New Video: Configuring Auto-titles

For all things Mellel

Moderators: Eyal Redler, redlers, Ori Redler

Post Reply
Eyal Redler
Co-founder
Posts: 692
Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2005 9:15 am

New Video: Configuring Auto-titles

Post by Eyal Redler »

Just published the second video in a series of videos covering in depth Mellel’s Auto-title feature. In this video we’re diving deeper into configuring Auto-titles: Renaming and deleting streams, editing the main format and adding a new stream.
You can watch the video in our “Videos” section on the Mellel website or directly in youtube: https://youtu.be/ehQLkKLqIds
Make sure to like and subscribe to show your support for Mellel and spread the word.
Eyal Redler
----------------------
Co-Founder and Owner at Mellel
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mellelwordprocessor
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MellelRedlex
Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_b ... 2LWB33YBZW
Amontillado
Knows everything, can prove it
Posts: 148
Joined: Fri May 04, 2018 4:00 am

Re: New Video: Configuring Auto-titles

Post by Amontillado »

Nice video. If I don't modify auto-titles or styles for a while, I have to experiment a little to figure out where I'm modifying things.

When you modify a style or auto-title, you might want the change to be just in the current document, or you might want to change the global definition of a style or auto-title.

That also changes (I think) if you are working with a diamond style.

Is there an easy way to remember the logic of where a style or auto-title gets updated? I know this question keeps coming up, and it's one that's not hard to answer with experimenting - but knowing the rules behind what happens might clarify a lot.
Eyal Redler
Co-founder
Posts: 692
Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2005 9:15 am

Re: New Video: Configuring Auto-titles

Post by Eyal Redler »

The key to understanding this is to understand the difference between modifying a style or making an override and then the difference between local style sets and global style sets.

All styles in Mellel work in a similar fashion so a simple example might help. Let's take character styles:
If you have a document and you select a word and choose "bold" in the face popup, you are adding an override to the text and the change will apply only to the selected text in said document. If you open the character style for editing and choose bold in the face popup you are modifying the style and the changes will apply wherever this style is applied.

If the style belongs to a global style set, the changes will apply to other documents that use that style set, otherwise, the changes will apply only to the style set in that document.

The same logic applies to Auto-titles since Mellel 5.1 (which introduced Auto-title styles).

When you make changes via Insert > Auto-title > Configure Auto-titles you are adding overrides to the document's Auto-title configuration and changes applyonly to that document and will not apply to other documents.
If you make changes to the Auto-title style then changes will apply to other documents if the style belongs to a global style set.

If all this sounds confusing remember that by default, all the Mellel factory templates are not using a global style set, this means that unless you explicitly made a style set global you can be sure that all changes you make, whether applied to the style or applied as an override, are local to the document.
Eyal Redler
----------------------
Co-Founder and Owner at Mellel
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mellelwordprocessor
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MellelRedlex
Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_b ... 2LWB33YBZW
Amontillado
Knows everything, can prove it
Posts: 148
Joined: Fri May 04, 2018 4:00 am

Re: New Video: Configuring Auto-titles

Post by Amontillado »

Eyal, thank you for your reply. I think this anchors my understanding. Document (diamond) and global style sets are easy with the rules understood.

I can see I can make better use of styles, too.

Here's some take-aways this morning. If I'm off base, please correct me.

If I want a document to appear with different formats for different audiences, the easiest is to have global style sets for each desired appearance. If the style sets all have the same roster of style names, the document changes appearance like flipping a switch by changing from one style set to another.

Globalizing a style set is done with the little globe icon found in Styles->Edit style sets. That will change a diamond style set to a global style set. If you copy or create a style set, it's automatically a global style set. I see there's a reason - comments later.

The delete button only deletes style sets in the global repo. If you delete a style set, it still exists as the local style set in every document that used it. If it was the active style set in the current document, it lives on in the current document as the local (diamond) style set.

The change I'm going to make is I'll create a blank document for each global style set I currently have. I already have a template for each custom style set I commonly use.

Then I'll delete most of my global style sets and use the style sets from templates.

Thanks again, Eyal.
Eyal Redler
Co-founder
Posts: 692
Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2005 9:15 am

Re: New Video: Configuring Auto-titles

Post by Eyal Redler »

Yes, If you have multiple style sets with same name styles inside, they should map and allow you to swap appearances at a flick of a switch. One thing to remember, make sure you have "match style by name" in the sheet that pops up when you apply a style set.

Globalizing is done like that.

Yes, deleting a global style sets only makes it non global. A document must have a style set applied so you can't remove it from a document without replacing it with some other style set.

You can certainly apply your global sets on a template, save it, and then remove the global style set. It will still be available via the template.
However, note that this means that changes you make to the style set in one document, will not apply to other documents even if they use the same set. This may be exactly what you want but if you rely on that side effect you should be aware of that.
Eyal Redler
----------------------
Co-Founder and Owner at Mellel
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mellelwordprocessor
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MellelRedlex
Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_b ... 2LWB33YBZW
Amontillado
Knows everything, can prove it
Posts: 148
Joined: Fri May 04, 2018 4:00 am

Re: New Video: Configuring Auto-titles

Post by Amontillado »

"changes you make to the style set in one document, will not apply to other documents even if they use the same set." - Yes, exactly how it should work, because even though a global and a local (diamond) style set could have the same name, they are independent.

Here's a trick I learned this morning.

If you are writing in a global style set and want to detach from it so you can make changes without affecting other documents, three steps will do that.
  1. In the style set editor, duplicate the global style set you're using. Remember that the style set editor doesn't select a style set, it just edits them.
  2. Use the styles pulldown menu to select the new duplicate you just made.
  3. Go back into the style set editor and delete (de-globalize) the new copy, the style set you're now using. Be brave. Deleting the currently used style set doesn't affect your document in any material way, it just de-globalizes the style set.
Now you're using a local copy of the global style set. Changes in style only affect the current document.

From my perspective, the mechanisms behind Mellel's styles are easy to learn. Learning by recipes or usage examples doesn't reveal the complete picture, and that's OK. Show me the throttle, clutch, and brakes and I'll figure out for myself how to negotiate any particular trail hazard.
Post Reply