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Step 1 - What is the Styles and Formatting Task Pane

This task pane was designed to make working with styles and formatting your text easier.

In my opinion in has actually done the complete opposite and has made what should be quite a simple task into a bit of a nightmare.

Lets start with some basics before we get into the more complicated aspects of this task pane.

Step 2 - Check your Options

What this task pane actually shows depends on two important settings on the Edit tab of your (Tools > Options).

Keep track of formatting - (Added in 2002). Select this check box to allow Word to keep track of, or store, formatting information as you type, so that you can easily apply it elsewhere.

Mark formatting inconsistencies - (Added in 2002). Marks formatting with wavy, blue underlines when it is similar, but not exactly the same, as other formatting in your document. Word can identify direct formatting that's similar to formatting you've applied more frequently, list formatting that's similar to other list formatting, and direct formatting that matches a style. To use this option, the Keep track of formatting check box must also be selected.

For the rest of this page lets assume that the following two options are not checked.

Step 3 - Show Drop-Down

At the bottom of the Styles and Formatting task pane there is a show drop-down box.

The options that are displayed in the drop-down box depend on the settings on the Edit tab of your (Tools > Options).

Available styles - This displays a list of all the available styles. This is the default setting.

Styles in use - This displays a list of all the styles that are currently being used by the active document.

All styles - This displays a list of all the custom style and all the 150+ built-in styles as well.

Custom - Displays the Format Settings dialog box (see below step ??).

Step 4 - Formatting of Selected Text

At the top of the Styles and Formatting task pane is the "Formatting of selected text" area.

The "Formatting of selected text" box at the top always displays the name of the style which the current selection is using.

If your selection has some manual formatting on top of this style this is not displayed.

Open a new document and enter a few lines of text in the Normal style.

Apply bold and italics manual formatting to the first line and display the Styles and Formatting task pane.

Displays the name of the style which the current selection is using and gives no indication of any manual formatting.

Select All - This button is only available when you have your (Tools > Options)(Edit tab, "Keep track of formatting") selected.

Step 5 - Formatting of Selected Text - Drop-Down

You can use the drop-down arrow to provide quick access to some useful commands.

Clear Formatting -

New Style -

Modify -

Reveal Formatting -

Step 6 - Formatting of Selected Text - ToolTip

You can quickly display a summary of the different attributes of this style by hovering over a style with your mouse.

Step 7 - Pick Formatting to Apply

This list also indicates the type of style, either character, paragraph, list or table.

Modify - Displays the Modify Style dialog box which lets you change the style attributes.

Delete - Lets you delete the style from the document. It is not possible to delete any of the Built-in Styles

Update to match selection - Redefines this style to match the formatting of the current selection. For some reason this is not available when you select the Normal style.

Step 8 - Pick Formatting to Apply - Black Line

A black line will appear in this task pane when you have to scroll the task pane to see all your styles.

The styles above the black line are styles that have been applied recently.

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Step 9 - Things to Remember

When you first open a blank document in Word 2003 this task pane will be automatically displayed.