Applying SmartArt Styles
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A SmartArt style is a way of applying a coordinated, uniform look that users can employ with several different graphics. SmartArt styles are specified for individual graphics in the style definition file (Quickstyle1.xml). Developers can create style templates (.gqsx files), which are similar to layout templates (.glox files) and must reside in the user’s template directory.
Style Labels
Style labels allow differentiation between shape levels, parent/child shapes, and accent shapes. They also set up an appropriate z-order for the graphic in 3-D mode. You apply style labels as an attribute on the layoutNode element, as follows.
<layoutNode name=”textShape” styleLbl=”node1”/>
For a comprehensive listing of all style labels, see Style Labels.
If you do not specify a style label for a layout node, the default style label is used. The default style label is determined by the node’s type and level in the graphic.
Default Style Rules
The default style for each element is determined by using the following rules:
Elements of type node or asst use node#, with # being replaced by the corresponding level in the graphic.
Elements of type sibTrans use sibTrans1.
Elements of type parChTrans1D use parChTrans1D#, with # being replaced by the corresponding level in the graphic.
Shapes without text use node1.
3-D Plane
When selecting style labels for graphic elements, consider how the shapes will appear with a 3-D perspective style. SmartArt styles are designed so that shapes appear in the foreground, center, or background of the 3-D plane. For example, in the following figure, the circle is in the foreground plane, and the text shape is in the center plane.
3-D planes in SmartArt graphics
.jpg "3-D planes in SmartArt graphics")
For more information, see 3-D Style Stacking Order.