In Arbortext Styler, property sets can be called from elements, contexts, and conditions, or from other property sets. When they are called, the code generated by PTC ALD calls the onEnter and onExit JavaScript function tags. The onEnter property set receives the current block object and the current contextProp object, both created in the context preamble.

When the PTC ALD source for property sets is opened, it presents code for both onEnter and onExit. The onEnter code has a preamble which sets variables, based on the arguments passed to it and the current state of a FISH variable. A variable holding the current DOM node is also created. If formatting properties have been set for the property set, they are applied to the block (and its default style and paragraph).

If making source edits in Arbortext Styler contexts, consider first whether the source edits can be made to property sets. If so, the context is not locked by having its source edited. This process is recommended if you want to change text and block properties such as adding border rules or changing letter and word spacing. With all edits, you may consider making the change in a property set and then moving the call to the property set to the desired location in the context source. Making the property set association in Arbortext Styler ensures there are no Arbortext Styler completeness or validation errors.

Property sets are created as JavaScript functions in the PTC ALD template. They can be used in places not supported by the Arbortext Styler UI. For example, to assign a property to a number of page regions, edit the page region source to call a property set and pass the current frame as an argument. Use this method to ensure you do not have to duplicate the source edit throughout your stylesheet.