To Copy, Rename, or Delete Library Styles

The Style Library Manager is primarily used by CAD administrators to copy, rename, and delete library styles. The CAD administrator controls the style library contents and assures that designers using styles have the same style definitions, assuring uniform document formatting.

The Style Library Manager uses the Create New Style Library command to create new style libraries. Create New Style Library is also available from the Style Management Wizard in Inventor.

In general, style libraries are read-only, except to make necessary changes. The Styles Library Manager uses the read-only file property, and disregards the library status in a project file (.ipj), specified by the Use Style Library=Read Only option. In Inventor Pro, the status resides in a project file (.ipj).

Any changes made to a style library are not available in other documents until the current session closes and a new session is opened.

Tip: I you're using Inventor, it is a good practice to maintain a master copy of a style library, and then copy it before you modify for project-specific style libraries.

You can create new styles or rename styles in a document, but they affect only that document. Take a separate step to save a new or changed style to a style library to replace the library version. Access to the style library may be controlled by the CAD administrator.

Copy Styles from One Style Library to Another

You can develop style libraries that are specific to a project. This procedure copies styles you have already defined in one style library to another style library.

1. Click Start menu Programs Autodesk Inventor Tools Style Library Manager.
2. In Styles Library 1, click the down arrow to select or click Browse to locate the style library whose styles you want to copy.
3. In the Choose Style Type column, click a style type to list all defined styles in Style Library 1.
4. In Style Library 2, click the down arrow to select or click Browse to locate a style library.

   If appropriate, click Create New Style Library:

   • In Creation Method, select Copy Existing Style Library or Create Empty Style Library.
   • Browse to the folder where the library is located.
   • If copying a style library, click the arrow or browse to select the Source Library for Copy. The existing styles are listed in the Style Library 2 window.
5. Click one or more styles, and then click to add them to Style Library 2.
6. Continue to click style types to add to Style Library 1, and then select and add them to Style Library 2.
7. Styles in one library might not match the styles in another library. Compare the styles in both libraries.

   	Click Show All Styles to list all styles in both style libraries.
   	Click Show Mismatched Styles to show styles whose definitions are different in the two libraries. Mismatched styles are shown in red.
   	Click Show Unique Styles to show styles that exist in one library but not the other. Unique styles are shown in blue.

8. Click the right and left arrows to add or remove styles as desired.

   If mismatched substyles are detected, the Manage Styles dialog box opens. Indicate to overwrite the version of the substyle in the destination library or retain the current version.

9. Click Close to save the libraries.

Note: Only the selected style is copied from one Style Library to another. Substyles are only copied if they do not exist in the destination library. If a style exists with the same name, the destination version is used.

Rename Styles in a Style Library

A style name can change in the style library, but all documents that reference the old name lose their association to that style.

1. Click Start menu Programs Autodesk Inventor Tools Style Library Manager.
2. Click the arrow or browse to the library whose style you want to rename.
3. In the Style Library 1 or 2 window, right-click a style name and select Rename.

   A warning asks you to confirm that documents links to the style will be broken. Click Yes to continue or No to cancel renaming. If Yes, enter the new style name.

4. Continue renaming as needed, and then click Close to save the changes.

Delete Styles from a Style Library

A style can be deleted from a style library, but all documents that reference the old name lose their association to that style.

1. Click Start menu Programs Autodesk Inventor Tools Style Library Manager.
2. In the Style Library 1 or 2 window, click the arrow or browse to the library whose styles you want to delete.
3. Select a style type in the Choose Style Type list. Then right-click a style name in the Style Library 1 or 2 window and select Delete.

   A warning asks you to confirm that the style will be permanently deleted from the style library. Click Yes to delete the style or No to cancel delete.

   Note: You cannot use Undo to reverse a deletion.
4. Continue deleting as needed. When finished, click Exit to close the Style Library Manager dialog box.

Tip: Use Manage tab Styles and Standards panel Purge to remove unused styles from the current document, and optionally, all referenced documents.