Use topic styles

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A topic style is a set of formatting attributes that can be saved with a unique name, and repeatedly applied to topics. Topic styles are saved with the map, and can be applied and managed from the Topic Styles pane. You can also apply topic styles from the Object Format group on the Design tab.

Creating a named topic style makes a distinct set of formatting attributes easily available, and the topic style can easily be applied to many topics (in contrast to using the Format Painter, which is suited to copying the format from a single topic to another). The formatting used by a topic style can be modified, and all topics using the style will reflect the new formatting.

The map's default format settings, including its topic styles, can be saved in a Map Theme and re-used on other maps.

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Display the Topic Styles pane

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Create topic styles

You can create a Topic Style from a topic that you've already formatted.

  1. Format a topic with the attributes you want to use. (These include the topic font, shape and color, alignment, size and margins, and subtopics layout.)

  2. Select the formatted topic.

  3. Do one of the following

    On the Display tab, in the Object Format group, click the Topic Style arrow, and then click New Style From Selected Topic. Or For a flowchart topic: right-click the topic select Topic Styles, then click New Style From Selected Topic.

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The new style will appear in the Topic Styles pane with a unique, generic name. You can rename, modify, or remove the style after it has been created.

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Use topic styles

You can apply topic styles using commands on the Design tab, in the Object Format group, or from the Topic Styles pane.  

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Apply a topic style

  1. Select one or more topics.

  2. Open the Topic Styles pane.

  3. Click the style you want to use for the selected topics.

When you apply a topic style, any formatting you have already applied is not changed. If you want to topic to reflect only the formatting of the topic style you should first remove the topic's formatting.  

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Remove a topic style from a topic

  1. Select one or more topics.

  2. Do one of the following:

    In the Topic Styles pane, under Selected Topic, click Clear topic style. Or On the Design tab, in the Object Format group, click the Topic Style arrow, then click Clear Topic Style. OR For a flowchart topic: right-click the topic select Topic Styles, then click  Clear Topic Styles.

The topic will display the default Map Theme's formatting.  

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Select all topics that use the same topic style

  1. In the Topic Styles pane click the style's arrow.

  2. Click Select all topics that use this style.

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Modify and manage topic styles

You can manage topic styles from the Topic Styles pane.

Modify a topic style

  1. Select a topic that uses the style you want to modify, and format it with the attributes you want to use.

  2. Do one of the following:

    In the Topic Styles pane, click the arrow for the style you want to change. Or On the ribbon's Design tab, click the Topic Style arrow. OR For a flowchart topic: right-click the topic select Topic Styles.
  1. Click Update Style to Match Selected topic.

The style will reflect the new formatting attributes, as will topics that use this style .

Delete a topic style

  1. In the Topic Styles pane, click the arrow for the style you want to delete.

  2. Click Delete.

The topic style will be removed from the Topic Styles pane, and topics that use this style will return to automatic formatting.

Rename a topic style

  1. In the Topic Styles pane, click the arrow for the style you want to rename.

  2. Click Rename.

  3. Enter the new name for the style and click OK.

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Reuse topic styles on another map

If you want to reuse the topic styles of the current map on other maps, you can create a Map Theme that includes the topic styles along with the default format settings for map objects.

When you create a new map using this theme, or apply the theme to an existing map, the topic styles will appear in the Topic Styles pane.

If you create a Map Template from the current map, the topic styles are saved as part of the template, and will be available when you create a new map using that template

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