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Participating Frequently
April 4, 2025
Question

Nested Style Sheets

  • April 4, 2025
  • 5 replies
  • 1010 views

Working on a catalog with 200 individual paragraph entries that need to be styled the same.
There are 3 different styles within each paragraph which consists of 4 lines each.
I have followed the directions in several YouTube tutorials but I'm obviously missing a step somewhere because I can't get them to work. I think the problem may lie in the drop downs for "up to" and "through" as well as the final drop down of choices to finish the line. I have tried to set up both Nested Line Style and Nested Style and neither work for me. I have done this catalog in the past by highlighting each line and selecting the style for it but that is incredibly tedious and time consuming.
Anyone have any pointers?

5 replies

Dave Creamer of IDEAS
Community Expert
Community Expert
April 5, 2025

If you clean up the formatting a bit, you might be able to use the semi-automatic Next Style settings.

 

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
Robert at ID-Tasker
Legend
April 5, 2025
quote

If you clean up the formatting a bit, you might be able to use the semi-automatic Next Style settings.

 

By @Dave Creamer of IDEAS

 

No, it's rather not possible as it would require adding a lot of blank paragraphs - which would be unnecessary work. 

 

And there are "alternative" paragraphs. 

 

Is my solution hidden or something? 

 

Dave Creamer of IDEAS
Community Expert
Community Expert
April 5, 2025

Depending on the data source, keep the blank paragraphs (as long as each listing has the same number of blanks), apply next style, the use GREP Find/Change to remove empty paragraphs. 

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
Participating Frequently
April 5, 2025

Thanks everyone for all your help. I thought the formatting might also be affecting it. I get a file sent to me somewhat preformatted in a PDF. Next time I will request it in a proper format.

Thank you all again.

Robert at ID-Tasker
Legend
April 5, 2025

@clarenceg88901489

 

Your text is "not so bad".

 

Have you seen my replies and checked last INDD file? 

 

If you'll have exactly the same data - even plain text file - it will get styled automatically. 

 

You would have to just apply "All" ParaStyle to the whole contents, apply "[None]" CharStyle - and that's it.

 

If I've missed more of the "Dam:" type Paragraphs - it can be easily added. 

 

Scott Falkner
Community Expert
Community Expert
April 5, 2025

A few problems:

  1. You are using a return to separate lines, which makes each line its own paragraph. There is no way to use Nested Styles or Line Styles to format this way since each paragraph is always the first line. Either change the returns to line breaks (Shift + Return) or use different paragraph styles for each line and use the Next Style attribute to assign the next style. You can then select a range of text and right-click on the style for the first paragraph and select Apply [style] then Next Style. To set this up make sure each style has a Next Style attribute in its definition, including having the last style setup to use the first style again.
  2. You appear to be using Basic Paragraph Style. This is not well known (and not agreed by power users) but it is my belief that using this style is a bad idea, especially if you also edit the style. Better to never use the style, never change it from the application default, and never base any styles on Basic Paragraph Style. Doing any of these will often cause text copied between documents to change formatting in unwanted and unexpected ways.
  3. You are using multiple tabs to align text. Don’t. Use the tab ruler to set tab positions and use one tab. This makes it easier to make adjustments to the position of tabbed text and keep text aligned when formatting or content changes.
Robert at ID-Tasker
Legend
April 5, 2025

@Scott Falkner

 

Not sure if you've seen my replies? 

 

Next Style solution won't work, as there are "missing" and "alternative" lines. 

 

Robert at ID-Tasker
Legend
April 4, 2025

@clarenceg88901489 

 

Attached is your file - but as you don't have correct structure everywhere - you'll have to "restart" next style from time-to-time - no "Sire":

 

 

 

Robert at ID-Tasker
Legend
April 4, 2025

@clarenceg88901489 

 

Or use F/C GREP and apply ParaStyles directly:

1st line - ALWAYS has a word in " ",

2nd line - ALWAYS has a code in ( ),

3rd line - ALWAYS starts with "Sire",

4th line - ALWAYS starts with "Breeders",

5th line - ALWAYS starts with two tabs,

 

So you could use my INDD file. 

 

Or, you could use GREP Styles and apply CharStyles - but it wouldn't be a good solution - unless it's "do and forget" type of the job.

 

Robert at ID-Tasker
Legend
April 4, 2025
quote

@clarenceg88901489 

 

[...]

Or, you could, use GREP Styles and apply CharStyles:

 

 

 

 

There is one more GREP Style - for paragraphs starting with "Dam:".

 

 

Attached is your file - you'll have to edit CharStyles - set your formatting 😉

 

BobLevine
Community Expert
Community Expert
April 4, 2025

Screenshots of your paragraph styles and the character styles you're assigning within the nested styles would go a long way to helping us to help you.

Robert at ID-Tasker
Legend
April 4, 2025

@clarenceg88901489

 

Or share a sample INDD document - with a few paragraphs.