Object Style with subheads

mdt34

Tagged: object styles

This topic has 5 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 4 months ago by Allan Shearer.

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- December 11, 2014 at 11:04 am #72177
  
  mdt34
  Member
  
  I have some type for classified ads that I want to format with an object style each month. Is there a way to let the object style know when the type should be formatted as a section header? For example, there might be a header for Books, then several entries. Then a section for Tools, and several entries.
- December 11, 2014 at 1:18 pm #72178
  
  Justin Sligh
  Member
  
  Can you provide an additional description or a screenshot of what your goal would be?
- December 11, 2014 at 1:48 pm #72179
  
  mdt34
  Member
  
  It appears that I cannot paste a screen shot in this forum. Try this:
  
  Tools <Formated as a small headline>
  For sale, tools of all kinds. <Formatted as sanserif 9 point type>
  call 555-555-5555 <formatted as sanserif 9 point bold>
  
  For sale wrenches and hammers.<Formatted as sanserif 9 point type>
  Call 555-555-5555 <formatted as sanserif 9 point bold>
  
  Books <Formated as a small headline>
  I’m looking for a first edition copy of Swiss Family Robionson.
  Call 555-555-5555
- December 11, 2014 at 2:23 pm #72180
  
  David Blatner
  Keymaster
  
  No, unless there is a very clear pattern (such as heading then 3 paragraphs, then heading, then 3 paragraphs…) or something else that would tell InDesign that it’s a header, then how would it know what is a header?
- December 11, 2014 at 2:24 pm #72181
  
  mdt34
  Member
  
  That is what I figured but didn’t want to give up until someone smarter than me said so. Thank you, David.
- December 11, 2014 at 3:42 pm #72183
  
  Allan Shearer
  Participant
  
  Well … you could SORT of do this, but, I haven’t tried with an Object Style. Rather, with a Paragraph and Character Style.
  
  Assuming you want to trigger a Heading to be styled based on something you have typed … then … you could type, say: Head=Books, or, Head=Tools, etc.
  
  Then … setup a GREP Style to look for the “Head=” text string and if found HIDE this string (apply a Character Style with No Fill and a Font Size of 0.1pt) and to whatever follows the Head= to the carriage return you could then apply a “Heading” Character Style.
  
  So, the GREP string might look like this: Head=.*~b (which means: Look for “Head=” followed by ANY amount of text, followed by a Standard Carriage Return).
  
  But then you’ll need a second GREP style to deal with the Head= and make it disappear. Thus, apply a different Character Style called “Hidden” to the text “Head=”.
  
  The Pro: you can hammer away using a single Paragraph Style and not give much thought to ‘applying’ a Heading style … instead, by merely typing “Head=” in front of a string of text you will make that text ‘become’ a heading.
  
  The Con: you don’t get much control over the style options. E.g., you cannot change the Alignment of the text from the ‘base’ paragraph style that you are typing in … and, you cannot add a Ruling line (background) to make the Heading stand out. You can only apply character level styles using this ‘trick’.
  
  So … I don’t think it’s really what you’re looking for … is it? But … it was fun to try, anyway.
  
  Allan
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