Expression Web Help

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The Apply Styles Task Pane

Display

When you open a Web page, the Apply Styles task pane shows styles that are defined in all of the page's css, including external, inline, and internal styles. You can set the task pane to list all styles or restrict it to show only styles that are used in the page you have open or code you have selected on the page.  Element-based styles and inline styles appear in the task pane only when you place your cursor in  or select content that uses the style. 

Rules

The Apply Styles task pane displays each style according to the rules of the style.  Class-based and id-based styles appear under either the name of the external .css file that contains the style or "Current Page" if the style comes directly from that page. Class-based styles have a green dot next to them.  Id-based styles of a red dot. Element-based styles are organized the same way but appear under a separate heading called "Contextual Selectors" below the list of class-based and id-based styles.  Element-based styles have a blue dot.  Inline styles have a yellow dot.  A circle shows up around the dots to let you know that the styles are in use on the page you have open.

Editing

You can display all of the rules of a style in a floating window by your cursor by pointing to the style in the Apply Styles task pane.  You can edit that style even when it's on an external style sheet by clicking the down arrow that displays on mouseover and selecting "Modify Style."  This provides you with a dialog box that allows you to write or modify any rule for that style with correct syntax even if you don't know any css.