How to see a list of fonts by paragraph/character style

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
March 4, 2025
3 replies
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Quick Version: Hi, I'm looking for a way to list which fonts are used by which paragraph/character styles. (Sure, I can just edit each of the paragraph definitions one-by-one and look. True.)

The long-winded version: I'm working with an extensive template (i.e. lots of styles) that I've cobbled together over several years. I'm using this template in several documents, each of which has several chapters. Not all of the paragraph definitions are hierarchical (that is, some are "based on" another style and some are not, so I can't make the change in one place and have it ripple through; where that works, it does work, though). There are some styles that are not used at all in the current book(s), but they are there in the template, nonetheless, for when I may need them. I need to check them, too.

One of the fonts I have been using has been obsoleted by Adobe and replaced by another with the same name. Where the style uses the old version, it's tagged with the [OTF] designator (OpenType Font). I need to find all instances where this OTF font is used in the paragraph and character styles and make sure it is replaced with the non-OTF version. Then I can synchronize with other chapters in Book 1, and load those definitions into books 2 through 7.

Going through the definitions one by one leaves me with the suspicion I may miss a definition. I'm looking for a simple way to "print out" or otherwise display all the styles together in a list. Then I can just scan them and make sure I have not missed a definition before propagating them into a bunch of other documents.

Is there such a way to list the fonts used by each paragraph and character style? (Other than by looking at them in the paragraph styles and character styles panels?)

Aside: Yes, I can Find/Replace Font. That, however, does not replace the definition used in the style; it only overrides it.

Thanks as always to the community. A way to Find/Replace-Font-as-used-in-definition would work, too, and maybe better.

-j

Correct answer tonks_the_auror

Actually, you can use Find/Change font to change the font in the style.

Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Community Expert

Just out of curosity, why would you not use a newer OpenType version? I realize the your original OT font is obsoleted by Adobe, but I would replace it with an updated OT version. If you are not using an newer OT font, I have to assume you are using a TT font since T1s don't work anymore.

Also, most likely, it wasn't obsoleted as much as Adobe isn't licensing it anymore. A newer version may be available from the original foundry.

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

N

NedlawAuthor

Legend

You're absolutely correct -- and I have access to the new, revised font. The obsolete version is Lato [OTF] the new version is Lato; it is available, no need to download from a foundry; Lato is required by the client. The template I'm using is one I have used for several years, it's accreted like barnacles, the old fonts are defined in styles in the template. It's not that I created a template de novo and used an obsolete font. The template is long, and only some of the styles are set up so that they depend on another style. (Mea Culpa) Those styles update great. The problem is going through the template style-by-style and correcting it. Possible? Yes. A hassle? Also yes. A list would help. And there are a few other complications. Some previously prepared boilerplate is brought in from InCopy. (Using InCopy for boilerplate is a GREAT idea that I picked up elsewhere in the forum.) When it's brought in, THAT may carry the old font. It needs to be corrected and then checked back in to InCopy to update it. (InCopy does not have ID style definitions as such, although you can modify fonts, but not easily find them.) Then, the template is used in seven manuals. Once I have a "good template" I can apply it to the other books. It is a small nightmare of interlocking details. Miss one definition, and it propagates. I am sure there is more efficient version control than my own.

So... I sought a way to see a list of what's being used, a list OTHER THAN the editable list shown in the Paragraph Styles panel of InDesign. Such a list exists, but you can't really get at it -- hence my original question. When bringing the InCopy material (stuff that used the obsolete fonts) into the revised template, the Find Fonts dialog that appears in ID shows -- apparently as a tooltip only -- a list of the styles that use the obsolete fonts that are affected. I have not seen this tooltip in the ID version of Find Font, only when bringing material in from InCopy and when it carries an obsolete font. But there seems no way to capture this list other than with a screen shot, and my screen shot did not cover all styles (tooltips are only so long, and style designators are lengthy). Really, being able to export a list would be great, even just for piece of mind or as a record of one's styles. No one stepped forward with info on how to do this. I suspect that someone does know, however, somewhere. It's probably in some corner of ID that I have not yet explored.

Failing a list -- and being a documenter, I prefer to see the list rather than have a robot take care of it -- the solution that was offered (and which I simply DID NOT SEE) is to update the style at the same time as updating the obsolete font, by checking the box at the bottom of the Find Font dialog.

Sorry for the long and potentially confusing post.

Thanks.

-j

Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Community Expert

I remember with this feature came out sometime around 2013. It was a big time saver solving the exact problem you are facing, especially when switching from Type 1 fonts to the OpenType version.

When creating a book or complex document, I like to include a "style guide" at the end of the book that includes all the styles show in categories (heading, body, tables, figures, etc.) and their parent structure. It also includes all parent pages, variables, table/cell styles, and so on. I can easily turn it into a guide for editors explaining when to use a particular style. This becomes my book's Style Source when updating items in the book.

Of course, it's easier to set up when creating a new document. But with all the time you'll save with the Redefine Styles option... 😁

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)