FM10 variables: does <Default Paragraph Font> still clear formatting?

AG: > A variable is an independent container, so when you apply a character format to the container, that then applies to everything within it. There really is no explicit need for the terminating <Default ¶ Font> in the variable definition in your case, as any formatting is not allowed to bleed outside of the variable container. The termination is only required when you need a formatting change within the variable definition itself.

Thanks for that tip. We'll cease using the redundant terminating tag.

> My reference to this being a sub-optimal practice is that there can be all sorts of unintended consequences to applying the formatting externally to the variable, as the OP seems to have stumbled across.

In my case, I've determined that the trailing <Default ¶ Font> was not the reason why some Variable-defined characters were randomly losing externally-applied Character Formats.

It was because the Character Format used in the Var. Def. was itself defective. The Character Format wasn't setting As-Is for all attributes except those of interest. In the particular case at hand the external ChFmt "Review", which just set a color, was conflicting with the fact that the ChFmt "Dingbats" was needlessly declaring "Black".

This results in a conflict, and apparently which format prevails is merely a function of what sequence order Frame uses when rendering, and apparently that varies in different edit scenarios.

Mark,

In rebutal, I just checked back with FM8, FM7.2 and FM6 and the behaviour is all the same as in FM10. If you copy and paste a variable from another para format, the pasted version of the variable carries along the formatting of the context that you copied it from - exactly as would happen for any text copied from the same paratag. The setting of the <Default ¶ Font> at the start of the variable does turn off the formatting for the variable text that follows, however the variable container still has the formatting of the source.

It doesn't matter that what's pasted is a variable or not. When you copy any content from one paragraph to another, you pick up the formatting from the location that you copied from. If you try a Paste Special > Text, you will strip the formatting, but in the case of a variable, you will deposit the contents of the variable and not the variable itself.

Here's the same behaviour in FM7.2 with the "variable" in red so that it stands out:

Note: if you use the arrow key to move over a space immediately after inserting (in any version) you won't get the formatting that comes along for the ride. If you place your cursor immediately at the end of the variable and check the format settings in the Character Designer, you will still see the source formatting that came along for the ride.

The bullet-proof way to quickly insert variables is to use the ctrl+0 and type-ahead of the variable name (this shows in the Status bar as you type the variable name). Use variable naming techniques that will get you the unique string in 2-3 characters, then it's only ever a few keystrokes away.

In the Find/Change by Pasting situation, you would need to copy the variable from a similar context. Note: this applies to anything that you've put on the clipboard, including text and not just variables.