Format Paragraphs

Ribbon

Document-Edit > Paragraph > Paragraph > [options]

There is also a range of icons in the 'Paragraph' panel of the 'Document-Edit' ribbon, that provide direct access to commonly used paragraph formatting options

Clear all paragraph formatting

Select the 'Paragraph | Normal' menu option.

All paragraph formatting applied to the current paragraph or selected text will be removed.

Center text

Select the 'Paragraph | Center' menu option, or press Alt+8.

Right-justify text

Select the 'Paragraph | Right Justify' menu option, or press Alt+9.

Justify both sides of text

Select the 'Paragraph | Justify Both' menu option.

Double Space

Select the 'Paragraph | Double Space' menu option to put a double line space between paragraphs.

Indent paragraph left

Select the 'Paragraph > Indent Left' menu option, or press Alt+L.

Select the option again to increase the indent.

To reduce or cancel the indent, click on the 'Decrease Indent' icon in the Ribbon.

Indent paragraph right

Select the 'Paragraph | Indent Right' menu option or press Alt+R.

Select the option again to increase the indent.

Create hanging indent

Select the 'Paragraph | Hanging Indent' menu option or press Alt+T.

Select the option again to increase the indent of all lines below the first.

Keep paragraph lines together

Select the 'Paragraph | Keep Together' menu option.

The editor attempts to keep all lines within the paragraph on the same page.

Keep paragraphs together

Select the 'Paragraph | Keep with Next' menu option.

The editor attempts to keep the last line of the current paragraph and the first line of the next paragraph on the same page.

Prevent 'widow' and 'orphan' lines

Select the 'Paragraph | Widow/Orphan Control' menu option.

The editor attempts to avoid having:

• the first line of the paragraph on the previous page ('widow' line)
• the last line of the paragraph on the next page ('orphan' line)

Start text on new page

Move the cursor to the point at which to start the new page, and select the 'Paragraph | Page Break Before' menu option.

Insert border and shading for text block

Select the 'Paragraph | Border and Shading' menu option.

The 'Paragraph Box Parameters' dialog displays, on which you specify:

• Which sides of the box to display (including a line between text lines)
• Whether the lines are thick or doubled
• The degree of gray shading behind the text
• The color of the lines

Define line spacing

Select the 'Paragraph | Paragraph Spacing' menu option.

The 'Paragraph Spacing Parameters' dialog displays, on which you specify the line spacing and the point spacing before and after lines.

Alternatively, to just set double line spacing, select the 'Paragraph | Double Space' menu option.

Set a background color for text space

Select the 'Paragraph | Background Color' menu option.

The 'Color' dialog displays, on which you select the background color.

The editor highlights the full width of the page in that color, for the selected lines.

Create a bulleted list

Select the 'Paragraph | Bullet' menu option.

The editor formats the lines into a simple bullet list.

If you want to indent the list (or a part of it) further, select the 'Paragraph | Increase Level' menu option. If you have increased the indent but now want to decrease it, select the 'Paragraph | Decrease Level' option.

Create a numbered list

Highlight the required lines of text and select the 'Paragraph | Numbering' menu option.

The editor formats the lines into a simple numbered list.

To create multiple-level numbered lists, see Set the list characters.

Apply numbering to paragraphs

(Used in the 'Document Template Editor'.)

1. Set up a numbering list and overrides ('Document-Edit > Edit > Edit > List and Overrides > Create List Item' and 'Create List Override').
2. Apply the numbering levels to the template sections ('Document-Edit > Paragraph > Paragraph > List Numbering').

Apply a paragraph style from the template stylesheet

Select the 'Paragraph | Style' menu option.

The 'Select a Style' dialog displays, listing the currently-defined paragraph styles in the template stylesheet.

Select the required style and click on the OK button.

Set text flow in document

To set the text flow for:

• A highlighted block of text, select the 'Document-Edit > Paragraph > Paragraph > Text Flow' ribbon option; the 'Paragraph Text Flow' dialog displays
• The entire document, select the 'Document-Edit > Edit > Document Text Flow' menu option; the 'Document Text Flow' dialog displays

In either case, select the required text flow direction and click on the OK button. The options are:

• Left to right
• Right to left
• Default

The 'Default' action depends on the language setting of the system; for example, if the system language is Hebrew or Chinese, the default text flow is right to left.

Paragraph Marker

Displays or hides the various space markers in the text, such as:

• The paragraph marker at the end of each paragraph
• The Tab indicators between tabbed blocks of text, and
• The blank character marker between words

This option is useful when working with page-formatted text that is structured using both style definitions and key-strokes.

Set the list characters  

When you have set up your bulleted or numbered list elements, you can toggle between the list character options using the drop-down arrow icon just to the left of the bullet list icon on the lower toolbar of the document template editor.

When you click on this icon, you are prompted to select between a single-level list format and a multiple-level list format. When you select one of these options, you then make a further selection between:

• Single-level: Arabic numerals, Roman numerals, upper-case letters and lower-case letters
• Multiple-level: Arabic numerals, Roman numerals and bullet symbols