InDesign

Define object styles

You can define a style based on the settings you’ve already applied to an object, or you can create a style from scratch or based on another style.

  1. Select the object or text frame that uses the settings you want the object style to include.
  2. Choose New Object Style from the Object Styles panel menu, or click the Create New Style button.
  3. In the New Object Style dialog box, type a name for the style.
  4. To base the style on another style, choose a style for Based On.
    Note: The Based On option lets you link styles to each other, so that changes in one style ripple through the styles that are based on it. If you make changes to the formatting of a child style and decide you want to start over, click Reset to Base. That restores the child style’s formatting to be identical to the style on which it’s based.
  5. To add a keyboard shortcut, position the insertion point in the Shortcut box, and make sure Num Lock is turned on. Then hold down any combination of Shift, Alt, and Ctrl (Windows) or Shift, Option, and Command (Mac OS), and press a number on the numeric keypad. You cannot use letters or non-keypad numbers for defining style shortcuts.
  6. Under Basic Attributes, select any additional categories that contain options you want to define, and set the options as desired. Click the check box to the left of each category to indicate whether it should be included or ignored in the style.
  7. To apply effects, choose an option in Effects For (Object, Stroke, Fill, or Text), and then select categories of effects and specify their settings. You can specify different effects for each category. Indicate which Effects categories should be turned on, turned off, or ignored in the style. (See Object style categories.)
  8. Click OK.