More About Using Standard-Defined Styles

This topic provides more information about the use of styles, which are defined in the standard used by the drawing.

The following topics are discussed:

Related Topics
Using Standard-Defined Styles

General Information

This sub-topic provides general information about styles.


  • The styles available in the Style toolbar depend on what your administrator specified in the standards.
  • Styles are used as default values when creating elements. However, after an element has been created, no link remains between this element and the style used to create it.
  • Depending on the type of style selected (curve, dimension, etc.), only the relevant fields are available in the various properties toolbars. For example, if you select a curve style, text and dimension properties will be disabled from the associated toolbars.
  • If you select more elements than allowed with the Display manipulators to [--] elements option (via Tools > Options > General > Display > Navigation tab), then the Style toolbar does not display the styles of the selected elements, but all the styles of the representation.
  • When you select an element, no style is displayed in the Style toolbar. However, if you expand the list, you will see the list of styles that you can apply to this element (according to the styles that your administrator defined in the standard for this type of element). You can change the properties of the element by selecting another style from the list.

Specific Information Regarding Dimension Styles

This sub-topic provides specific information regarding dimension styles.


  • In the case of dimensions, note that if you use the generic Dimensions command, all default dimension styles (i.e. length, radius, etc.) are available in the Style toolbar. In this case, make sure that you first select the style corresponding to the type of dimension that you are about to create, i.e. before overloading it. Otherwise, you will be overloading the current dimension style (which is Length by default); if you subsequently select an element that does not match the current dimension style, the style will change to match the selected element (e.g. if you then select a circle, a radius dimension will be created) and you will lose your style modifications (i.e. the style for the selected element will not be overloaded).
  • When applying styles to an existing dimension, the styles related to the dimension value position and to the dimension horizontal offset will not be applied. (They are, however, applied when creating dimensions).