bulleted styles that use custom images still link to the images in the original package. See Create Custom Bullets in the Format List Styles section in this chapter for more information about creating and using custom images for bulleted list styles.

Export/Import

Just like any other document, style sheets can be exported from and imported into the Library for backup purposes, or to send to an author using a different Library. Style sheets are automatically included when you export content with related documents. On import, you have the option to overwrite existing content. If you choose to overwrite existing content on import, the style sheet in the Library is overwritten with the version in the import file.

Note: Packages with custom images that link to bulleted styles in a style sheet are also included in the export/import process. If you import with the overwrite existing content option, the imported package overwrites the current version in the Library.

Tip: It is a good idea to create a backup of your style sheet and any image packages linked to the style sheet in case they are accidentally overwritten.

 Multi-user Considerations

• You can save a style sheet to any folder for which you have Modify permission. If this style sheet is to be shared by other authors, make sure that you store it in a folder that the authors have Modify or Read permission. Authors can link to and publish with a style sheet for which they have List permission, but they cannot apply styles from that sheet. If you want to lock down the style sheet so that authors can apply styles but do not have the ability to modify them, assign the authors Read permission for the folder.
   
  Any new document that you create is automatically checked out to you. If you want to make a new document available to multiple authors and place the document under the Developer's version control system, you must check it in.
   
  Styles sheets linked to content are excluded when you check in/check out or delete documents with related documents. You must manually check in a style sheet to make it available to other authors or check it out to edit it. See Check In and Check Out Documents in the Use the Developer in a Multi-user Environment chapter for more information.
   
  Documents under version control must be checked in and you must be working online to delete a document from the Library. You can delete new documents that have never been checked in (are not under version control) while working online or offline.

To create a new style sheet:

1. On the File menu, point to  New and choose  Style Sheet.
    
   or
    
   On the Library toolbar, choose  Style Sheet.
    
2. Edit the style sheet to include the styles you want.
      
3. Save the style sheet.
    
   You can also close the tab and click Yes in response to the Save Document message.
    
   When you save a style sheet for the first time, you are prompted to provide a name for it. Enter a name for the style sheet by typing over the default name. Although the style sheet name does not have to be unique, it is recommended that you provide a meaningful name so you can easily find the style sheet later.
    
   Note: Style sheets are not saved automatically, so you should save your work periodically as you add styles to a style sheet.

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