[WrongSizeGlass]

Styles in OOP are powerful ... but they don't work like other programs and are a frustrating transition. There is a big difference between "applying a style" and "adding this style to the current style to create a cumulative collection of defined style attributes". Applying one style attribute by hand is one thing, but you'd better know what attributes where set by the previously applied style before you apply another style in OOP or you may not get what you thought ... or want.

Though styles are cumulative, applying one style on top of another style only overrides the style attributes specifically defined by the 2nd style. Applying a style should apply all the attributes of that style.
One example:
* Style A has the weight set to Regular, and other attributes
* Style B has the weight set to Bold, and other attributes
* If style B has been applied to some text, applying Style A will only apply the attributes defined for it - but the result leaves the text Bold
* How can I define "not bold" in Style A?

In order to get what I want, I need to remove Style B - if I know which style or hot key is assigned to that style (or clear all styles) and then apply Style A, OR, open the Utility Drawer and command-drag the style I really want from the bottom (ie. hidden on an iBook screen) onto the text.

Personally, I think using the modifier keys should perform the "style merge" and choosing the style by it self should apply that style (and that style only) to the text. Why? Operations + modifier keys should do "special" things (like merging styles), not the other way around. Especially since command+'hot key' and command+'style from ruler' don't do anything, and they certainly don't do the same thing as command-drag from the Utility Drawer. Ever had slips or mishaps while dragging (command or otherwise) on the track pad of an iBook? I sure have.

Ok, I found one of your emails, do you still want the ruler styles to work like the command-drag? Or do you want it the same as the rest of the style style? Or are you saying you want everything to behave like the ruler styles?

I would like things to work the same everywhere in the application. No matter how you folks choose to implement styles, it should work the same no matter where in the application I use them.

I should not have to worry that things work differently from different user interface elements of the application. You wouldn't have the Print function work differently if chosen from the File menu rather than the toolbar.

But, all the style options from the ruler can be done from the apperance inspector.
...
Like I mentioned in the other reply, you don't need to use the ruler styles at all.

True, I don't need to, though sometimes, like when I'm working on my iBook, having an Inspector or the Utility Drawer open takes up valuable screen real estate. If the ruler styles aren't supposed to work, then remove them. If they are there, they should at least work in the same fashion as the other style implementations.

The Ruler and the Inspector can remove different style attributes set by the other. Try selecting some text, choosing Italic from the Inspector and then Bold from the Ruler - and tell me where my Italic went?

Yes, this is true, if you use the hot keys for apply styles, you can apply it and unapply it. Can you give me a situation where this causes a problem?

I was simply explaining how they worked, though it is not always intuitive in practice if you don't remember in which order you applied multiple styles. It appears that they function as a 'stack', and if you use multiple styles on the text you'd better remember what order you did it in later on.

How is it totally different? Aside from a different interface, what exactly is confusing you?

Most other applications do not have cumulative styles. If you apply a style, it changes the text to that style, not the previous style + the new style. Since this is not only the default behavior, but the only behavior unless you command-drag from the bottom of the Utility Drawer, it takes extensive planning to define your styles to make sure they change every possible attribute if you ever intend to use multiple styles (and even then not all of them will override the previous style).


James B