Styles In Depth

Style System Overview

OOXML styles provide a centralized way to manage document formatting. Understanding styles is critical for consistent document generation.

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Style File Location

Path: /word/styles.xml

Structure:

<w:styles>
  <w:docDefaults>...</w:docDefaults>
  <w:latentStyles>...</w:latentStyles>
  <w:style w:type="paragraph" w:styleId="Normal">...</w:style>
  <w:style w:type="character" w:styleId="DefaultParagraphFont">...</w:style>
  <w:style w:type="table" w:styleId="TableGrid">...</w:style>
</w:styles>

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Document Defaults

Purpose

Base formatting applied to ALL content unless overridden.

Structure

<w:docDefaults>
  <w:rPrDefault>
    <w:rPr>
      <w:rFonts w:ascii="Times New Roman" 
                w:hAnsi="Times New Roman"/>
      <w:sz w:val="22"/>  <!-- 11pt -->
      <w:lang w:val="en-US"/>
    </w:rPr>
  </w:rPrDefault>
  
  <w:pPrDefault>
    <w:pPr>
      <w:spacing w:after="0" w:line="276" w:lineRule="auto"/>
    </w:pPr>
  </w:pPrDefault>
</w:docDefaults>

AppraiSys Pattern

From DefaultDocument.cs:

private static void CreateDocDefaults(Styles styles)
{
    var docDefaults = new DocDefaults();
    
    // Run defaults
    var runPropertiesDefault = new RunPropertiesDefault();
    var runPropertiesBaseStyle = new RunPropertiesBaseStyle();
    runPropertiesBaseStyle.AppendChild(new RunFonts 
    { 
        Ascii = "Times New Roman",
        HighAnsi = "Times New Roman",
        EastAsia = "Times New Roman",
        ComplexScript = "Times New Roman"
    });
    runPropertiesBaseStyle.AppendChild(new FontSize { Val = "22" }); // 11pt
    runPropertiesBaseStyle.AppendChild(new FontSizeComplexScript { Val = "22" });
    runPropertiesBaseStyle.AppendChild(new Languages 
    { 
        Val = "en-US", 
        EastAsia = "en-US", 
        Bidi = "ar-SA" 
    });
    runPropertiesDefault.AppendChild(runPropertiesBaseStyle);
    docDefaults.AppendChild(runPropertiesDefault);
    
    // Paragraph defaults
    var paragraphPropertiesDefault = new ParagraphPropertiesDefault();
    var paragraphPropertiesBaseStyle = new ParagraphPropertiesBaseStyle();
    paragraphPropertiesBaseStyle.AppendChild(new SpacingBetweenLines 
    { 
        After = "0", 
        Line = "276", 
        LineRule = LineSpacingRuleValues.Auto 
    });
    paragraphPropertiesDefault.AppendChild(paragraphPropertiesBaseStyle);
    docDefaults.AppendChild(paragraphPropertiesDefault);
    
    styles.AppendChild(docDefaults);
}

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Paragraph Styles

Complete Style Definition

<w:style w:type="paragraph" w:styleId="Heading1">
  <!-- Display name -->
  <w:name w:val="Heading 1"/>
  
  <!-- Based on another style -->
  <w:basedOn w:val="Normal"/>
  
  <!-- Next paragraph style -->
  <w:next w:val="Normal"/>
  
  <!-- UI priority -->
  <w:uiPriority w:val="9"/>
  
  <!-- Quick style -->
  <w:qFormat/>
  
  <!-- Paragraph properties -->
  <w:pPr>
    <w:keepNext/>
    <w:keepLines/>
    <w:spacing w:before="240" w:after="120"/>
    <w:outlineLevel w:val="0"/>
  </w:pPr>
  
  <!-- Run properties (default for text in this style) -->
  <w:rPr>
    <w:b/>
    <w:sz w:val="32"/>  <!-- 16pt -->
    <w:color w:val="2F5496"/>
  </w:rPr>
</w:style>

Style Properties

Property	Purpose	Example
w:styleId	Unique identifier	"Heading1"
w:name	Display name	"Heading 1"
w:basedOn	Parent style	"Normal"
w:next	Next paragraph style	"Normal"
w:qFormat	Quick style	Flag
w:uiPriority	UI order	Lower = higher priority

Code Example

private static void CreateParagraphStyle(
    Styles styles,
    string styleId,
    string styleName,
    int uiPriority,
    string basedOn = null)
{
    var style = new Style 
    { 
        Type = StyleValues.Paragraph, 
        StyleId = styleId 
    };
    
    style.AppendChild(new Name { Val = styleName });
    style.AppendChild(new UIPriority { Val = uiPriority });
    
    if (basedOn != null)
    {
        style.AppendChild(new BasedOn { Val = basedOn });
    }
    
    // Heading-specific properties
    if (styleId.StartsWith("Heading"))
    {
        style.AppendChild(new PrimaryStyle());
        
        var paragraphProperties = new ParagraphProperties();
        paragraphProperties.AppendChild(new KeepNext());
        paragraphProperties.AppendChild(new KeepLines());
        paragraphProperties.AppendChild(new SpacingBetweenLines 
        { 
            Before = "240", 
            After = "120" 
        });
        
        var level = int.Parse(styleId.Replace("Heading", "")) - 1;
        paragraphProperties.AppendChild(new OutlineLevel { Val = level });
        
        style.AppendChild(paragraphProperties);
    }
    
    styles.AppendChild(style);
}

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Character Styles

Purpose

Apply formatting to specific text runs within paragraphs.

Structure

<w:style w:type="character" w:styleId="Emphasis">
  <w:name w:val="Emphasis"/>
  <w:basedOn w:val="DefaultParagraphFont"/>
  <w:uiPriority w:val="20"/>
  <w:qFormat/>
  
  <w:rPr>
    <w:i/>
  </w:rPr>
</w:style>

Code Example

private static void CreateCharacterStyle(
    Styles styles,
    string styleId,
    string styleName,
    int uiPriority)
{
    var style = new Style 
    { 
        Type = StyleValues.Character, 
        StyleId = styleId 
    };
    
    style.AppendChild(new Name { Val = styleName });
    style.AppendChild(new BasedOn { Val = "DefaultParagraphFont" });
    style.AppendChild(new UIPriority { Val = uiPriority });
    style.AppendChild(new PrimaryStyle());
    
    // Example: Emphasis style
    if (styleId == "Emphasis")
    {
        var runProperties = new RunProperties();
        runProperties.AppendChild(new Italic());
        style.AppendChild(runProperties);
    }
    
    styles.AppendChild(style);
}

Applying Character Style

<w:r>
  <w:rPr>
    <w:rStyle w:val="Emphasis"/>
  </w:rPr>
  <w:t>Emphasized text</w:t>
</w:r>

var run = new Run();
var runProperties = new RunProperties();
runProperties.AppendChild(new RunStyle { Val = "Emphasis" });
run.AppendChild(runProperties);
run.AppendChild(new Text("Emphasized text"));

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Table Styles

Purpose

Centralize table formatting: borders, shading, cell margins.

Structure

<w:style w:type="table" w:styleId="TableGrid">
  <w:name w:val="Table Grid"/>
  <w:basedOn w:val="TableNormal"/>
  <w:uiPriority w:val="39"/>
  
  <w:tblPr>
    <w:tblBorders>
      <w:top w:val="single" w:sz="4"/>
      <w:left w:val="single" w:sz="4"/>
      <w:bottom w:val="single" w:sz="4"/>
      <w:right w:val="single" w:sz="4"/>
      <w:insideH w:val="single" w:sz="4"/>
      <w:insideV w:val="single" w:sz="4"/>
    </w:tblBorders>
  </w:tblPr>
</w:style>

AppraiSys Pattern

private static void CreateTableStyle(
    Styles styles,
    string styleId,
    string styleName,
    int uiPriority)
{
    var style = new Style 
    { 
        Type = StyleValues.Table, 
        StyleId = styleId 
    };
    
    style.AppendChild(new Name { Val = styleName });
    style.AppendChild(new UIPriority { Val = uiPriority });
    
    var tableProperties = new TableProperties();
    
    // Zero indentation
    tableProperties.AppendChild(new TableIndentation 
    { 
        Width = 0, 
        Type = TableWidthUnitValues.Dxa 
    });
    
    // Cell margins
    tableProperties.AppendChild(new TableCellMarginDefault(
        new TopMargin { Width = "0", Type = TableWidthUnitValues.Dxa },
        new TableCellLeftMargin { Width = 108, Type = TableWidthValues.Dxa },
        new BottomMargin { Width = "0", Type = TableWidthUnitValues.Dxa },
        new TableCellRightMargin { Width = 108, Type = TableWidthValues.Dxa }
    ));
    
    style.AppendChild(tableProperties);
    
    // Row properties
    style.AppendChild(new TableRowProperties(
        new CantSplit()
    ));
    
    styles.AppendChild(style);
}

Applying Table Style

<w:tbl>
  <w:tblPr>
    <w:tblStyle w:val="TableGrid"/>
  </w:tblPr>
  ...
</w:tbl>

var tableProperties = new TableProperties();
tableProperties.AppendChild(new TableStyle { Val = "TableGrid" });
table.AppendChild(tableProperties);

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Style Inheritance

How Inheritance Works

1. Document Defaults - Applied to everything
2. Based On Style - Inherited properties
3. Style Definition - Style-specific properties
4. Local Overrides - Properties on specific elements

Example:

<!-- Doc Defaults: Times New Roman, 11pt -->
<w:docDefaults>
  <w:rPr>
    <w:rFonts w:ascii="Times New Roman"/>
    <w:sz w:val="22"/>
  </w:rPr>
</w:docDefaults>

<!-- Heading1: Based on Normal, adds bold + 16pt -->
<w:style w:styleId="Heading1">
  <w:basedOn w:val="Normal"/>
  <w:rPr>
    <w:b/>
    <w:sz w:val="32"/>
  </w:rPr>
</w:style>

<!-- Paragraph: Uses Heading1, overrides color -->
<w:p>
  <w:pPr>
    <w:pStyle w:val="Heading1"/>
  </w:pPr>
  <w:r>
    <w:rPr>
      <w:color w:val="FF0000"/>  <!-- Local override -->
    </w:rPr>
    <w:t>Red Heading</w:t>
  </w:r>
</w:p>

<!-- Result: Times New Roman, 16pt, bold, red -->

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Linked Styles

Concept: Paragraph and character styles linked together.

<!-- Paragraph style -->
<w:style w:type="paragraph" w:styleId="Heading1">
  <w:name w:val="Heading 1"/>
  <w:link w:val="Heading1Char"/>  <!-- Link to character style -->
  ...
</w:style>

<!-- Character style -->
<w:style w:type="character" w:styleId="Heading1Char">
  <w:name w:val="Heading 1 Char"/>
  <w:link w:val="Heading1"/>  <!-- Link back -->
  <w:rPr>
    <w:b/>
    <w:sz w:val="32"/>
  </w:rPr>
</w:style>

Usage: Apply paragraph formatting to entire paragraph OR just character formatting to specific text.

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AppraiSys Custom Styles

ImageLineSpacing1_15

CreateParagraphStyle(styles, "ImageLineSpacing1_15", "Image Line Spacing 1.15", 50, "Normal");

// Add specific properties
var style = styles.Elements<Style>()
    .First(s => s.StyleId == "ImageLineSpacing1_15");

var paragraphProperties = new ParagraphProperties();
paragraphProperties.AppendChild(new SpacingBetweenLines 
{ 
    Line = "276",  // 1.15 line spacing
    LineRule = LineSpacingRuleValues.Auto 
});
paragraphProperties.AppendChild(new Justification { Val = JustificationValues.Center });

style.AppendChild(paragraphProperties);

Purpose: Used for image paragraphs to control spacing.

PropertyImagesTable

var style = new Style 
{ 
    Type = StyleValues.Table, 
    StyleId = "PropertyImagesTable" 
};

style.AppendChild(new Name { Val = "Property Images Table" });
style.AppendChild(new UIPriority { Val = 50 });

var tableProperties = new TableProperties();

// Center table
tableProperties.AppendChild(new TableJustification 
{ 
    Val = TableRowAlignmentValues.Center 
});

// Cell spacing (gap between cells)
tableProperties.AppendChild(new TableCellSpacing 
{ 
    Width = "100", 
    Type = TableWidthUnitValues.Dxa 
});

// No borders
tableProperties.AppendChild(new TableBorders(
    new TopBorder { Val = BorderValues.None },
    new BottomBorder { Val = BorderValues.None },
    new LeftBorder { Val = BorderValues.None },
    new RightBorder { Val = BorderValues.None },
    new InsideHorizontalBorder { Val = BorderValues.None },
    new InsideVerticalBorder { Val = BorderValues.None }
));

style.AppendChild(tableProperties);

Purpose: Photo gallery tables in appraisal reports.

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Style Best Practices

✅ DO:

1. Define Document Defaults: Set base formatting
2. Use Style Inheritance: Build on existing styles
3. Keep Style IDs Consistent: Use clear naming
4. Apply Styles, Not Direct Formatting: Easier to change later
5. Test Style Cascade: Verify inheritance works

❌ DON'T:

1. Don't Duplicate Styles: Reuse existing definitions
2. Don't Skip Document Defaults: Every document needs them
3. Don't Use Inline Formatting Everywhere: Reduces maintainability
4. Don't Reference Non-Existent Styles: Causes errors
5. Don't Forget Character Styles: Useful for inline emphasis

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Debugging Styles

Missing Style Reference

Problem: Paragraph references non-existent style

<w:p>
  <w:pPr>
    <w:pStyle w:val="CustomStyle"/>  <!-- Style doesn't exist! -->
  </w:pPr>
  ...
</w:p>

Fix: Either create style or use existing one

// Check if style exists
var styleExists = stylesPart.Styles.Elements<Style>()
    .Any(s => s.StyleId == "CustomStyle");

if (!styleExists)
{
    CreateParagraphStyle(stylesPart.Styles, "CustomStyle", "Custom Style", 100);
}

Style Not Applied

Problem: Style exists but formatting doesn't appear

Check:

1. Style inheritance - is basedOn chain correct?
2. Local overrides - are properties overridden locally?
3. Style type - using paragraph style on run?

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SFDT Styles

SFDT Style Format

{
  "name": "Heading 1",
  "type": "Paragraph",
  "paragraphFormat": {
    "beforeSpacing": 12,
    "afterSpacing": 6,
    "lineSpacing": 1.15,
    "lineSpacingType": "Multiple"
  },
  "characterFormat": {
    "bold": true,
    "fontSize": 16,
    "fontColor": "#2F5496FF"
  },
  "basedOn": "Normal",
  "next": "Normal"
}

Conversion Notes

• OOXML w:sz (half-points) → SFDT fontSize (points)
• OOXML spacing (twips) → SFDT spacing (points)
• SFDT requires type field: "Paragraph", "Character", "Table"

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Quick Reference

Minimum Style Definition

<w:style w:type="paragraph" w:styleId="MyStyle">
  <w:name w:val="My Style"/>
</w:style>

Common Style Properties

Property	XML	Code
Style Type	w:type="paragraph"	Type = StyleValues.Paragraph
Style ID	w:styleId="Heading1"	StyleId = "Heading1"
Display Name	<w:name w:val="Heading 1"/>	new Name { Val = "Heading 1" }
Based On	<w:basedOn w:val="Normal"/>	new BasedOn { Val = "Normal" }
Next Style	<w:next w:val="Normal"/>	new NextParagraphStyle { Val = "Normal" }
Quick Style	<w:qFormat/>	new PrimaryStyle()

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Next Steps

➡️ Next: Syncfusion SFDT Format

Related:

• WordprocessingML Core
• Creating Documents
• AppraiSys Patterns

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💡 Remember: Styles = DRY principle for documents. Define once, apply everywhere!