Default Style

[MWE]

this is not really a VBA question, but it may take VBA to do what I want ...

As delivered, the default font for Word2000 is 10 pt Times New Roman. To change the default style, one is supposed to navigate to Format | Font , select the combination desired, e.g., 12 pt Arial, and click on the Default button. So, I do that and get 12 pt Arial for the default for Word as a standalone, but not when I use Word as the editor for Outlook. Arial is retained, but the default font size stays at 10 pt.

Is this normal behavior for Word and Outlook?

[TonyJollans]

The default font in an ordinary Word document is whatever is set for the Normal style in the Normal template - and this is also true for Word in Outlook, BUT ..

Outlook overrides this via the settings in Tools > Options > Mail Format tab > Fonts button.

[MWE]

The default font in an ordinary Word document is whatever is set for the Normal style in the Normal template - and this is also true for Word in Outlook, BUT ..

Outlook overrides this via the settings in Tools > Options > Mail Format tab > Fonts button.

I already looked into that. I am not sure what Outlook does or how it overrides things, but if you select Word as your Outlook editor, then the Fonts button in Tools | Options | Mail Format tab is grayed out, i.e., you can not select any font.

Tests I have already run:


while in Outlook, navigated to Tools | Options | Mail Format | Fonts and set all fonts to Arial12. Did NOT set Word as editor. While composing and replying, font was Arial12.
then navigated to Tools | Options | Mail Format and set Word as editor. While composing and replying font was Arial10 (default for ordinary Word is Arial12)
tried other combinations of fonts and sizes: font type set in Word is what you get in Outlook when Word is Outlook's editor but font size is always 10 :dunno

[TonyJollans]

They're not greyed out for me - running 2003 all apps. What versions are you running?

[TonyJollans]

Ignore that :)

I've just looked at 2000 and I see your problem.

[TonyJollans]

Interesting. When you create an 'e-mail document' (same effect if you do it in Word via File > New), a default style is created in the new document - it seems to be named after your Office user name - with its own font. At the moment I have no idea where it picks up the details from. Because the style is created in the document every time, even if you save something in your normal template it gets overridden.

It looks like a case of Microsoft knows best. If I find anything else I'll post back - and I'll look out for anything anyone else posts. Meanwhile I'm stuck :)

[MWE]

Interesting. When you create an 'e-mail document' (same effect if you do it in Word via File > New), a default style is created in the new document - it seems to be named after your Office user name - with its own font. At the moment I have no idea where it picks up the details from. Because the style is created in the document every time, even if you save something in your normal template it gets overridden.

It looks like a case of Microsoft knows best. If I find anything else I'll post back - and I'll look out for anything anyone else posts. Meanwhile I'm stuck :)

Well, thanks very much for your help. At least you have confirmed that I am not crazy (relative to this anyway).

[gmaxey]

Seems like I remember there is an email.dot somewhere in the Office labyrinth. I think if you open and edit it then the changes will stick. Really guessing here though.

[MWE]

Seems like I remember there is an email.dot somewhere in the Office labyrinth. I think if you open and edit it then the changes will stick. Really guessing here though.
thanks for the reply. I was able to find a file called email.dot and then poked around on the web to see what it was. Apparently it does contain the setups used by Outlook when Word is the email editor. It exists only for Outlook2000 and earlier versions.

But the rest of the news is not good.:motz2: I opened email.dot, changed the default font to Arial12, saved the file and exited Word. I then checked to ensure that the file's mod date was today (and it was). I then started Outlook, set the editor to Word and initiated a message. But the font was Arial10. I then noticed that the style set was (as Tony indicated) a "new" style with name = user name. So I tried to modify that. I could change the font name but not the font size. I went back to Word and opened email.dot and its setup had not changed).

The short term workaround is to switch to Normal style whenever I use Word as the editor in Outlook. Maybe I will write some VBA to do that automatically. But there is another problem. Word does not like to stay in the style selected (as least my version of Word). Just when you least expect it, it changes styles to (you guessed it) Times New Roman 10 :banghead:

[fumei]

How bizarre!

[MOS MASTER]

How bizarre!

Have the same feeling here and I haven't tested this out myself.

Seams interesting so I'll give it a go this weekend. :yes

Ps Mark...yes you are definitly crazy! :rofl: