Styles and style sheets

Styles

A style is a set of characteristics that comprise a cell format. For example, the Standard style specifies that the font used is 10 point Arial, the number format category is Standard, and that cells are write-protected and have no background pattern. In contrast, the Percent style specifies that the number format used is 0%.

Styles are listed on the Format toolbar. Open Design Mode and select View > Toolbars > Format.

To apply a style to a cell, click the cell and select a style from the list of styles in the Formats toolbar.

You can use styles to create a style sheet. The styles in a style sheet are applied to all reports which are linked to the style sheet.

You can format a list so that elements at each level of its hierarchy have a different style.

See Creating a style for a level.

Or you can format a list so that the data at each level has a different style.

See Specifying level-specific formats of data in hyperblocks).

Note: You can only edit and assign styles in Design Mode.

Style sheets

You edit and create styles in a style sheet. The styles are then applied to any report based on the style sheet. This enables you to format a number of reports consistently.

You can base a new report on a style sheet. Or you can assign a style sheet to an existing report. Changes to the styles in a style sheet are automatically reflected in reports based on it. But, such changes are not automatically reflected in existing reports to which a style sheet has subsequently been assigned.

If you assign a style sheet to an existing report, or if you add new styles to a style sheet, you must copy the styles from the style sheet to the individual reports.

The settings of the report override the settings of the style sheet on which the report is based. Special settings override the default settings. Cell formats of the style sheet and the report are compared at the level of the tabs in the Format Cells dialog.

You cannot use POVs and scripts in style sheets.

You cannot assign a template to a style sheet.

We recommend that you do not mix local style formatting with style sheet styles in a single report. To clear a cell of local style formatting, reapply the Standard style.

Note: Report styles are only visible in the View Mode and Debug Mode of reports based on them. If you assign a style sheet to a report and you do not see any result, make sure you are in View Mode or Debug Mode, or make sure the styles from the style sheet have been made available.