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I'd like to ask this question about microsoft word styles, and I am not sure whether it is ontopic here:

When is it advisable to modify the standard style in a word document?

I would like to change the indentation for all regular text in a large document, using MS Word 2010, so that the distance to the left border is increased. Indentation for all other types of text should remain unchanged (captions, text in tables, text in a text box, etc.)

The way I see it, I have two bad options:

  • I can change the formating for the standard style. This seems to change every other style that is based on that style, so almost everything. It also causes all text in tables etc. to be indented by default

  • I can create a new style with the desired indentation, and change every caption style to use that style for the next paragraph. But the standard style still seems to occassionally pop up in weird places, and I have to keep reapplying the custom style for certain paragraphs. Also, when I copy text from another document, it uses the standard style. If the copied text contains custom formating such as numbering, applying the new style with the correct indentaion destroys this custom formating.

What is the best way to manage a default indentation level for regular text in a large word document?

Would this question be ontopic?

If it is offtopic, what aspect of it is offtopc, and can it be modified to make it ontopic?

If it is barely ontopic, what should be changed to clarify it or narrow it down?

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  • This feels off-topic but i'm not entirely sure
    – Burgi
    Commented Mar 23, 2017 at 11:20
  • @Burgi, perhaps it feels off-topic because the wording states an opinion and requests an opinion rather than stating the facts and requesting a solution. You've internalized the rules and recognize the problem at an instinctual level. :-)
    – fixer1234
    Commented Mar 23, 2017 at 18:13

1 Answer 1

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Well, in a sense.

I'd go with "This is what I need" and "this is what I tried, and these things suck".

So, I'd suggest you reword this somewhat.

I would like to change the indentation for all regular text in a large document, using MS Word 2010, so that the distance to the left border is increased. Indentation for all other types of text should remain unchanged (captions, text in tables, text in a text box, etc.)

is awesome. Keep it. If you can vaguely mock up as close to what you need, and add an annotated image where its not quite right, it helps people get what you need better.

rather than

The way I see it, I have two bad options:

I'd go with

I've tried two ways of doing this and they fall short

The two methods are fine, and can be kept as is.

What is the best way to manage a default indentation level for regular text in a large word document?

People hate the word best

How do I keep a consistent indent for only regular text and nothing else?

Sounds like a decent way to restate what you need.

Feel free to improve on it.

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