WD97 Text Color Changes When Formatting HTML Body Text (163732)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
This article was previously published under Q163732

SYMPTOMS

If you change the text colors while working on a Web page, the text of your Web page may change to an unexpected color. Text formatted as Auto may remain black and text formatted as Black may change to the text color you select.

CAUSE

When working with Web pages, the default font color is Black, not Auto. Therefore, if you format the font color as Auto, Auto is applied as direct formatting, overriding any changes you make in the future. Text formatted with a font color of Black is labeled as default color, so that when you change the text color, text formatted as Black gets changed to match the new text color.

RESOLUTION

Manually change the font color to the desired color by selecting the text and then on the Format menu, click Font.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Word 97 for Windows. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

This behavior while working on HTML documents is different from the behavior when working on non-HTML document.

Working with non-HTML documents

With non-HTML documents, text formatted with a color of Auto, will take on the default font color. Any change to the default font color will be reflected in the text formatted with the color of Auto.

Text formatted with a font color of something other than Auto is said to be "directly formatted" with that color. Direct formatting overrides changes in the default font color. For example, if you format text with the color of Black, and then change the default font color to Blue, the text formatted as Black will remain Black. Text formatted with a font color of Auto will change to Blue.

Working with HTML documents

In HTML documents black color behaves like the Auto color would in a non- HTML document, and Auto color behaves like direct formatting.

For example:
  1. Type the following lines of text and format them with the indicated colors:

    Format this line as Auto color.
    Format this line as Black color.
    Format this line as Blue color.

  2. Change the default text color. On the Format menu, choose Text Colors and change the body text color to red.
  3. The results are:

    Format this line as Auto color. --> remains black
    Format this line as Black color. --> changes to red, the new default
    Format this line as Blue color. --> remains blue

The first line remains Black because the Auto color is considered direct formatting, and therefore remains unchanged. The same is true for the third line of text. The Blue color is directly formatted and remains unchanged when the default color changes. The second line changes to reflect the default color change since Black is not considered to be direct formatting in HTML documents.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/5/2000
Keywords:kbualink97 KB163732
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