Chapter 1: Working With Styles

Review: DBT Styles and Codes

DBT Styles

A DBT style defines the way a paragraph is formatted or the way a group of characters are translated. By naming the style something easy to remember (such as “list”), and grouping the codes to be used at the beginning and end of the paragraph, you can create one style to be applied to all paragraphs of that type (such as all lists). This eliminates the need to remember to enter all of the codes required for that type of paragraph, every time you create that type of paragraph.

DBT Codes

Codes are basic instructions to DBT that allow you to tell the program what to do, and how you want it done. Using a menu (such as the “Layout” or “Document” menu — see Appendix G) is a convenient way to enter codes. An example of a code is the [>] code, which is a tab command (similar to the ž symbol you might be used to seeing in MS Word). Codes are used in styles, which will be discussed in more detail later on.

Using DBT Codes

As an example, if you want to tab across the page, one way of telling DBT to create a tab is to press the tab key. You might also enter a code manually by pressing CTRL+[ and typing the code you want, such as “>“. This creates the [>] code, which tells DBT to go to the next tab stop. There is a list of codes mentioned in this guide in Appendix C. While it isn’t necessary to learn and memorize each code, we do recommend becoming familiar with looking up various codes so you will know how they work.

Using DBT Styles

Simply stated, styles are collections of codes, as a way to format and translate a document more easily. There are two types of styles: linear and nestable. Linear styles may not be nested within one another; therefore, the “list.” style may not be placed inside the “para.” style, or around it. Linear styles are generally applied to a whole line or group of lines, and usually they are used to create a type of paragraph (such as a regular paragraph — “para.” — or a list — “.”) Nestable styles may be placed one inside the other, across multiple styles, or over an entire document. They may also stand alone. Nestable styles are commonly used to control translation, such as the “compinline” style, which is used for such things as email addresses.

 
IMPORTANT: Pressing the ENTER key while inside a linear (a.k.a. paragraph) style creates a new line within the same paragraph, rather than a new paragraph. In order to create a new paragraph, you should press CTRL+M.

In order to format a normal paragraph correctly, you can use either the “para.” style or use the code [p] at the beginning of each paragraph. The result is the same, but it’s easier to simply apply a style.

To format a single-level list, use the “list.” style and press ENTER at the end of each line (you don’t want a new list, just a new line within the same list) until you are done with the list. Once you are finished typing your list, create a new paragraph by pressing CTRL+M, and apply an appropriate style to the new paragraph (such as “para.”).

Styles that do not end with a period (.), such as “compinline” and “french”, are nestable styles and should be applied to individual characters, individual words, or large groups of words or characters. An example would be an email address or passages (even an entire document) in a foreign language (e.g., “C’est la vie!”).

Language Styles

As with all character styles, language styles are applied to a single word or group of words. You may do this by highlighting the word(s) (it may be a single word or an entire document). Or, you may apply the style first, and then type the foreign language word(s) from within that style. Language styles should be used only for words that are clearly not in English, and should not be used for a country’s native braille; e.g., the “french” style should not be used if the braille will be distributed in France. Anglicized words from another language should not have a special style applied to them, but you should use special characters where appropriate (e.g., Noël and résumé).

How to Analyze a Style

The Basics: Codes

When determining exactly what a style does, and/or what you might like to change about the style, you will need to take a look at what codes are being used by the style. If you wish to enter a code manually, simply press CTRL+[ and enter the code characters. Some common codes and their actions are:

·        

 

[l] (CTRL+L) — Tells DBT to go to a new line, as long as you aren’t already on a new line. In other words, using New Line multiple times will not add blank lines to your document the same way the [<] code or pressing the ENTER key would.

·         [<] (ENTER) — Begin a new line unconditionally.

·         [p] (CTRL+M) — Begin a new paragraph. This is different from either the [l] code or the [<] code, as it formats the print with a skipped line and the braille indents to cell 3, with runovers in cell 1.

·         [sc1:0:0] — This code skips a line with certain conditions. The Codes Quick Reference explains in detail what those parameters are. As with the following code, you will not be able to place your cursor on the blank line that results.

·         [sk1] — This code skips a defined number of lines (in this case, 1). Keep in mind that you will not be able to place your cursor on the blank line that results.

·         [>] (TAB) — This code tabs to the next tab stop.

·         [kps][kpe] (Same as “Layout: Page Codes: Block Protect) — These codes are paired, which means that they have a start ([kps]) and an end ([kpe]). They keep all of the enclosed text on one page. If you are working with longer paragraphs (such as long poems or lists), modifying the style you are using (poem, list, etc.) by removing these codes may help break those types of paragraphs across pages, rather than trying to keep it blocked on a single page.

·         [rmN] — Indents the right margin by N cells from the normal page width; this code remains in effect until it is changed by a new [rmN] code.

·         [indP] — Goes to a new line, if not already on a new line, and sets the new margin to P. Example: [ind5] creates a new line indented at cell 5. This code remains in effect until it is changed by a new [indP] code.

·         [hiL:V:R:I:J:K] — Initiate (or terminate) hierarchy (for use in such formats as outline). Sets the current hierarchy level to 1. L is the left margin, V is the runover offset, and R is the right margin (defaulting to 1, 1 and 0 respectively). Also sets the characteristic increment for each of these margins to I, J and K respectively. (The increments may be negative, and all default to 0). This command determines the effect of subsequent [hlN] commands, which declare a given hierarchy level and set the margins correspondingly. Example: [hi1:5:0:2:2] sets up margin treatment for an outline where level 1 items are to start in cell 1 with runovers in 5, and both of those margins move up by 2 for each subentry.

·         [hi] — Terminates a hierarchy (for use in such formats as outlines).

Text Box: Looking Under the Hood

In order to analyze what codes make up a style, you’ll start by selecting “Document: Add Style.” From the “Document: Add Style” dialog box, select the style you want to analyze or change. The codes that appear at the beginning and end of the style appear in two fields on the right-hand side of the dialog box. In order to understand what is meant by “beginning codes” and “ending codes,” imagine that there is no style, just the codes contained in the style. The beginning codes are placed before the cursor, or at the beginning of the line or paragraph. The ending codes, obviously, come at the end. The resulting effect is identical, whether you use a style or enter the codes manually; it’s just easier to let a style do all the work for you. Note that if you are creating a multi-level paragraph (such as a stepped list or outline) without using a style, the “Format: Style Level +” and “Format: Style Level –” commands won’t work because you aren’t in a style!

Text Box: An Example: Creating a List Without a Blank Line

Let’s say that you are transcribing a list. In some cases (such as after a cell-5 heading), you might not want a blank line before and after the list, so you need to add a list style that doesn’t skip lines.

Note: If you want a stepped list, then you should use the “outline.” style instead of the “list.” style. In order to lessen the possibility of accidentally using the “list.” style for a stepped list, you will remove the ability to create a stepped list with this style.

First, you must determine what each code in the style does before trying to figure out what to change. Start by writing down both the starting and ending codes exactly, by selecting “Document: Modify Style”. Select the style you are analyzing (“list.”); this will provide you with a list of codes on the right-hand side of the dialog box. Once you have written down the codes, click the “cancel” button, returning to the main window, and select “Help: Codes Quick Reference”. This list of codes will allow you to determine exactly what the style does. Codes are listed alphabetically, and you can search for a code by selecting “Edit: Find” and typing in a left-bracket ([) and the first couple of letters of the code. Let’s take a closer look at the “list.” style.

The codes listed at the beginning of the style are “[sc1:0] [hi1:3:0:2:2] [kps] [ki1]”. The ending codes are “[ki0] [kpe] [hi] [sc1:0:0]”. If you look these two sets of codes up in the “Codes Quick Reference,” you will find the following:

Starting Codes:

·         The “[sc1:0]” code skips a line if the line immediately above is not blank and if the line above is not a print page break.

·         The “[hi1:3:0:2:2]” code sets a hierarchy, with the left margin at cell 1; the runovers in cell 3; the right margin offset to 0 (i.e., there is no right margin indentation); and the increment for each following level is set to 2.

·         The “[kps]” code sets up a paragraph block protect.

·         The “[ki1]” code breaks the block protect if there is a line break.

Ending Codes:

·         The “[ki0]” code cancels the “[ki1]” code listed in the “Starting Codes” box.

·         The “[kpe]” code cancels the “[kps]” code listed in the “Starting Codes” box.

·         The “[hi]” code returns the paragraph to normal formatting.

·         The “[sc1:0:0]” code skips one line if the line immediately above is not blank, is not a print page break, and is not a running head.

At this point, you know that by using the “list.” style you can create a new paragraph with the first line in cell 1 and runovers in 3; but how do you get DBT to remove the skipped line at the beginning and end? If you don’t already know the code involved in performing this task, you can perform a search of the “Codes Quick Reference.” By searching for the word “skip,” you should be able to find the code that tells DBT to skip lines ([scL:M:N]), and the variables of the code. In this case, you have already looked up the codes involved, and there are two codes which cause a skipped line. By simply deleting the two codes — “[sc1:0]” from the beginning codes and “[sc1:0:0]” from the ending codes — you can remove the skipped lines from the style.

How do you keep this type of list from accidentally turning into a stepped list? Simply change the increments of the levels from 2 to 0:

·         In the “Beginning Codes” box, “[hi1:3:0:2:2]” should be “[hi1:3:0:0:0]”.

 

If you are still asking yourself why you should use styles instead of codes, remember this: using a style is simply a shortcut to entering the individual codes. Without the style, you would have to remember the codes listed above EXACTLY, and you would have to enter each of these codes for EVERY list you created. Furthermore, if you were doing a multi-level list (an outline), you would have to remember a completely different set of codes! By getting into the habit of using styles, you can be sure not only that you won’t accidentally enter an incorrect code, but also that you won’t need to memorize all of those codes at all!

 

How to Add a Style

To add a style to an existing document and/or template, select “Document: Add Style” from the document menu. You will have the option to base your new style on an already existing one. If you select an already existing style to base your new style on, the beginning and ending codes will appear in the dialog box. You will be able to remove and/or add codes as you like in the next dialog box. Give the style a name in the “New style Name” field. When you have selected the style you would like to base your new style on (or “No Style”), determine whether the style is a linear style or a nestable style. If the style may only be applied to an entire line or group of entire lines, be sure to remove the check mark from the box marked “Style can be nested within another style.” If the style may be applied to a single character (or more) within a line, then it is a nestable style, and the checkbox should remain checked. Once you have done this, click “OK.”

The “Edit Style Codes” Dialog box now appears, and you may edit, delete, or add codes to/from the “beginning Codes:” and “Ending Codes:” fields. If you wish to add a new code, you may do so by pressing CTRL+[. The [ and ] symbols, in red, will appear, with the cursor placed between them. This is where you should type the content of the style. For instance, if you wished to place a skipped line at the beginning of a style, you would press CTRL+[, then type “sc1” between the brackets. The result should look like “[sc1]”.

Text Box: A Note about Syntax

It is very important that the code you type is exactly what DBT is looking for. For example, if DBT is looking for [fr;p~”.] but you type [fr:p~”.], DBT may think you want something completely different from what you want. So, be sure to watch your syntax!

 

How to Modify a Style

Now that you know what each code in the style means, you need to change the style to fit your needs. In this case, you need to delete “[sc1:0]” from and change “[hi1:3:0:2:2]” to “[hi1:3:0:0:0]” in the beginning codes, and delete “[sc1:0:0]” from the ending codes.

In order to do this, select “Document: Modify Style” and select “para.” from the list of styles. Once you have selected the style you wish to modify, click “Modify.” The dialog box changes, and the “starting codes” and “ending codes” fields become active (the codes turn red). You may now remove the codes you don’t want and replace them with the new, correct codes. Click “Modify” and translate the document to braille.

 

What Happens To Your Modifications?

Once you have modified, added, or deleted a style, the style will remain modified, added, or deleted only in the existing document until a new template is created. For more information on templates, refer to Chapter 2.

Once you are comfortable with analyzing styles, you need to decide whether to modify an existing style or to add a new style to the document or template. Modifying a style will allow you to change the style throughout the document and/or template you are using. If you are in the middle of a document and have applied a style throughout that document, or if you want to change the way a style works over many documents, then you probably want to modify the style.

However, keep in mind that if you should make a mistake when modifying a style, that mistake will be applied throughout your document, as well as throughout your template if you save the style to the template. Therefore, you might want to add a style rather than modifying the existing style. That way, you can use the new style any time you need the modified version of the style, and also use the original one when you need to.

 

How to Delete a Style

If you do not want a style to be available in a given document, you may remove it by selecting “Document: Delete Style”. When the “Delete Style” dialog box appears, simply select the style you wish to remove and click “OK” or press the ENTER key. DBT verifies that you want to delete the style. Once you have told it that you do indeed wish to remove the style, you’re done. Deleting styles shortens the list of styles you need to sort through when applying a style; you might want to delete a style you know you will never need in a given document, such as a language style. Keep in mind that, if you delete a style that comes with DBT and need it later, it will still be available in the original templates that come with DBT.

 

Summing Up

Codes are the commands that make DBT such a powerful and flexible program; styles are an easy way to group collections of codes for common tasks. Once you are comfortable using them, codes and styles will let you do almost anything!