How to Look Into All Settings of a Style?

Scrivener Newcomer Central
1

Hello,

I’m a new user of Scrivener on Windows, and after going through the basics of the interactive tutorial, I’m now creating my own template.

Along the way, I had a few questions about styles that I couldn’t find answers to by searching.

(1) In the tutorial project, I found a style called Note Block, which puts text inside a yellow box (maybe that’s an inaccurate description, but that’s how it seemed to me). I like the style, but I want to change some parts of it. Is it possible to look at all of its settings and then just change some of them?
I know there’s a feature called Redefine, but it doesn’t show how this style started from No Style and set the fonts and paragraphs.
In fact, I can’t even figure out how to make the yellow box, and I’d like to use a style where I at least know how it works.

(2) When I try to import the style from one project to another, it copies all the styles from that project. Is there a way to import only certain ones that I have selected?

Thank you in advance for your answers.

2

You could create the style yourself.
It is a Paragraph Style.
It has a box around it because it is different to the default text.
The fonts are defined by the Format Toolbar, where you’ll find the Font is Calibri | Regular | 13 pt.
The words: Note to Scrivener 1 users: has a Character Style (Note Prefix defined) applied within the Paragraph Style, hence you’ll see it described as Note Block + Note Prefix when hovering over the Styles dropdown on the Format Toolbar and again the Format Toolbar is used to define the Font as Segoe UI | Bold Italic | 11 pt.
Similarly, the word Collections has a Character Style applied to it, which gives it it’s unique look.
So, it’s a matter of defining one Paragraph Style and two Character Styles and using the dropdowns going forward to define particular areas of your manuscript.
Anything you’d like to change would be dependent on a combination of the Redefine Paragraph (or Character) Style options and the Format Toolbar and would then be the defaults for the particular style for wherever you apply it.
You could potentially create infinite note styles (Paragraph Styles) and use them in tandem with Character Styles. That said, Character Styles can be applied anywhere, not only within a Paragraph Style.

3

If you want to dig in to how styles can be used, Chapter 17, Styles and Stylesheets is the reference for how all of these settings work. The subsection on redefining styles is light on the details of the panel, because these are all covered in the Creating New Styles subsection right above it.

The “Highlight Box” setting in the style setup dialogue is what you’re looking for, though it’s worth noting this works more like a text highlight normally. We kind of hacked the “box” look in the tutorial by adding a tab stop to the style, and inserting a Tab on the final line, which extends the highlight over to the right edge. It’s a trick that only works in pretty specific scenarios where the width of the text is predictable, and where it doesn’t matter if you have a stray Tab in the text (like the tutorial, which is primarily meant for reading on screen in the software rather than compiling).

When I try to import the style from one project to another, it copies all the styles from that project. Is there a way to import only certain ones that I have selected?

There isn’t a way of selectively copying some styles, but that just highlights the importance of project templates. It is something I use mostly to update older projects when a template has been updated, rather than a regular workflow tool.

1 Like
4

In this situation, where only a portion of the style is desired, is it possible to just remove/delete the unwanted portions that copied over? (This is something I could also have a use for)

In other words, if I started with a blank new template (as a testing ground)
-Copy the single style into it.
-Delete the extraneous parts I don’t want.
-Could I then (import?/copy?/merge?) what remains of that style (from the testing ground template) into the new template I’m creating?

5

It might be better to describe what you are trying to do in terms of what is being removed, or copied, or merged, etc. I do not understand the generalised descriptors you are using, such as “extraneous parts”, “portion of a style”, “remains of a style”, etc. Some of these phrases do not make sense to me, I do not know what a fragment of a style is.

6

Sorry about that AmberV. I inadvertently didn’t include the whole quote.

To start over then:
In my previous post I was brainstorming an alternative workaround to a situation that I have, which is similar to the op Noiz’s (but not specific to the yellow text boxes mentioned):

(condensed quote from OP)
emphasis is mine

“I’m now creating my own template.
…[In another project] I found a style called [_____], which… I like… but I want to change some parts of it.”

As an aside, I just noticed that some terminology - import/copy and project/template -was used inconsistently though I have no idea if that is important. (reference the emphasis above)

That said, I have a comparable situation

  1. I like some of the styles contained in some of my old projects/templates and would like to reuse them.
  2. I don’t want to import/copy every style from those old projects/templates to a new project and/or a new template.
  3. I would also like to tweak one of those old styles to update it and use it in a new project/template.

(I have intentionally used “import/copy” because the method doesn’t matter to me especially if one method works and the other doesn’t. Same goes for “projects/templates” because I can change a project into a template, or use the template for a new project. )

So, back to clarifying my previous post -

As I understood your reply to the OP, it is NOT possible to import/copy just a few select styles from an existing project/template. The only alternative is to import/copy ALL styles (or build a new style from scratch as Kevitec57 suggested.). Please correct me if I misunderstood this.

If I didn’t misunderstand, and I opt to import/copy all the styles into a (new empty and blank) project/template, couldn’t I then edit or delete all these imported/copied styles as I choose?

  • delete the styles I don’t want (the extraneous ones)
  • This would leave me with only the styles I do want (the remaining ones)
  • edit/tweak/update the style that needs updating?
  • If so, in theory, now I have a (new empty and blank) project or template that only contains the “certain styles” that I wanted plus the updated version of another.

Now, if I import/copy (or maybe merge?) the styles from this new modified empty project/template into another project/template, wouldn’t it in effect, accomplish bringing in only the certain styles I wanted in the first place? (along with another that is now updated?)

I hope that is clearer to you. :crossed_fingers:

Could you clarify the conflicted terminology - are “import” and “copy” interchangeable relative to moving a style or styles between

  • Two templates
  • Two projects
  • A project and a template?
  • A template and a project?
    (I would venture to say that copy does not have the same implications as import, since one can copy and paste a single item? :thinking:
7

Thanks for the clarifications!

As an aside, I just noticed that some terminology - import/copy and project/template -was used inconsistently though I have no idea if that is important. (reference the emphasis above)

The first example is interchangeable. With style import (or copying styles from one project into another, if you will), you must target an existing project to import from. Project templates are not projects yet, so they cannot be targetted.

Templates, at least by default, do not store styles and will use your application defaults to create the new project with. It is possible, when creating a new project template, to save the styles used in that project instead of your defaults.

Thus, creating a project from a template, modifying the styles in that project, and then using it to save a template (potentially overwriting the previous template if it is custom), with that checkbox enabled to store styles, will update the template. That’s the only way to get style changes into a template.

If I didn’t misunderstand, and I opt to import/copy all the styles into a (new empty and blank) project/template, couldn’t I then edit or delete all these imported/copied styles as I choose?

Of course! Once you import styles into a project, they are entirely editable, and frankly no different than any other styles you’ve made in that project (or the defaults that are created for you). You can revise them, delete them, etc.

If so, in theory, now I have a (new empty and blank) project or template that only contains the “certain styles” that I wanted plus the updated version of another.

Yup! Though it is worth mentioning that if styles are your only reason for making a custom blank project, that is an unnecessary step. You can override the application defaults with the current project’s stylesheet in File ▸ Options..., under Editing: Formatting. You’ll find a Set Styles Defaults... button at the bottom. Don’t worry, you can reset to factory defaults with this same button if you end up preferring to keep those for most new projects.

That said, having your own blank starter is a very useful thing for any of the small little settings you prefer. For example I can’t use Scrivenings mode without the option to show item titles in the text, and I like having labels colour all the icons. Stuff like that, project settings, are all saved into templates, including whatever labels you prefer, custom metadata fields, etc. Think of personal project templates as a second layer of settings you can make use of.

2 Likes
8

Again, Thank you! You have made it all understandable

This is EXACTLY where I am trying to go as I work on incorporating all the bits and pieces of old projects into a (properly) designed new template that will incorporate bells and whistles that I was either previously unaware of, didn’t use to their optimum effect, or that weren’t available in the previous version/OS I was using.

Many, many thanks. {Sending a virtual box of chocolates as a thank you gift} :heart:

1 Like