Problems with Style formatting

I have a long document (and it's continuing to grow). To keep
different headings, bulleted lists, and things universal, I've been
using different Styles for these.
However, I'm having some problems now.

First, I've got a Table Style for items in a table. One of the
formatting 'specs' within this defined style is to be centered. I
have the side menu up so I can easily click on names of styles. When
I go into the formatting for this style now, I can click that I want
it centered vertically and horizontally in the table, and it does show
this on the little cell format icon, but it doesn't change the sample
picture in the formatting box. And when I click 'OK'. Nothing
changes in the document. Things in tables have the correct name for
this style definition, but they are not doing what I'm telling it to
do. If I put my cursor in a cell on a table, the formatting toolbar
at the top has the 'Justified' button depressed. If I highlight all
the tables (right click the style name on the side and click "Select
all # Instance(s)") - it does highlight all of the tables, and if I
manually click the centered button at the top, it creates a new style
definition. How can I fix this?

Also, I tried clicking on just one cell in a table and changing the
style and changing it back, hoping it would pick up the 'center'
command. But some of these cells will not even change back to the
table style definition. If I put the cursor anywhere in the cell,
click on the table style, nothing happens. I can highlight the whole
cell and click on the style defn - nothing happens. However, when I
go to the 'select all instances' - it does include these cells as
being part of the style definition. I'm guessing this is the
difference between a text or paragraph style and table style - but I
don't know how to change it.

Also, I have about 20 different styles that I am working with, so I am
trying to keep my list to a minimum. At about the same time I began
finding that some of formatting was not doing what I wanted it to, I
saw one of these 'newly auto-created' style definitions in my list.
I've tried to right click it and select "Delete". That brings up the
"are you sure" box - I pick 'Yes'. Nothing happens. This style stays
there. In the drop down menu, it says "Select all 8 Instance(s)". If
I go to this, there is nothing highlighted in the entire document. I
even scrolled through the 50 page document line by line - nothing came
up with this style name. I know I can remove it from the list by
unchecking it from the 'Custom Show' box. But it isn't listed there.
Why it would even be listed when I select "Show: Formatting in Use" if
it doesn't actually show me where these sections of text are? When I
click on the 'select all instances', it just moves the document to the
last place my cursor was in the text.

These problems may be part of the same thing, I don't know. I'm sure
there's some type of formatting box somewhere that I have check or
uncheck, or something simple (at least I hope). But I'm getting
frustrated, and I can't figure it out. I'm on chapter 6 of this 25
chapter user's manual.

Please Help!!!
I hope I was clear enough in explaining what's happening (which seems
to be nothing :-) )

Thanks,
Laurie

Is your Table Style a paragraph style or a table style? Vertical alignment
in a cell is not defined in a paragraph style. Table styles are notoriously
undependable.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"terrapinie" wrote in message
om...
I have a long document (and it's continuing to grow). To keep
different headings, bulleted lists, and things universal, I've been
using different Styles for these.
However, I'm having some problems now.

First, I've got a Table Style for items in a table. One of the
formatting 'specs' within this defined style is to be centered. I
have the side menu up so I can easily click on names of styles. When
I go into the formatting for this style now, I can click that I want
it centered vertically and horizontally in the table, and it does show
this on the little cell format icon, but it doesn't change the sample
picture in the formatting box. And when I click 'OK'. Nothing
changes in the document. Things in tables have the correct name for
this style definition, but they are not doing what I'm telling it to
do. If I put my cursor in a cell on a table, the formatting toolbar
at the top has the 'Justified' button depressed. If I highlight all
the tables (right click the style name on the side and click "Select
all # Instance(s)") - it does highlight all of the tables, and if I
manually click the centered button at the top, it creates a new style
definition. How can I fix this?

Also, I tried clicking on just one cell in a table and changing the
style and changing it back, hoping it would pick up the 'center'
command. But some of these cells will not even change back to the
table style definition. If I put the cursor anywhere in the cell,
click on the table style, nothing happens. I can highlight the whole
cell and click on the style defn - nothing happens. However, when I
go to the 'select all instances' - it does include these cells as
being part of the style definition. I'm guessing this is the
difference between a text or paragraph style and table style - but I
don't know how to change it.

Also, I have about 20 different styles that I am working with, so I am
trying to keep my list to a minimum. At about the same time I began
finding that some of formatting was not doing what I wanted it to, I
saw one of these 'newly auto-created' style definitions in my list.
I've tried to right click it and select "Delete". That brings up the
"are you sure" box - I pick 'Yes'. Nothing happens. This style stays
there. In the drop down menu, it says "Select all 8 Instance(s)". If
I go to this, there is nothing highlighted in the entire document. I
even scrolled through the 50 page document line by line - nothing came
up with this style name. I know I can remove it from the list by
unchecking it from the 'Custom Show' box. But it isn't listed there.
Why it would even be listed when I select "Show: Formatting in Use" if
it doesn't actually show me where these sections of text are? When I
click on the 'select all instances', it just moves the document to the
last place my cursor was in the text.

These problems may be part of the same thing, I don't know. I'm sure
there's some type of formatting box somewhere that I have check or
uncheck, or something simple (at least I hope). But I'm getting
frustrated, and I can't figure it out. I'm on chapter 6 of this 25
chapter user's manual.

Please Help!!!
I hope I was clear enough in explaining what's happening (which seems
to be nothing :-) )

Thanks,
Laurie

It is a table style. I suppose I will create a new table style with
all the same characteristics and name it something different.
Hopefully that works.

Thanks,
Laurie