Formatting controls using control defaults

Control defaults apply a default set of formats to each type of control and for formatting sections. After you set a control default, its format is applied to any new object of the same type that you create in a document. For example, if you format the font of a text field as Arial 12-point and blue, then you set that text field's formatting as the control default, all the controls that you add to the Layout area have the same formatting style.

Control defaults are not used when you copy and paste an object or when you duplicate an object.

Control defaults for sections are only used when creating new grouping header and footer sections. They are not used when additional sections are added. In that case, the formatting is copied from the section to which the new section is added. For information on adding sections, see Adding a section to a document.

Control defaults can include any formatting property, such as background color and border. For Grid/Graphs, the control default controls only the report autostyle. For information on autostyles, see the Advanced Reporting Guide.

To define the default formatting for a control

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1. Open the document in Design or Editable Mode.

2. Format a control with the desired formats:

• Formatting text fields

• Formatting lines and rectangles

• Formatting sections

3. Right-click the control and select Set Control Default.

To apply control default formatting

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1. Open the document in Design or Editable Mode.

2. Right-click the control and select Apply Control Default. The control is formatted with the control default formats.
   
   Note: If you are applying the control default to a grid, select Apply Control Default from the Format menu.