To Enable Cascading "Shared" Styles
Advanced users can “share” styles that cascade across objects. If you’ve used Artboard version 1.6 or prior and have existing styles that you want to continue to be shared, activate this setting in the Artboard Preferences pane.
To enable shared styles, check "Enable Style sharing" in the Artboard > Preferences… Editing pane. If you want new styles that you create to be sharable by default, make sure "Styles are sharable by default" is also checked.
What are Shared Styles?
Artboard is smart about shared styles. When you draw several objects using the same style, they share the properties of that style. If you edit a shared style, the changes are applied across all instances of the style – in other words you will see the changes on all objects where the style has been used. In this way, changes to styles across multiple objects can be made very quickly and efficiently.
Create three objects in a row, and they will share the same style; adjust the style and it will automatically cascade across all three. You can break the style link between successive objects by clicking “Reset” to create a new style reset to the default, or "Clone" to create a new style based on the one currently in use.
The Format Bar provides quick access to simple fill and stroke style editing. Advanced “expert” styles, such as arrowed paths and gradient fills, are created using Artboard’s powerful Style Inspector and should be edited with the Style Inspector. Use the "Reset" and "Clone" buttons to create a new style and continue drawing without affecting the objects you’ve already drawn. Remember, shared styles cascade across drawing objects– if you edit a style without clicking "Reset" or "Clone" the changes will apply across all objects where the style has been used.
HINT: Styles in the built-in Mapdiva collection cannot be over-written – to edit styles in the built-in collection, use "Clone" to make a copy of the original. Editing a shared library style can have unforeseen consequences, including if the style is in use in other documents.
What Do "Reset" and "Clone" Mean?
Use the "Reset" and "Clone" buttons in the Format Bar or Style Inspector to create a new style and continue drawing without affecting the objects you’ve already drawn. Remember, shared styles cascade across drawing objects – if you edit a style without clicking "Reset" or "Clone" the changes will apply across all objects where the style has been used.
To create a new style from scratch, click the "Reset" button. Artboard’s simple default style with a black stroke and gray fill is created. To customize the style, check or uncheck the "Stroke" and "Fill" style components and adjust the colors and settings as desired. Continue drawing.
To create a style from an existing style, use an existing style and click the "Clone" button. Clone will make a copy of the style you are currently using so you can make changes to it and continue drawing. Use clone, for example, when you want to change the stroke width but keep all other settings the same. Complex styles should be edited in the Style Inspector.


