I am working on a large document using one of the templates. But I need to change some aspects of the formatting on a global level. For example, the line spacing is set to 1.2, but I need double spacing. For everything. And I want that change to affect the pages I create in the future. So, if I don’t want to just select all and change. I’m guessing there must be some way of doing this in the program, but I can’t figure it out. Am hoping someone can help me. I also need to change the default font. I’ve only found a way to do this so as to affect a new document, not to edit a current document.
Two ways to do this, depending on how you want to proceed.
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Change your defaults so that they become standard for this project and all new projects.
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Change you defaults to affect this project only.
The processes are actually very similar, so we’ll use 2) – changing the default formatting just for this project.
First of all, go to Project > Text Preferences and make sure that ‘Override text formatting for this project’ is unchecked.
Look in the small editor window and you’ll see dummy text formatted in a certain way (i.e. font, size, line spacing, ruler, tabs and so on). This is the current default format that will be applied to all new documents in this and future projects. Note how you can’t click on any of the formatting buttons.
For the time being, we want to override that default, so check the ‘Override’ box. Click in the dummy text and the formatting buttons now become active. Change the format till it looks exactly like you want the main text of new documents to look. In your case, for example, click on the line spacing button and choose 2.0 to get double spacing.
[BTW, if you already have a paragraph set up exactly the way you want it, select the paragraph, Project > Text Preferences, and click ‘Use Current’ and the dummy text will inherit your paragraph format.]
Press OK and then cmd-N for a new document. Start typing and it should be in your new overridden project-specific default format.
If you want to convert existing documents, then select them in the binder and choose Documents > Convert > Formatting to Default Text Style. You’ll be given the choice of modifying all or some of the format attributes.
If you want to take route 1) above (i.e. change the default for this and future projects), then make sure the ‘Override’ is unchecked in Project > Text Preferences and press OK.
Then Scrivener > Preferences and in the Formatting tab, you’ll find a similar dummy text box, which you can alter in the same way.
Again, only new documents will be affected: use Documents > Convert > Formatting to Default Text Style to convert them.
Hope that helps – it’s a lot quicker to do than to describe…
Wow! Thanks for the fast reply. I was expecting to get an answer in a few days. And that was, what? Maybe an hour? Thanks!
No problem: you stopped me making notes on crime in WW2, so I’ve very grateful to you…
Fast-tracking procrastination, eh? What a wonderful forum this is… 