New styles don't appear in style chooser

[skwpt]

Or, rather, only a few do.

I just created 8 new styles, and only 2 appear in the style chooser. I saved, I refreshed ... nothing.

I don't recall there being such a lag in Flare 11. Has anyone seen this behavior in Flare 12? Any tips on getting my styles to appear so I can use them?

[SteveS]

Just checking the obvious...

The style(s) you are looking for can be applied to the selected element? (For example img.xxx and you are in a paragraph)

Another quick check, if you open the stylesheet in a text editor is there anything untoward about the missing styles?

[ChoccieMuffin]

Also, if you've added the new styles to one medium only, if you're looking at the topic using a different medium then the styles won't be available (because they don't exist in the medium).

[skwpt]

Thanks, SteveS and ChoccieMuffin.

In some of my page layouts, I created borderless tables to display (alternating left/right):

• Top: Chapter title, book title
• Bottom: Company logo, page number

I have verified that each variable (or logo) inserted into the table row is wrapped in a <p> tag.

Here's the CSS snippet, which I created in the print medium (as I'll be using these styles in print output only):

Code: Select all

	p.H1Left
	{
		color: #696969;
		font-family: Calibri;
		text-align: left;
		font-size: 9pt;
	}

	p.H1Right
	{
		color: #696969;
		font-family: Calibri;
		text-align: right;
		font-size: 9pt;
	}

	p.BookTitleLeft
	{
		color: #696969;
		font-family: Calibri;
		text-align: left;
		font-size: 9pt;
	}

	p.BookTitleRight
	{
		font-family: Calibri;
		color: #696969;
		text-align: right;
		font-size: 9pt;
	}
	p.FooterLogoLeft
	{
		text-align: left;
	}

	p.FooterLogoRight
	{
		text-align: right;
	}

	p.FooterPageLeft
	{
		font-family: Calibri;
		text-align: left;
		color: #696969;
		font-size: 9pt;
	}

	p.FooterPageRight
	{
		font-family: Calibri;
		text-align: right;
		color: #696969;
		font-size: 9pt;
	}

I am wondering if the way I created the styles introduced problems. For example, I created p.H1Left in print medium. Then I copied and pasted it under <p>, renamed it p.H1Right and edited the Block text-align.

Oddly, p.H1Left is the only style that appears in the Style Window when I am in DefaultPdf.flpgl.

Even more perplexing: In the Edit Text frame, styles missing from the Style Class submenu are p.H1Left, p.H1Right, and p.FooterPageRight, but the other 5 appear.

I'm convinced this is my error, but I don't know what else to look at.

[paintedturtle]

Here's the CSS snippet, which I created in the print medium (as I'll be using these styles in print output only):

Code: Select all

	p.H1Left
	{
		color: #696969;
		font-family: Calibri;
		text-align: left;
		font-size: 9pt;
	}

	p.H1Right
	{
		color: #696969;
		font-family: Calibri;
		text-align: right;
		font-size: 9pt;
	}

	p.BookTitleLeft
	{
		color: #696969;
		font-family: Calibri;
		text-align: left;
		font-size: 9pt;
	}

	p.BookTitleRight
	{
		font-family: Calibri;
		color: #696969;
		text-align: right;
		font-size: 9pt;
	}
	p.FooterLogoLeft
	{
		text-align: left;
	}

	p.FooterLogoRight
	{
		text-align: right;
	}

	p.FooterPageLeft
	{
		font-family: Calibri;
		text-align: left;
		color: #696969;
		font-size: 9pt;
	}

	p.FooterPageRight
	{
		font-family: Calibri;
		text-align: right;
		color: #696969;
		font-size: 9pt;
	}

I think I've had this issue too. You have to create the style in whatever is your main medium as well for it to show up when you're working. For example, when I'm editing in XML my main CSS is my HTML CSS, so I won't see any styles that are only in my PDF CSS.

You would still need at least a blank style in your HTML:

p.FooterPageRight
{
}

Hope that helps!
~Sarah

[ChoccieMuffin]

It depends what medium you use when you're using the editor. If you've only created these styles in the print medium, then when you use the non-print medium you wouldn't expect them to show up, because they don't exist in that medium! I resolve this problem by having identical entries (in exactly the same order) in my mediums, even though some of them might just be empty:
p.Something
{
}

I do this by editing the stylesheet in a text editor (because I never did get on with the Flare editor because it just puts things at the end of the file rather than in some kind of order and you end up with a right mess of a .CSS file if you do then look at it in a text editor).

[skwpt]

It makes sense that styles I created in print medium would not appear up in the main/HTML style sheet, but it seems unintuitive that those 'print' styles would not be available when I am working in page layouts.

I just used an external editor to look at my main CSS and I see what you mean. It's rather disorganized, with new styles stuck in at random (e.g., p styles separated by other styles). I am going to save a backup, do some cleanup (e.g., move styles that were placed at the bottom to the blocks where they belong), and then add the styles I created in print to the main style sheet (empty). Also, a bit weird that my p.H1Left style is the only print style that made it over to my HTML css (empty) when I don't recall creating it there. Hmm.

My manager is scratching his head over how long it is taking me to create print output. How hard could it be, right?? I wish I could convey all the secret/hidden/moving bits!

[skwpt]

Thanks much for the input. I edited my CSS file, ran it through a validator (oddly, the warnings that popped up weren't styles I touched--but no errors). Then ran a test build and the HTML looked good.

I applied the styles in my page layout (headers and footers), and now (inexplicably?), the tables include a label that says "Table Cell Outside Table." This didn't happen when I applied local formatting, which I might go back to temporarily.

Here is the snippet for the footer frame.

Code: Select all

        <Frame X="0px" Y="2px" Width="622px" Height="857px" Flow="body" Right="2px" Bottom="5px" />
        <Frame X="-5px" Y="889px" Width="629px" Height="40px" Flow="footer" Right="0px" Bottom="-65px">
            <Content>
                <xhtml:html xmlns:xhtml="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
                    <xhtml:body>
                        <xhtml:table xhtml:style="margin-left: 0;margin-right: auto;">
                            <xhtml:col xhtml:style="width: 50%;" />
                            <xhtml:col xhtml:style="width: 50%;" />
                            <xhtml:tbody>
                                <xhtml:tr>
                                    <xhtml:td>
                                        <xhtml:p xhtml:class="FooterLogoLeft">
                                            <xhtml:img xhtml:src="../Images/CompanyLogoFooter-44px.png" />
                                        </xhtml:p>
                                    </xhtml:td>
                                    <xhtml:td>
                                        <xhtml:p xhtml:class="FooterPageRight"><MadCap:variable xhtml:name="System.PageNumber" xmlns:MadCap="http://www.madcapsoftware.com/Schemas/MadCap.xsd" />
                                        </xhtml:p>
                                    </xhtml:td>
                                </xhtml:tr>
                            </xhtml:tbody>
                        </xhtml:table>
                    </xhtml:body>
                </xhtml:html>
            </Content>
        </Frame>

Does anything in the code stand out?

When I built the PDF, the table cell message actually appears in output!

[SteveS]

...but it seems unintuitive that those 'print' styles would not be available when I am working in page layouts...

I guess the trick is you have to remember the print media is mainly used by browsers to control what happens if someone tries to print something.

Page layouts, on the other hand, are used by Flare to create printed documents, more complex than printing a single web page.

Similar language but vastly different meaning.

[skwpt]

I somehow missed that distinction. So when I edited the frames in my page layouts and created new styles, I should have used the default medium. Which is probably why my styles didn't appear when I needed them.

[Rene Severens]

Hi,

to avoid these kind of issues I use the next workflow:

1. always create new styles in medium Default.
2. When really needed another medium, overrule that tag in that medium.

In doing so you will discover that you actually do not need any other medium than default, even when generating PDF output.

This is so because Flare ALWAYS first uses medium default, even for print output, and only "looks" at medium print when medium print is selected in the target AND an overrule is defined for the tag used in medium default. (that is why now "empty" tags in medium default were needed).

Greetings,
Rene Severens

[skwpt]

That's great advice, Rene, thanks very much.

[Nita Beck]

Totally agree with putting all styles in the default medium (even if some styles are empty) and then overriding some or all as needed in the medium used for print output. That way, you will always see all your styles, no matter what medium an editor (XML Editor, Page Layout Editor) happens to be set to show.

Additionally, many of us like to use a custom medium for PDF output (I call mine "PDF") to make it distinct from the "print" medium. As already pointed out above, the original purpose in CSS of the "print" medium is to control how a browser will render online content when printed. That won't solve the poster's original issue, but it's a general good practice.

[skwpt]

Additionally, many of us like to use a custom medium for PDF output (I call mine "PDF") to make it distinct from the "print" medium. As already pointed out above, the original purpose in CSS of the "print" medium is to control how a browser will render online content when printed. That won't solve the poster's original issue, but it's a general good practice.

Thanks, Nita, I just created a JIRA to set up a PDF custom medium.

[rbr00x]

I had the same thing happen, where the message "Table Cell Outside Table" was displayed in my PDF output. In my case, this was happening because I had set the block display property of my style to table-cell but I wasn't using the style in a table. Once I changed that property to inline or block, the PDF output no longer had the message included.

Thanks much for the input. I edited my CSS file, ran it through a validator (oddly, the warnings that popped up weren't styles I touched--but no errors). Then ran a test build and the HTML looked good.

I applied the styles in my page layout (headers and footers), and now (inexplicably?), the tables include a label that says "Table Cell Outside Table." This didn't happen when I applied local formatting, which I might go back to temporarily.

Here is the snippet for the footer frame.

Code: Select all

        <Frame X="0px" Y="2px" Width="622px" Height="857px" Flow="body" Right="2px" Bottom="5px" />
        <Frame X="-5px" Y="889px" Width="629px" Height="40px" Flow="footer" Right="0px" Bottom="-65px">
            <Content>
                <xhtml:html xmlns:xhtml="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
                    <xhtml:body>
                        <xhtml:table xhtml:style="margin-left: 0;margin-right: auto;">
                            <xhtml:col xhtml:style="width: 50%;" />
                            <xhtml:col xhtml:style="width: 50%;" />
                            <xhtml:tbody>
                                <xhtml:tr>
                                    <xhtml:td>
                                        <xhtml:p xhtml:class="FooterLogoLeft">
                                            <xhtml:img xhtml:src="../Images/CompanyLogoFooter-44px.png" />
                                        </xhtml:p>
                                    </xhtml:td>
                                    <xhtml:td>
                                        <xhtml:p xhtml:class="FooterPageRight"><MadCap:variable xhtml:name="System.PageNumber" xmlns:MadCap="http://www.madcapsoftware.com/Schemas/MadCap.xsd" />
                                        </xhtml:p>
                                    </xhtml:td>
                                </xhtml:tr>
                            </xhtml:tbody>
                        </xhtml:table>
                    </xhtml:body>
                </xhtml:html>
            </Content>
        </Frame>

Does anything in the code stand out?

When I built the PDF, the table cell message actually appears in output!