Design generated styles in manual mode

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If you're an experienced cascading style sheet (CSS) author that can write your own CSS, using Microsoft Expression Web in Manual style application mode can streamline your design process. In both Manual and Auto modes, Expression Web creates and modifies styles for you when you format items in a page. In Manual mode, you can also maintain precise control over which styles Expression Web modifies and what kind of styles it generates.

The Style Application toolbar enables you to change the style application mode, choose the style that will be modified, and set other options.

To set the style application mode

Do one of the following:

  • In either Design view or Code view, in your web page, on the status bar at the bottom of the program window, right-click Style Application, point to Mode, and then select Auto or Manual.

  • On the Style Application toolbar, click the Style Application drop-down box, and then select Auto or Manual.

  • On the Tools menu, select Page Editor Options. In the Page Editor Options dialog box, on the CSS tab, select Auto Style Application or Manual Style Application.

To modify existing styles by using the Style Application toolbar

  1. In Design view or Code view, in your web page, switch to Manual style application mode.

  2. Either put your cursor in the content you want to format or select the content.

  3. On the Style Application toolbar, click the Target Rule drop-down box, and select the style you want.

  4. If the style that's selected in the Target Rule drop-down box doesn't contain a declaration for the property you format but there is another style that does and is in use by the current selection, do one of the following:

    • To modify the style that already contains a declaration for the property you are about to format, select Reuse Properties.

    • To add a new property declaration to the style that's selected in the Target Rule box, clear Reuse Properties.

  5. Format the content by using Expression Web.

To create new styles by using the Style Application toolbar

  1. In Design view or Code view, in your web page, switch to Manual style application mode.

  2. Either put your cursor in the content you want to format or select the content.

  3. On the Style Application toolbar, click the Target Rule drop-down box, and do one of the following:

    • To have Expression Web generate a new style for you, based on the formatting you apply, and apply the style to the current content, select New Inline Style, New Auto ID, or New Auto Class, and then format the content by using Expression Web.

    • To design a new style by using the New Style dialog box and optionally apply the style to the current selection, select Apply New Style. For more information, see Create a style.

See also

Tasks

Set preferences for generated CSS

Reference

Style Application toolbar

Concepts

Cascading style sheet reference
Working with generated cascading style sheets

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