Home > Designing and creating solutions > Editing objects, layout parts, and the layout background > Creating and working with styles for layout objects, parts, and the layout background > Copying formatting attributes between layout objects, parts, or backgrounds

Copying formatting attributes between layout objects, parts, or backgrounds

You can copy formatting attributes from objects, layout parts, or a layout background and apply formatting to other objects, parts, or backgrounds. Copy local formatting applied at the layout level or custom or default formatting saved in styles or themes. You can also copy and paste formatting for all of an object’s display states or only the currently selected display state. Copied formatting can be pasted on the same layout, between layouts, or on layouts in other FileMaker Pro files.

If you have custom styles for objects or layout parts, you can copy and paste the custom style between objects of similar types on the same layout.

You can use the Inspector or the Format Painter tool to copy and paste formatting attributes.

To use the Inspector to apply formatting attributes and custom styles to other layout objects, parts, or backgrounds:

In Layout mode, click Inspector in the layout bar, then click Appearance.

 

To	Do this
Copy the formatting or custom style of all states of an object or the format or custom style applied to a layout part	Select the object, or part label, then click to the right of the object type list (at the top of the Appearance tab).
Copy the formatting attributes of the selected display state of an object	Select the object and choose the display state you want to copy in the object state list, then click to the right of the list (at the top of the Appearance tab). For more information about display states, see Specifying the display state for an object.
Copy the formatting attributes of the layout background	Click anywhere in the layout background to select it, then click to the right of the object type list (at the top of the Appearance tab).
Paste the formatting attributes or custom style for all display states of the object that you copied	Select one or more objects, then click to the right of the object type list.
Paste the formatting attributes for one display state of the object that you copied	Select one or more objects and choose the display state to which you want to apply the copied formatting attributes. (You can choose a different display state from the one you copied.) Click to the right of the object state list. Note  Depending on formatting that has been previously applied to the object, formatting for one or more display states may be applied when you paste the copied state.
Paste the formatting attributes or custom style of the layout part that you copied, or paste the formatting attributes of the layout background	Select a part label or click anywhere in the layout background to select it, then click to the right of the object type list. Note  You can't paste the custom style of a layout background from one layout to another; only the formatting attributes can be pasted.

Notes

•	If changes you make to the layout background style do not display on the layout, ensure that the body part is set to transparent. See Setting the fill, line style, and borders for objects, layout parts, and the layout background.

•

For objects that have multiple components, each component has a separate style. For example, portals have a Portal style, which formats the entire object, and a Portal: Rows style, which formats only the rows of the portal. For objects with multiple components, you can copy and paste only the format for the entire object (in this case, Portal, not Portal: Rows). The style for the entire object is always the first style listed in the object type list at the top of the Appearance tab in the Inspector.

•

To copy and paste custom styles between objects, the objects must be of the same type or similar types, such as a rectangle and oval, and must be on the same layout. If the objects are not of the same type, then any formatting attributes the object can use are pasted, but the style name on the target object doesn't change.

To use the Format Painter tool to apply formatting attributes between layout objects, parts, or backgrounds:

1.	In Layout mode, select the object, part label, or click anywhere in the layout background that has the formatting attributes you want to apply to other objects, parts, or backgrounds.

See Selecting objects.

Note  To select the layout background, ensure no objects or parts are selected.

2.	Click the Format Painter tool in the status toolbar, or choose Format menu > Format Painter.

Tip  To copy the display state of an object, hold down the Alt key (Windows) or the Option key (OS X), then click the Format Painter tool .

3.	Do one of the following:

 

To apply formatting attributes to	Do this
A single object or a layout part	Select the object or part label that you want to change.
Multiple objects	Drag the arrow pointer to make a selection box that includes the objects. The selection box does not have to completely surround the objects. To avoid including partially selected objects, press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (OS X) as you drag. Or, to apply copied formats to multiple objects individually, double-click the Format Painter tool to lock it, then Shift-click each object. To unlock and turn off the Format Painter tool, press Esc.
A layout background	Choose a different layout from the Layout pop-up menu, then click its layout background. For the new layout background to display, one or more layout parts must be transparent. See Setting the fill, line style, and borders for objects, layout parts, and the layout background.

Note  When you create a report in the New Layout/Report assistant, fields that are in summary parts display the style for the summary part, not the theme’s default style. If you used the Field tool to add a field to a summary part and the text is difficult to see, use the Inspector or the Format Painter tool to copy the style you want from another field.