Document styles are the pre-defined set of formatting instructions which can be re-used any number of times in a document. For instance, a document style once defined for a list can be used to represent all other similar lists in the document.

GcWord provides you the ability to style a Word document using built-in styles. It offers different style types through BuiltInStyleId enumeration which can be applied to the corresponding content type. In addition to the built-in styles, GcWord also allows you to define styles on your own using the Style class. You can add a defined style to the style collection using Add method of the StyleCollection class and the style collection can be accessed using Styles property of the GcWordDocument class.

Create Document Styles

To create new style for a Word document:

1. Define a new style using the Style class and add it to the document using the Add method.

2. Access the content object on which a style has to be applied. For example, access first text run from the first paragraph.

3. Apply the defined style on the text run using Style property of the Run class.

   doc.Load("SampleDoc.docx");
   
   //Access the first paragraph
   Paragraph p = doc.Body.Sections.First.GetRange().Paragraphs.First;
   
   //Access the text in the first run
   Run run = p.GetRange().Runs.First;
   
   // Create a new char style "style1" for the first half
   Style style1 = doc.Styles.Add("Style1", StyleType.Character);
   style1.Font.Name = "Times New Roman";
   style1.Font.Size = 16;
   style1.Font.Bold = true;
   style1.Font.Italic = true;
   style1.Font.Color.RGB = Color.Blue;
   style1.Font.Underline = Underline.Thick;
   
   //Apply style to the text run
   run.Style = style1;
   
   //Save the document
   doc.Save("StyleAdded.docx");
   

Modify Document Styles

To modify document style:

1. Access the content object on which a style is applied. For example, access first text run of the first paragraph.

2. Modify the applied styles on the text run. For example, font name and color.

3. Apply the modified style on the text run using Style property of the Run class.

   doc.Load("StyleAdded.docx");
   
   //Access the first paragraph
   Paragraph para1 = doc.Body.Sections.First.GetRange().Paragraphs.First;
   
   //Access the first run
   Run run = para1.GetRange().Runs.First;
   
   //Modify the existing style's font name and color
   Style s1 = run.Style;
   s1.Font.Color.RGB = Color.Brown;
   s1.Font.Name = "Arial";
   
   //Apply style to the run
   run.Style = s1;
   
   //Save the document
   doc.Save("ModifyStyles.docx");
   

Delete Document Styles

To delete the style applied on a Word document:

1. Access the content object on which a style is applied. For example, access first text run of the first paragraph.

2. Delete the style applied on the accessed range using Delete method of the Style class.

   doc.Load("StyleAdded.docx");
   
   //Access the first paragraph
   Paragraph p = doc.Body.Sections.First.GetRange().Paragraphs.First;
   
   //Access the text in the first run
   Run run = p.GetRange().Runs.First;
   
   //Delete the style applied on the first half
   run.Style.Delete();
   
   //Save the document
   doc.Save("StyleDeleted.docx");
   

Add Linked Styles

Linked styles behave as either a character style or a paragraph style, depending on what you select. So, if you click on a paragraph or select a paragraph and then apply a linked style, the style is applied as a paragraph style. However, if you select a word or phrase in the paragraph and then apply a linked style, the style is applied as a character style, with no effect on the paragraph as a whole. Linked styles also allow a user to update the style properties of all the paragraphs and words or phrases with the same type of style at once.

GcWord supports Linked Styles by using AddLinkedStyle method of StyleCollection class, and also provides HideLinkedCharacterStyles property in GcWordDocument class to hide the character style part of the linked style in our API in order to achieve the same behavior as MS Word.

GcWord also allows a user to:

• Use a linked style in Add or Insert method of RunCollection for style argument
• Apply a linked style to the Style property of Run class
• Apply a linked style to the Style property of ContentControl class
• Apply a linked style to the Style property of FormattedMark class
• Apply a linked style to the Style property of FindFormatting class.

Refer to the following example code to add paragraph and character linked style:

// Initialize GcWordDocument.
GcWordDocument doc = new GcWordDocument();

// Change the default value of HideLinkedCharacterStyles.
doc.HideLinkedCharacterStyles = false;

// Create a linked style.
Style linkedStyle = doc.Styles.AddLinkedStyle("Linked Style", doc.Styles[BuiltInStyleId.Heading1]);

// Change linked style formatting.
linkedStyle.Font.Bold = true;

// Apply linked style to a paragraph.
doc.Body.Paragraphs.Add("This paragraph is formatted with a paragraph linked style.", linkedStyle);

// Apply linked style to a run.
Paragraph paragraph = doc.Body.Paragraphs.Add("This paragraph ", doc.Styles[BuiltInStyleId.Normal]);
Run run = paragraph.GetRange().Runs.Add("is formatted with a character linked style.", linkedStyle);

// Change HideLinkedCharacterStyles property value.
doc.HideLinkedCharacterStyles = true;

// Save the Word document.
doc.Save("LinkedStyles.docx", DocumentType.Document);

The output of the above-mentioned example code is shown in the image below:

Refer to the following example code to add linked style for ContentControl, FormattedMark, and FindFormatting:

// Initialize GcWordDocument.
GcWordDocument doc = new GcWordDocument();

// Create a linked style 
Style style = doc.Styles.AddLinkedStyle("linked");

// Add a content control.
ContentControl cc = doc.Body.ContentControls.Add(ContentControlType.RichText, false);

// Set the linked style to content control.
cc.Style = style;

// Add a paragraph.
Paragraph p1 = cc.Content.GetRange().Paragraphs.Add("paragraph text");

// Set the linked style to its mark.
p1.Mark.Style = style;

// Add a run and set the linked style to it.
Run run = p1.GetRange().Runs.Add(style);
Text text = run.GetRange().Texts.Add("text to find");

// Add another paragraph and set the linked style to it.
Paragraph p2 = cc.Content.GetRange().Paragraphs.Add("paragraph to find", style);

// Create find options and set the linked style to it.
FindOptions fo = new FindOptions(doc);
fo.FormattingOptions.Style = style;
var res = doc.Body.Find(string.Empty, fo).ToArray();
GrapeCity.Documents.Word.Range found = res[0].Range;

// Save the Word document.
doc.Save("LinkedStyles.docx");

For more information on how to apply different document styles using GcWord, see GcWord sample browser.