Format Text
Learn how to format text in Cascade.
Interactive Walkthrough
Instructions
Paste Plain Text
You can copy and paste preformatted text from word processors such as Microsoft Office, and Cascade will preserve the existing styles for you. If you do not want to preserve formatting, you may choose to paste as plain text instead.
To paste without formatting:
- In the menubar, click "Edit"
- Click "Paste as text"
This will enable pasting as plain text. You may repeat these steps to disable it.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Alternatively, you may paste as plain text directly with one of the following:
| Operating System | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Windows/Linux | Ctrl + Shift + v |
| MacOS | Cmd + Shift + v |
Clear Formatting
To clear existing formatting:
- Highlight the text to remove formatting from
- In the menubar, click the "Format" dropdown
- Click "Clear formatting"
This will clear all inline formatting. Formats that provide structure to the document, such as paragraphs, headings, and lists, will be preserved.
Insert a Heading
To insert a heading:
- Highlight the text to turn into a heading
- In the toolbar, click the "Formats" dropdown
- Hover over "Headings" and select an appropriate heading level
To turn a heading back into a paragraph:
- Highlight the heading text
- In the toolbar, click the "Formats" dropdown
- Hover over "Blocks" and select "Paragraph"
Best Practices
Structure Headings
Headings provide structure, help sighted users to scan content quickly, and allow screen readers to understand and navigate the page.
When creating headings:
- Use Headings for Structure
- Use headings in descending order
- Never skip headings (e.g., from h4 to h6)
- Avoid Styling Headings
- Remove all formatting before turning text into a heading
- Avoid the use of links, bolding, or italics in headings
- Never Use All Caps for Headings
- All caps headings are difficult to read, especially for people with dyslexia
- Screenreaders often mistake all caps words as acronyms
- Instead, follow APA title case capitalization
For quick reference, the following table showcases each heading level and their use cases:
| Heading Level | Use Case |
|---|---|
Heading 1 |
Page title. |
Heading 2 |
Main content heading. |
Heading 3 |
Major sections. |
Heading 4 |
Major subsections. |
Heading 5 |
Minor sections, used sparingly. |
Heading 6 |
Minor subsections, used rarely. |
Emphasize Text
Using bold and italic text is a great way emphasize keywords or points in a document, but it is not always accessible.
By default, screenreaders will not inform the user of words that are bold or italic. Keep this in mind when authoring content for the web. You may need to rewrite your content or present the information differently.
Avoid All Caps
All caps should not be used to emphasize text. This makes the text difficult to read, and screenreaders can interpret it incorrectly.
Avoid Underlines
Remove underlines from your content when pasting text from a document. Users associate underlined content with links. Use bold and italic text to emphasize text instead.
Additional Resources
Section 508: Accessibility Bytes No. 6: Document HeadingsComing up Next
Connect users to relevant content both inside and outside of the website. Internal links keep files and pages within the FHSU website properly referenced, while external links connect outside resources. You can also insert email addresses, phone numbers, or anchors to guide users directly to specific content.
To get started, see How to Insert a Link