Manage Section Style

Overview

The Section Style Management feature in Criterion enables users to create, edit, import, and apply customized text styles (e.g., for titles, paragraphs, notes). These styles ensure visual consistency and structural hierarchy in documents and are persistent across sessions.

Accessing Section Style Editor

You can access the Sections Style screen via:

Menu Path: Format → Sections Style...

Screen Layout

The screen is divided into three sections:

2.1 Left Panel – Style Templates

Element	Description
My Style	Lists all imported styles
Import Style	Import .STL style files from: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Programs\Criterion\resources\buildResources\styles
Add Button	Adds a new style named “New Style”, with default attributes
Style List	Lists existing styles in the current template
Duplicate	Clones the selected style (e.g., New Style, New Style 1, …)
Delete	Permanently removes the selected style after confirmation (only user-created styles)

2.2 Right Panel – Style Customization

When a style is selected, this panel allows customization:

Setting	Options
Name	Unique style name (duplicates not allowed)
Typography - Font	Choose from system-installed fonts
Typography - Size	Font size as per toolbar settings
Typography - Style	Bold, Italic (Underline and other styles not supported in LaTeX output)
Typography - Align	Left, Center, Right, Justify
Typography - Text Color	Palette or predefined options
Spacing - Line Spacing	Vertical space between lines
Spacing - Before Paragraph	Space before the paragraph
Spacing - After Paragraph	Space after the paragraph

Note Important: Text Formatting Limitations in LaTeX Output

1. Font, Size, Style, and Color: Can be set for all elements. Only bold and italic are supported; underline is not.

2. Text Alignment: Can be applied ONLY to:

Table of Contents (ToC) title
All five heading levels (including Title)
Body text

All other elements default to left alignment.

3. Line Spacing: Can be configured for all elements EXCEPT: Apparatus Lemma, Critical Notes, Margin Notes, Line Numbers, Page Notes, Header and Footer.

4. Paragraph Spacing: Only available for the Body text.

2.3 Bottom Panel – Actions

Button	Behavior
Cancel	Cancels all unsaved changes and closes the dialog
Export Style	Exports current style settings to a .STL file
Done	Saves changes and closes the dialog (changes saved at document level)

Style Application Logic

Application Scope	Behavior
To Selection	Applies the style to the selected text only
To Paragraph	If no text is selected, the style applies to the entire paragraph where the cursor is placed

	Note: A paragraph is considered a block of text between line breaks or indentations.

Retroactivity of Style Changes

Formatting changes made via Format > Section Style follow specific retroactivity rules:

Non-retroactive styles (changes apply only to new content, not existing text):

Body text (all properties: font, size, style, alignment, spacing)
Critical Notes, Page Notes, Section Notes, and Margin Notes (style, alignment, and spacing)

Retroactive styles (changes apply to all existing and future content):

Title and ToC levels
All five heading levels (including Title)
Apparatus Lemma
Line Numbers
Bibliographic References
Header and Footer

	Warning: These rules also apply when styles are modified using the toolbar, keyboard shortcuts, or the Change Template operation. Always consider retroactivity when planning document-wide formatting updates.

Table of Contents