Format Brush

[oop]

I'm a new user, and generally like Atlantis very much. But I'm surprised and disappointed by the way the Format Brush works. I thought it would work the same way as it does in Atlantis Nova, which is similar to the way it works in every other word processing application I know of, i.e. transferring the formatting at the cursor point to a selection. Is there some way to make it do that? I can't find anything like that in the help file section on Format Brush.

The way that it does work might be useful if I could choose what format combinations are in the pull-down Format Palette. I can't see any way to do that either. Out of all the myriad possible combinations of formatting choices, the palette seems limited to 21 combinations, most of which I would never use in any document. And the brush can't pick up a formatting combination that I've already used in the file, though the brush in the free version can do that.

I see that there's an option to alter a selected pre-set combination by selecting other formatting options individually, but that's a much slower method except when going through a single document and changing many random selections to one set of formatting choices. And in that case, it seems to me that a Style would be a better way to control that.

[Robert]

Hi,

transferring the formatting at the cursor point to a selection. Is there some way to make it do that?

The simplest quickest way is to use the dedicated commands and shortcuts:

Copy font format (Ctrl+Shift+C)
Copy paragraph format (Shift+Alt+C)

Note that there are 2 corresponding toolbar buttons.

You can also use the "Copy all formatting" command to copy both font and paragraph formatting together (Shift+Alt+K,C).

Of course, you have matching "paste" commands:

Paste font format (Ctrl+Shift+V)
Paste paragraph format (Shift+Alt+V)
Paste all formatting (Shift+Alt+K,V)

might be useful if I could choose what format combinations are in the pull-down Format Palette. I can't see any way to do that either.

The format combinations available in the pull-down Format Palette are those present on your Format Palette, which is located on the Control Board (F6).

Out of all the myriad possible combinations of formatting choices, the palette seems limited to 21 combinations, most of which I would never use in any document.

There are no limits to the number of format combinations that you can add to your Format Palette. You can also modify the existing combinations as you like. You can remove (delete) any of them. Simply use the toolbar icon/commands at the bottom of the Format Palette pane on the Control Board.

And the brush can't pick up a formatting combination that I've already used in the file

Still at the bottom of the Format Palette pane on the Control Board, you have a Format Picker toggle button. Switch it on and use it to add a new format to your palette.

You can then double click the format to apply it to a selection. Or you can "switch on the Format Brush mode and load the selected palette format" (bottom toolbar button). In this case, you can "paint" any text fragment with the brush.

I see that there's an option to alter a selected pre-set combination by selecting other formatting options individually, but that's a much slower method except when going through a single document and changing many random selections to one set of formatting choices. And in that case, it seems to me that a Style would be a better way to control that.

You can use the Ctrl+H dialog to replace a set of formatting characteristics with another within a selection or across the whole document. Simply check the "Format" boxes in the dialog and select any appropriate formatting options using the dedicated buttons.

Also please have a look at http://www.atlantiswordprocessor.com/en ... _brush.htm

Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Robert

[oop]

I'm stunned. There's everything I was looking for, plus a lot more that I never imagined. I just didn't look for it in the right places.

I see now that there is mention of the Control Board in the Help section on Format Brush, near the beginning and then again at the very end. I somehow missed it, maybe because the term is new to me.

And those Copy and Paste Format keys, which I didn't even dream of, are better for me. I can macro them to function keys, and issue the commands with one hand while selecting text with the other.

Thanks very much for your patient and detailed explanation.