Explicit v Derived Property Values in Arbortext Styler
The Arbortext Styler user interface displays values in various ways to help you understand how they have been set.
Displaying property values
Arbortext Styler displays explicitly set and derived values in the associated property field. When Arbortext Styler cannot determine the derived value of a specific property, <Derive> will be displayed in the property field.
If you select multiple contexts, conditions, or property sets, or if you select an item from the Outputs to edit list that includes more than one output, some property values may differ among the selected objects. In this case, the property fields appear in the indeterminate state, which is a blank field for most controls.
Finding explicit property values
Use the > menu option to open the
Find Explicit Properties dialog box. In this dialog box you can specify a property and value then click
Find to launch a search for all explicitly set occurrences of that property in the stylesheet.
Label colors
The label colors on the property tabs vary depending on the source of the property's value:
• Blue and bold — the value has been explicitly set (either directly or by assigning a style).
• Orange and italic — the value differs for each of the selected objects or outputs
• Black — the value has been derived from an ancestor, property set, condition, base properties, or the Arbortext Styler default.
If you select multiple contexts, conditions, or property sets, or you select an item from the Outputs to edit list that includes more than one output, a specific property's value may differ among the selected objects. If the values of the objects differ, the labels for the property fields will be orange (and italic), regardless of whether or not any of the selected objects were explicitly set. The label is blue and bold only if all selected objects have the same explicitly set value for a property.
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You can change the label color for explicitly set and indeterminate properties . See set stylerexplicitfontcolor and set stylerindeterminatefontcolor commands in Arbortext Command Language Reference help for further information.
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The label color will not be blue or orange for disabled properties. They will still be bold and italic.
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Description tab
The Description area describes explicitly set property values for an object and lists any property sets referenced by a context, condition, or property set. For contexts and conditions, the Description area includes and differentiates base property settings and settings for other uses (if any). The description area is blank if you select multiple objects from the same list.
Tool tips
Tool tips display when you place your cursor over a field in a category, indicating the source of the value in the field.
• Derived or Derive - Indicates the value is derived.
◦ Derived from - if a single item is selected the tool tip will indicate where the value is derived from, if possible. Refer to
Deriving Property Values for further information.
◦ Derived - if multiple items are selected and they all derive the same value, the tool tip says Derived. It is possible in this case that the value is derived from various places.
◦ Derived from Styler default - The value is derived directly from default Arbortext Styler settings.
◦ Derive - the derived value is not defined for this context, for example, if a context will inherit a property value from its parent element. Arbortext Styler has information about the source of the value, but not about the value itself.
• Specified explicitly - Indicates that the value has been explicitly set. This value may have been explicitly set by you or by assigning a style.
• Values differ among multiple selected objects and uses - Occurs when you select multiple contexts, conditions, or property sets, or when the item selected in the Outputs to edit list includes multiple uses.
• Value is both derived and explicit for selected objects and outputs - this tool tip displays for a property field if all of the following conditions are true:
◦ you have selected multiple objects, or the item you select in the Outputs to edit list includes multiple uses.
◦ the property's value is the same for all selected objects and uses.
◦ the property is derived for some objects, and explicitly set for others.
Shortcut menus
Arbortext Styler provides shortcut menus to allow you to view and edit the source(s) of a property value. To display a shortcut menu for a property value, place your cursor over the field on the category, and right click. The content of the shortcut menu depends on whether the value in the field is explicitly set or derived.
For example, if you explicitly set a property value, the shortcut menu may only contain Derive. If you select Derive, Arbortext Styler removes the explicit setting, resolves the value if possible, and displays either the derived value or <Derive> in the property field.
If a property's value has been derived, the shortcut menu displays the derivation chain. Refer to
Deriving Property Values for more information.
For example, if you click in a para element in a Arbortext Editor document, and then right click on the Text color property in the Text category in Arbortext Styler, a shortcut menu displays information of this nature::
Styler default
Context book everywhere
Context chapter everywhere
Context itemizedlist everywhere else
Context listitem in itemizedlist
This shortcut menu indicates that the value for the Color field was obtained from a Arbortext Styler default. To obtain this value, Arbortext Styler performed the following process:
1. Checked the parent of the para element (listitem in itemizedlist ), which did not specify a color value.
2. Checked the parent of listitem in itemizedlist (itemizedlist everywhere else), which did not specify a color value.
3. Checked the parent of itemizedlist everywhere else (chapter everywhere), which did not specify a color value.
4. Checked all other ancestor elements of the original context, as well as the document-level element, none of which specified a color value.
5. Applied the value specified by the Arbortext Styler default to the property.
A shortcut menu with derivation sources is not always available when Arbortext Styler cannot resolve the derivation chain. This can occur when you select multiple objects (elements, contexts, conditions, or property sets) in Arbortext Styler or if you select an option from the Outputs to edit list that includes two or more uses. This is because the source of the property value may not be the same for the selected objects or uses.
You can select items on the shortcut menu to edit the associated property in the specified object in Arbortext Styler. The following table describes the process that occurs when you select specific items on the shortcut menu.
Editing objects on the property shortcut menus
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Item
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Description
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Base (All Outputs)
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Selects the context or condition for which Base (All Outputs) is specified, Base (All Outputs) is selected in the Outputs to edit list, and the description and property tabs change to reflect the context or condition's values.
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Use the Back button to return to the previously selected object and use.
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Condition
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Selects the condition in the Elements list, and the description and property tabs change to reflect the condition's values.
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Use the Back button to return to the previously selected object.
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Context
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Selects the context in the Elements list, and the description and property tabs change to reflect the context's values.
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Use the Back button to return to the previously selected object.
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Property set
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Selects the property set in the Property Sets list If you make changes to the property set, the changes are reflected in the appropriate fields on the property tabs for all elements that reference the property set..
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Arbortext Styler default
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You cannot edit Arbortext Styler defaults, so nothing happens when you select this option.
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The following example describes how to use the shortcut menu to edit a value derived from a property set.
1. Open Arbortext Editor, and choose > .
2. Select the transport.xml document located at Arbortext-path/samples/styler, and then click Open.
3. Choose > . This is a read only stylesheet so you will need to save a local copy if you want to make amendments.
4. In Arbortext Editor, click in the title element within the book element.
In Arbortext Styler, note that the title in book context is selected.
5. With the title in book context selected in Arbortext Styler, place your cursor over the Text color property in the Text category, and right click.
6. Click on Property set Title color, which is the property set from which the Text color field derived its value. The Property Sets list will open, with the Title color property set selected.
7. In the Text category for the property set, change Text color to orange, and then click OK.
8. Revert to the Elements list. Note that the title in book context is still selected, but now the Text color field displays orange. The derived value displays for the Text color field because it is derived from a property set.
9. Choose > .
10. In Arbortext Editor, scroll to the top of the document and note that the content of the title element within the book element is now orange.
