Update font family style in captions without clearing the text formatting.

[..KK]

Hello Community,

There are some existing simulations where I need to change the font family style from Arial to a different one. I have tried updating the theme and the caption style from preferences. The font style changes, however, the formatting (such as boldface/italics etc) inside the caption text is cleared and I'd have to reformat the text.

Could you suggest if there is an option to update the font family without changing the text formatting?

TIA.

[Lilybiri]

Did you try to replace the Theme fonts? Beware: a Bold version needs to be replaced by a Bold version of the new font family. It may not be sufficient since Theme Properties only show 3 fonts.

[..KK]

Hello Lily,

Hope you are doing fine :). Thank you for the quick response. I did try replacing the theme fonts, it doesn't work, as you said, it shows only 3 fonts and no place set the boldface font. I think, selecting and updating font for each callout would only work for now.

[Lilybiri]

It is a great new feature in 11.5, bot be able to replace fonts (have pleaded for that so long) but the result depends on the way you have applied styles in a consistent way. Too bad, that is often not the case (from my consultancy jobs).

A font is not the same as a font family, that is why I warned about the limitation to 3. If you use two fonts from a family, they count that way.

No need to edit for each individual 'callout', which may be a shape or a caption (not sure what you  used). Normally they do use the same object style as you could see in the Defaults in Preferences. Edit the style for one of a type, and use the hamburger menu in the Style part to apply the change to the existing style. It works both for shapes and captions.

[..KK]

Okay. I've used captions mostly, I started with the edit object style and apply to the existing style fro the hamburger menu.. the font changed, but the text formatting was cleared. 🙂

[Lilybiri]

That is not what should happen. The Object style includes attributes like Bold... 

Couple of questions; are you using websafe or Adobe fonts? Which exact version number do you use? 

[..KK]

Okay. It shows under system fonts (a custom font that is installed). Version 11.5.5.553 (2019 release).

I tried the hamburger menu method again with a web safe font this time, the font changed, but the text formatting is cleared again. I'm uncertain if I'm missing something. 

[Lilybiri]

I am using the same version, just double-checked with these steps:

1. Style had Adobe font 'Fira Sans' with attribute Bold.
2. For one object I replaced 'Fira Sans' by 'Open Sans', and also tried with Arial and Trebuchet (non Adobe but websafe). I didn't touch the attribute which remained set to Bold.
3. I used the hamburger menu 'Save changes to existing style'
4. All text containers using that style were changed correctly. 

I have tried both with the real 'Bold' and the 'faux Bold', also with Italic of both types. Real 'Bold' is only possible if that font has it in the family and (for Adobe font) if it is activated.

No idea what is going awry for you at all...

[..KK]

Thanks Lily, but no luck.

This is what I'm doing:

1. Select the caption.

2. Change the font style from 'Arial - regular' to 'New system font - regular'. (the font style changes after this)

3. Save changes to existing style from the hamburger menu. (the formatting is cleared when I do this)

The format of the text inside the captions is as follows, "Click the OK button to procced."

The 'OK' in boldface changes to regular after I save the changes to exixting style.

[Lilybiri · Accepted solution]

Finally! 

Captivate has NO character styles at all, only object styles.  You changed the object style, but that one word was overriding the object style, and that type of formatting gets lost of course. It is logical... now I see what you mean by 'formatting'. Captivate has no hierarchy in styles like is the case for desktop publishers (like InDesign). That type of overriding object styles will always be lost. You would need to have 'OK' in an individual text container, and create a separate style for it.

Same would happen if you copy/paste appearance only for text, unless you copy only from a bolded word to another word.

[..KK]

Okay Lily. Thanks for the information.

[Lilybiri]

You're welcome.