Preloaded text in paragraph style

[Daemion]

 

I'm working on manuals and most of the time it has notes similar to the image above, that has it's own paragraph style. Is there a way to make this paragraph style add the text "Important:" whenever I use this paragraph style so I don't have to keep typing them everytime I add these notes?

[jmlevy · Accepted solution]

Yes: use the auto numbering feature but replace the numbering by the word “important:” as shown in my screenshot. I use it also for manuals with the words “caution”, “note”…

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Minor note: the Format field should be set to 'None' for this tweak... non?

It doesn't appear to make any difference, if you don't use the number placeholder, but I can see some invisible bag filling with unused numbers until the document breaks. Or some such.

[Daemion]

Thanks for the quick reply! I knew it had something to do with numbering/bulleting. You guys are awesome as always!

[Daemion]

I have to add one more thing as I was working on this. You have to create a new list  if you intend to insert this paragraph style in between auto numbered paragraphs so it won't mess with the auto numbering of your document

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

That's a good point. Are you sure it interferes if you set the numbering to None? (That's part of what I meant by causing strange and unwanted effects... it's great that the feature is so flexible, but I suspect it could cause some real hair-tearing consequences if not watched carefully, as this kind of 'coloring outside the lines' all too often does.)

And, being a style, it lends itself to changing the tag text globally, sometimes not a small thing. 🙂

[Daemion]

Yes I tried your suggestion before I created the list and it does break the auto numbering even if you have it continue from previous number

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Ugh. Well, it's not hard to create a separate list and use it exclusively for these named elements. A very good suggestion.

[jmlevy]

That's weird. I use this since years in documents where actual numbered lists and “fake” ones are mixed and I never created any dedicated lists without any problems.

@James Gifford—NitroPress 

Minor note: the Format field should be set to 'None' for this tweak... non?

To be honest, I didn't even know that it was possible to set the format to “None”… I never cared about this, without any trouble.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

That's weird. I use this since years in documents where actual numbered lists and “fake” ones are mixed and I never created any dedicated lists without any problems.

In both ID and (especially) Word, multi-level and mixed numbered lists seem to be goverened by logic devised by Lewis Carroll, MC Escher or both. Sometimes all is well; other times you spend more time battling correct numbering more than any other layout element... and then it breaks again. At least ID has a fairly rational management system.

[jmlevy]

In both ID and (especially) Word, multi-level and mixed numbered lists seem to be goverened by logic devised by Lewis Carroll, MC Escher or both.

😄