6 Replies Latest reply: Dec 8, 2010 5:00 PM by gailcnyc RSS

    Why can't I define bullet paragraph in Basic Paragraph style?

    gailcnyc Community Member

      I would like to set up my Basic Paragraph style so that I can quickly apply bullets to individual paragraphs - using MY preferred indents - without having to create a new style for the bullet paragraphs. I tried changing the settings of the Basic Paragraph style, with no documents open, but it doesn't seem to want to accept my choice of indents. First I selected bullets and set an indent, but then the whole paragraph defaults to bullets. When I switch the bullet setting back to "none" the only thing that it keeps is the last setting I chose for tabs. (Which simultaneously changes the default tab setting for all paragraphs.) But when I create a new doct and start a bullet paragraph, the indents always default to .25/-.25, and any tab setting LESS than .25 results in the first line indenting to the tab setting, but the rest of the paragraph indenting to .25. There seems to be no way to change the default indent for bullets without creating a new paragraph style. And usually I'm fine with that. But I thought I would like to have a quick default using the Basic Paragraph style. Am I missing something or is this just not possible?

      Here is a visual/verbal screenshot to help explain:

      InDesign-Bullet-Problem.png

        • 1. Re: Why can't I define bullet paragraph in Basic Paragraph style?
          Nini Tjäder Community Member

          Don't change the basic paragraph style for bullets, create a new style with your desired settings by duplicating the basic style and adding and/or deleting parameters that should apply only when the bullet style is used. When created you only need to click once to apply that on the desired paragraph. Styles are applied hirerarchally, adding or deleting parameters on the style that is the base for the text.

          • 2. Re: Why can't I define bullet paragraph in Basic Paragraph style?
            gailcnyc Community Member

            Thanks for the reply, but I believe I said that I knew I could do it using styles, but that I wanted to know if it was ALSO possible to include it in my basic paragraph style.

            • 3. Re: Why can't I define bullet paragraph in Basic Paragraph style?
              Eugene Tyson CommunityMVP

              You can

               

              You see in the screenshot you have the bullets and numbering set to NONE

               

              So change it to Bullets

              • 4. Re: Why can't I define bullet paragraph in Basic Paragraph style?
                P Spier CommunityMVP

                Let's see if I understand this differently from the others. You want to apply bullets manually from time to time without having to select a new style, you want to do this by pressing the bulleted list button in the Control panel, and you want settings for tabs and indents other than the default. Is that correct?

                 

                As far as I can tell there is no way currently to do this. You cannot set up the parameters for bullets unless the text cursor is active or you are defining a style, so there is no way to set up new defaults. You don't want to set up parameteres everytime you need a bullet, so, either you type the bullets manually, tab and insert an indent to here character, which is actually a lot more work, or you go ahead and set up the style. You can access the style list in the dropdown on the Control panel, or you can add a keyboard shortcut to give you quick access, or hit Ctrl (Cmd on Mac) + Enter to access Quick apply and start typing the name of the style (almost as fast as a keyboard shortcut).

                • 5. Re: Why can't I define bullet paragraph in Basic Paragraph style?
                  P Spier CommunityMVP

                  I forgot to add that you should set the "next style" for the bulleted style to be your regular paragraph style, whatever that might be, so that the bullet style must be applied to every paragraph and won't carry forward when you hit enter.

                  • 6. Re: Why can't I define bullet paragraph in Basic Paragraph style?
                    gailcnyc Community Member

                    Thank you, Peter. I know this is not something essential, and I was just being stubborn about it. But sometimes I go around in circles on things like that and don't see something really obvious. So I thought I would check. I appreciate your taking the time to reply to this non-urgent question.

                     

                    Eugene - in my original post I explained that I tried turning bullets on, but then every paragraph would be bulleted. What I was hoping to do was avoid applying a separate style when I need a couple of lines of bullet text here and there. I think Peter understood and maybe explained it better than I did.