NEW ONSTYLE UPDATE 3.6 – Improvements and New Features
Based on Your Feedback
OnStyle update 3.6 is arriving very soon. We at DACHS are always listening to user feedback, and outside suggestions. This allows us to develop OnStyle in accordance with the ever-changing needs of our customers. We combine this with in-house testing and our multiple years of experience. This update brings enhancements to already available tools as well as new features. Let’s dive into what you can expect from OnStyle’s latest release.
Framework Changes in OnStyle 3.6
Performance Improvement for Issue Range Calculation
Check modules will be executed faster, thanks to improvements in the Issue Range calculation.
Option to Turn Off Keyboard Shortcuts
It’s possible to turn off OnStyle keyboard shortcuts altogether to avoid issues with special keyboard combinations.
New or Enhanced Authoring Features in OnStyle 3.6
Prevent Direct Formatting Override
OnStyle now provides a solution to a well-known Word behavior that often causes inconvenience.
By default, when a paragraph already uses a style and the same style is reapplied, Word removes all direct formatting from that paragraph.
The new “Direct formatting override” option in Preferences prevents this: when enabled, OnStyle preserves the paragraph’s direct formatting even if its style is applied again.
Pressing and holding Ctrl while applying styles temporarily inverts the current setting of the checkbox (On/Off).
Keep Font and Font Size
The Table Properties settings in Preferences have been extended to allow keeping the original table’s Font and Font Size. These settings apply to both Apply Table Style and Apply Default Table Style (with the former also allowing in-tool adjustments).
Internal Link Tool Filtering
A free-text filter field has been added to the Internal Link tool. It can search within the destinations. Additionally, destinations (e.g., numbered, not-numbered headings) can now be hidden from the Destination list with checkboxes within the new Filtering section.
Enhanced Orientation Tool
If both portrait and landscape pages are in the selection when the Orientation button is clicked, OnStyle prompts the user to choose a single orientation for all pages. In the same dialog the user can choose to extend the current selection to the beginning of the first section and/or to the end of the last section.
Images that would overflow the page size after orientation change, are automatically downscaled to fit margin to margin. Small images will not be upscaled when more space is available after an orientation change
Enhanced Insert Table Title Tool
The direct formatting of the text is now preserved when the Insert Table Title tool is applied to it.
Continued Table
The user can insert, split, create, and merge continued tables. They will have the same style, title, header row as their original. This toolset ensures that long tables can be split, continued, merged,
and structurally validated while maintaining consistent headers, titles, and formatting across all tables. Continued tables have a configurable text part appended at the end of their title, e.g., “cont’d”. The footer is always placed at the last table of the continued table sequence.
Continued tables are now available in OnStyle as a paid add-on.
New Validation Feature in OnStyle 3.6
Module Configuration Section
A Module Configuration section is now available in the Validation Report PDF, which details the preferences of modules. This section can be added in the Validation Report options.
Enhanced Validation Features in OnStyle 3.6
Page Calculation for Special Modules
Special inspection modules that previously couldn’t calculate page and chapter numbers for their issues are now able to do so. These inspections are: Boxed Warning Issue, Document Revisions, Empty Page, Obsolete Cross Reference, Table Split Across Pages.
New Inspection Modules in OnStyle 3.6
Duplicated Heading Numbering
This inspection reports an issue when a heading has two numberings. This most commonly occurs when someone writes a manual numbering, then changes the heading style to apply automatic heading numbering.
Auto-fix available.
Improper Whitespace Usage
This inspection reports an issue when a whitespace is placed in an improper place or is missing from its proper place. These places include, e.g., whitespace before a comma, whitespace at the end of a paragraph, no space after a period, etc.
Auto-fix available.
Exploring OnStyle: Present and Future
Outlined above are the main new features of OnStyle 3.5, along with several backend improvements and enhancements. For additional information, you can contact us at services@dachs.ch.
Stay tuned for more updates and happy writing! 
Sources
Angel-Kun. No-name. Pixabay, www.canva.com/photos/MADQ4wFkDLA/. Accessed 7/11/2025.
03/12/2025