Microsoft KB Archive/173377

= WD97: Style Changes Not Retained with HTML Styles =

Article ID: 173377

Article Last Modified on 1/20/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Word 97 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q173377



SYMPTOMS
When you create an HTML document in Word, any customizations of HTML styles are not retained when you save, close, and reopen the document, or when you view the document in a Web browser. The text formatted with HTML styles reverts to the default HTML style format.



CAUSE
This behavior is by design. When a document containing text formatted with any of the HTML styles is saved as HTML, Word only saves the HTML tag of the style and does not save any attributes of the style.



MORE INFORMATION
HTML styles are retained in the HTML code as heading tags. For example, the HTML code for text formatted with the H1 style would look like this:

This is my heading

When text formatted with an HTML style tag is opened in a browser, the browser displays the text using its built-in definition for the H1 tag, and not how Word defines the H1 style.

Therefore, if you modify the HTML styles in Word, the changes appear on screen but are not preserved when you save the document as HTML.

The following HTML styles do not retain any changes you make to the style:

H1 through H6

Blockquote

Cite

Code

Comment

Definition

Definition Term

Definition List

HTML Markup

Keyboard

Preformatted

Sample

Typewriter

Variable

Emphasis

Followed Hyperlink

Hyperlink

Strong

The benefit of using HTML styles in your document is that Word retains the style structure of the document.

How to Retain Formatting in HTML Documents
To retain formatting in an HTML document, use either of the following methods:

 Format your documents using styles other than HTML styles. When you save the document as HTML, Word converts any text not formatted with the HTML styles to the Normal style and converts any formatting to direct formatting.

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 Apply direct formatting to the text defined with the HTML style.

