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Please note : This help page is not for the latest version of Enterprise Architect. The latest help can be found here.

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Styles, Special Text and Table of Contents

Using the Document Editor, you can define character-based styles and paragraph-based styles.

  • A character style constitutes a set of character formatting attributes and is applied to a character string
  • A paragraph style constitutes both a set of character formatting attributes and a set of paragraph formatting attributes, and is applied to one or more paragraphs

You can also include special, structured text in the document, such as page number, date and time, table of contents and text input fields.

Every custom template or document you create is automatically based on the Normal.rtf template file. This provides default styles, numbering and other base formats, which you can change using the Document Editor facilities and save either as a specific document, template or document report Stylesheet.

Access

Ribbon

Select options from the 'Document Edit' ribbon bar.

Editing Styles

To

Action

See also

Create and edit styles

Select the option 'Document-Edit > Edit > Edit > Edit Style'. The 'Edit Stylesheet' dialog displays.

Select the appropriate radio button to define a paragraph style or a character style.

If you want to update an existing style, select that style from the list box. If you want to create a new style, select the 'Create a new style' checkbox, and type a name in the 'Style Name' field. Short style names are best, but you can type in long names if necessary.

To begin defining the style properties, click on the OK button.

You can use the ruler, toolbar or context menu selections to modify the style properties; for an existing stylesheet item, these also reflect the currently-selected properties.

After you have defined the required style, you set it by either selecting the 'Document-Edit > Edit > Edit > Edit Style' menu option again or clicking anywhere in the document:

  • If you modified an existing stylesheet item, the document automatically reflects the updated style
  • If you created a new stylesheet item, you can apply the style to highlighted text by selecting the 'Document-Edit > Font > Font > Style' or 'Document-Edit > Paragraph > Paragraph > Style' ribbon options

Update the standard styles used

Right-click on the document and select 'Update Styles > [select Stylesheet to update]'

  • Re-import the standard styles from Normal.rtf, into the current document, or
  • Apply one of the system-supplied standard Stylesheets to the document

A submenu displays from which you select the appropriate style source.

This is useful for maintaining consistency of styles across all your documents, including such things as numbering formats.

The Normal.rtf Style Template Selecting a Stylesheet

Edit the hyperlink style

This option operates specifically on the style of any hyperlinks you want to create.

Select the option 'Document-Edit > Font > Font > Hyperlink', then select the font, font size and emphasis (bold, italic) you want to apply. You cannot remove the hyperlink underline or change the color from blue.

Select the option 'Document-Edit > Font > Font > Hyperlink' again to set the style.

When you create a hyperlink from this point onwards, the link text will be in the style you have set. Links created before you changed the style remain in the earlier style.

Insert Hyperlinks

Apply character styles

Highlight the text to be styled and select the option 'Document-Edit > Font > Font > Style'; the 'Select a Style' dialog displays, from which you select the character style to apply.

Alternatively, select a character style from the drop-down list in the 'Font' panel of the 'Document-Edit' ribbon.

Apply paragraph styles

Highlight the text to be styled and select the option 'Document-Edit > Paragraph > Paragraph > Style'; the 'Select a Style' dialog displays, from which you select the paragraph style to apply.

Alternatively, select a paragraph style from the drop-down list in the 'Font' panel of the 'Document-Edit' ribbon.

Clear unused lists from the template or document

Select the option 'Document-Edit > File > Manage > Remove Unused Lists'.

The system prompts you to confirm removal of the lists when the file is saved. Click on the Yes button.

When you have list formats such as for bullet or numbered lists in the file, and you have reversed or otherwise not used them, the formatting instructions for applying these lists to the text remain in the file. You can see this when you set up the list and then toggle the bullets or numbering on and off.

If you select the 'Remove Unused Lists' option, when you save the file the unused format instructions are removed from the file, reducing the number of list formats maintained in the file and reducing file size.

Insert date and time fields

At the point in the text at which to insert the current date and/or time field, select the option 'Document-Edit > Edit > Insert > Date and Time'.

The 'Insert Current Date/Time' dialog displays, from which you can select the required date and time format. You can insert the date or time fields separately, or as a combined field.

The date and time are automatically updated whenever the page text is refreshed (that is, clicked on).

Insert a table of contents

Edit the 'Table of Contents' level styles (TOC 1 to TOC 9) as required, using the option 'Document-Edit > Edit > Edit > Edit Style'. Add at least one 'Heading n' style to the document.

Move the cursor to the point at which to insert the Table of Contents, and select the option 'Document-Edit > Edit > Insert > Table of Contents'. A small dialog displays in which you specify the highest and lowest Table of Contents levels to apply in the table in this document; when you have specified the levels, click on the OK button. If there are corresponding headings within the specified range, the Table of Contents displays; otherwise, the line remains blank.

To create a Table of Contents heading that displays in the generated document, type the appropriate text at least one line above the inserted list and define the style as required - use a Heading style to include the heading itself in the Table of Contents, otherwise use a non-heading style.

The Table of Contents is automatically generated and updated whenever generation or repagination occurs.

Define Document Sections

Insert your own data fields

Move the cursor to the point at which to insert the data field and select the option 'Document-Edit > Edit > Insert > Data Field' menu option.

The 'Data Field Parameters' dialog displays, in which you enter the field name and the data value. Wherever you insert the data field, the values are automatically updated with the most recent data value you enter.

Insert your own text entry field

You insert text entry fields so that anyone using the document can type in their own text in response to either a lead-in sentence or the field name itself.

Move the cursor to the point at which to insert the text entry field and type in any lead-in text you want to use. Then select the option 'Document-Edit > Edit > Insert > Text Input Field'.

The 'Input Field Parameters' dialog displays, in which you enter:

  • The field name
  • The initial value to display as a default
  • The maximum length of the field
  • The text font in which to display the text

You can also specify whether or not the field has a border.

For example: Name field

If you insert a text entry field in a template, any document generated from the template shows the typed entry as normal text, not boxed.

Insert a selectable checkbox

You insert checkboxes in a document so that the users of the document can mark the item represented by the box. The checkbox can be selected and deselected in a document, a template and a document generated from a template.

Move the cursor to the point at which to insert the checkbox and select the option 'Document-Edit > Edit > Insert > Checkbox Field'.

The 'Checkbox Field Parameters' dialog displays, in which you enter:

  • The field name (which does not display in the text)
  • Whether the checkbox defaults to selected
  • The size of the checkbox

Click on the OK button.

Insert a selection (drop-down) field

You insert selection fields in a document so that the users of the document can select one of the items presented in a drop-down list.

Move the cursor to the point at which to insert the checkbox and select the option 'Document-Edit > Edit > Insert > Selection Field'.

The 'Selection Field Parameters' dialog displays, in which you enter:

  • The field name
  • The options to present in the drop-down list (separated by the | character)
  • The value from this list to display as a default

Click on the OK button.

Insert a non-breaking space

Move the cursor to the point at which to insert the non-breaking space and select the 'Insert | Non-breaking Space' menu option.

Insert a non-breaking dash

Move the cursor to the point at which to insert the non-breaking dash and select the 'Insert | Non-breaking Dash' menu option.

Insert an optional hyphen

Move the cursor to the point at which to insert the hyphen and select the 'Insert | Optional Hyphen' menu option.

Insert a Project Constant

(For Document Report templates.)

You can create Project Constants to insert a specific text string wherever you place the flag for that string. You can therefore design a report containing many instances of that string, but create and edit the actual value in one place - on the 'Project Constants' tab of the 'Generate Report' dialog.

Right-click at the point at which you want to insert the Constant (flag), and select the 'Project Constants | <flag name>' option. The Constant displays at that point in the template, and when the report is generated the flag is replaced by its defined value.

You can insert a Project Constant anywhere in the template - in the text body, section headings, headers, footers, endnotes or footnotes. Project Constants are available to any template in the model.

Project Constants

Define level numbering in generated document

(Used in the Document Template Editor.)

Select the option 'Document-Edit > Edit > Edit > Lists and Overrides'.

Set up the numbering list and the list overrides.

Apply the numbering list to the headings set for Packages and elements, using paragraph numbering.

Apply User-Defined Section Numbering

Use double-byte characters

Select the option 'Document-Edit > Edit > Edit > Inline Ime'.

Double-byte characters are, broadly, complex characters used in languages such as Japanese, Chinese, and Cyrillic.

With this menu option, you can use both single-byte characters and double-byte characters in your text, without having to switch to an external Input Method Editor (IME) application.