Reply To: Indesign newbie question

1. Your 'tab key' is not set to 12.7 mm, that's just the default value of tabs when none is set. Set tabs using the Tabs ruler.

2. You have to do so per paragraph because you are applying ad hoc formatting. Use a Paragraph Style instead.

3. Typically, you wouldn't want to use a Tab. Set the First Line Indent to your distance.

The capitalized phrases in the 'solution' part of these are the official terms Indesign uses, and can be looked up in the Online Help. You also may want to invest in a good starters' book, such as Sandee Cohen's “Visual Quickstart” guide. InDesign is not Adobe's answer to Word and does not help you in any way to make things look more simple than they actually are.