Where is “Apply __ then Next Style”?
Incoming e-mail from an InDesignSecrets reader:
I have style sheets set up to apply in a series. When I go to the menu where it should say “Apply __ and then next style,” that option is not there. Any ideas why this option will not appear?
That command is a wily one, but oh-so-useful in certain production challenges; specifically when you have a series of unformatted paragraphs to which you need to quickly apply a series of custom Paragraph Styles.
You need to select at least two consecutive paragraphs before InDesign will show you the command in the Paragraph Styles palette. Even then, you won’t find “Apply “[this style]” then Next Style” in the palette menu. You can only see the command when you right-click (or Control-click with a one-button mouse) on the name of the Paragraph Style that should be applied to the first paragraph in the selection.
InDesign will apply the style you right-clicked on to the first paragraph in the selection, then apply the Next Styles that you specified in the style definitions to the remaining paragraphs in the selection.
You could alternatively select the entire text frame with the Selection tool; right-clicking on the Paragraph Style name that you want applied to the frame’s first paragraph will reveal the “Apply “this style” then Next Style” command.
The command can be included in an Object Style for a text frame, too. Look in the Paragraph Styles panel of the Object Style options for the “Apply Next Style” checkbox.
One more reason the option might not be there is that this particular person might be using CS, and the “Apply [this style], then Next Style” option was not added until CS2.
Quite right, Michael, thanks!
How can you make a key command for the “apply___then next styl”?
Melanie, you can’t do that… because how would you tell InDesign which style you were trying to apply first? That’s why you need to use the context menu. You can, however, set this up in an object style and then use a shortcut for that.