WD: Styles Copied Using Organizer Lose "Based-on" Setting (113106)

SYMPTOMS

When you copy styles from one template to another, Word for Windows does not always retain the Based On information for each style in the destination template. The style description contains all the correct formatting, even if Word does not retain the Based On setting. In other words, when Word does not retain the Based On setting, it moves all the formatting from the Based On style to the style description in the copied style.

Word 6.x, 7.x, 97

In Word 6.x, 7.x,and 97 use the Organizer to copy styles. To open the Organizer dialog box, click Styles on the Format menu and then click the Organizer button. To view the Based On setting for a selected style, click Style on the Format menu and click the Modify button.

Word 2.x

To copy styles in Word 2.x, choose Style from the Format menu, choose the Define button, then choose the Merge button. To view the Based On setting for a selected style, choose Style from the Format menu and then choose the Define button.

CAUSE

First, Word copies the Based On setting only if specific criteria are met; otherwise Word bases the style on Normal (see the list of criteria below).

Second, Word copies styles one-by-one, in alphabetical order, even when you select multiple styles to copy. Word does not evaluate the entire selection before it copies a group of styles. As a result, Word may determine that a Based On style does not exist in the destination because it has not yet copied it--even though Word will copy that style later as part of the same Copy operation. Furthermore, when you copy a built-in style, Word asks if you want to overwrite the existing built-in style definition in the destination. If you copy all the styles from a template or document, Word also asks whether you want to overwrite a user-defined style, even if that style does not exist in the destination.

Criteria for Including Based On Setting in Copied Style

Below are the specific criteria Word uses to determine whether to include the Based On setting when you use the Organizer to copy styles from one document or template to another. In all the criteria, Word is copying style A, which is based on style B.

Criterion 1: Style B Exists in the Destination

Word correctly copies style A to the destination and retains the Based On setting. This happens if you copied style B before style A. (If you copied both styles in the same Copy operation, style B occurs alphabetically first, so Word copies it first.)

Criterion 2: User-Defined Style B Doesn't Exist in the Destination

Word copies style A to the destination and changes the Based On setting to Normal. The style contains all the correct formats, including those from the Based On style. In other words, Word adds any formatting from the Based On style directly to the description of style A.

Criterion 3: Built-in Style B Doesn't Exist in the Destination

When you copy style A, which is based on style B, Word 6.0 and 7.0 create style B and then copy style A.

Word 2.x copies style A to the destination and changes the Based On setting to Normal. Style A contains all the correct formats, including those from the Based On style.