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<head>
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<title>novelWriter Help</title>
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</head>
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<body>
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<h1>novelWriter Help</h1>
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<a name="Content"></a>
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<h3>Content:</h3>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#Intro">1. Introduction</a></li>
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<li><a href="#Proj">2. Novel Projects</a></li>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#Proj_Structure">2.1 Project Structure</a></li>
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<li><a href="#Proj_Settings">2.2 Project Settings</a></li>
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<li><a href="#Proj_Documents">2.3 Writing Files</a></li>
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<li><a href="#Proj_Backup">2.4 Backup</a></li>
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</ul>
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<li><a href="#Novel">3. Novel Structure</a></li>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#Novel_Headings">3.1 Importance of Headings</a></li>
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<li><a href="#Novel_Refs">3.2 Tag References</a></li>
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<li><a href="#Novel_Files">3.3 Novel File Layout</a></li>
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</ul>
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<li><a href="#Notes">4. Supporting Files (Notes)</a></li>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#Notes_Tags">4.1 File Tags</a></li>
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</ul>
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<li><a href="#GUI">5. User Interface</a></li>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#GUI_Markdown">5.1 Markdown Format</a></li>
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<li><a href="#GUI_Shortcuts">5.2 Keyboard Shortcuts</a></li>
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</ul>
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<li><a href="#Code">6. Technical Information</a></li>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#Code_Project">6.1 How Data is Stored</a></li>
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</ul>
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</ul>
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<a name="Intro"></a>
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<h2>1. Introduction</h2>
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<p><a href="#Content">Back to top</a></p>
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<p>novelWriter is a simple multi-document plain text editor using a modified markdown syntax to
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apply simple formatting. Additional features are available through special meta data
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commands. These make it possible to generate an overview of the entire novel project and how
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the various files are interconnected.</p>
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<p>The user interface is intended to be as minimalistic as practically possible, and most
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features are accessible through the menu and through keyboard shortcuts. The colour scheme
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of the user interface can be modified with various themes, and new themes are fairly
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straight forward to add. They are separated into gui and syntax themes, and can be found in
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the themes folder in the source code.</p>
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<p>The tree view has various sections for the various types of supporting files that the User
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may want to add to the project. The novel itself lives under its own root folder, and export
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features are in the process of being added. These will include HTML, open document and PDF
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via LaTeX.</p>
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<a name="Proj"></a>
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<h2>2. Novel Projects</h2>
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<p><a href="#Content">Back to top</a></p>
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<p>A novelWriter project requires a dedicated folder for storing its files. See the
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<a href="#Code">Technical Information</a> section for further details.</p>
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<p>A new project can be created from the Project menu by selecting <mark>Project > New
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Project</mark>. A list of recently opened projects is also maintained and can be selected
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from the menu.</p>
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<p>The project specific settings are available in <mark>Project > Project Settings</mark>. See
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further details below.</p>
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<a name="Proj_Structure"></a>
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<h3>2.1 Project Structure</h3>
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<p><a href="#Content">Back to top</a></p>
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<p>Projects are structured into a set of root folders in the left side tree view panel.</p>
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<p>The core novel files go into a root folder of type <mark>Novel</mark>. Other supporting files
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go into root folders of types <mark>Plot</mark>, <mark>Characters</mark>,
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<mark>Locations</mark>, <mark>Timeline</mark>, <mark>Objects</mark> or <mark>Custom</mark>.
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These other root folder types are intended for your notes on the various elements of your
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story. Using these are of course entirely optional.</p>
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<table>
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<tr>
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<td><mark>Novel</mark></td>
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<td>The root folder of all text that goes into the final novel. This class of files have
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other rules and features than other files in the project. See the
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<a href="#Novel">Novel Structure</a> section for more details.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><mark>Plot</mark></td>
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<td>This is the root folder where main plots can be outlined. It is optional, but adding
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at least dummy files can be useful in order to generate the timeline view.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><mark>Characters</mark></td>
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<td>Character files go in this root folder. These are especially important if one wants
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to use the timeline view to see which character appears where and which part of the
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story is told from a specific character's point-of-view.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><mark>Locations</mark></td>
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<td>Location is for various scene locations that one wants to track in the timeline
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view if that applies to the story.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><mark>Timeline</mark></td>
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<td>If the story jumps in time within the same plot, this class of files can be used to
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track this.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><mark>Objects</mark></td>
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<td>Important objects in the story can be tracked here, and connected to the timeline as
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well.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><mark>Custom</mark></td>
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<td>the custom root folder can be used for tracking anything else not covered by the
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above options.</td>
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</tr>
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</table>
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<p>Deleted files will be moved into a special <mark>TRASH</mark> root folder. Currently, these
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files cannot be permanently deleted from the project.</p>
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<h4>Orphaned Documents</h4>
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<p>In the event the editor crashes or otherwise exits without saving the project state, files
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that have been added to the project tree and are saved to disk will appear in a special
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"Orphaned Items" root folder next time the application is started. These orphaned files will
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not have any meta data associated with them, so the title and other information has to be
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set again, and the files moved back to the correct location in the project.</p>
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<h4>Using Project Folders</h4>
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<p>Folders, aside from root folders, have no structural significance to the project. They are
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there purely as a way for the user to organise the files in meaningful sections and to be
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able to close them in the tree view. When processing the files in the novel, the folders are
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ignored.</p>
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<a name="Proj_Settings"></a>
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<h3>2.2 Project Settings</h3>
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<p><a href="#Content">Back to top</a></p>
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<p>The project settings can be accessed from the <mark>Project > Project Settings</mark> menu
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entry. This will open a dialog box.</p>
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<h4>Settings Tab</h4>
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<p>The Settings tab holds the project title and author settings. <em>Working Title</em> can be
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set to a different title than the <em>Book Title</em>. The difference between them is simply
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that the Working Title is used for the GUI (main window title) and when the export features
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are added can optionally be printed to the cover sheet. The Book Title, on the other hand,
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will only be printed to the title page on export.</p>
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<p>The <em>Book Authors</em> text box takes one author per line. The line breaks matter in that
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this is converted to a list for later correct formatting.</p>
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<h4>Status Tab</h4>
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<p>Each file of type <mark>NOVEL</mark> can be given a status level, signified by a coloured
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icon. These are purely there for the user's convenience, and you are not required to use
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them for any other feature to work. The intention is to use this list to set what stage of
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writing you are on, although you can in principle make them whatever you want.</p>
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<p>Note that status levels currently in use by a file cannot be deleted.</p>
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<h4>Importance Tab</h4>
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<p>Each file of types <mark>PLOT</mark>, <mark>CHARACTER</mark>, <mark>WORLD</mark>,
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<mark>TIMELINE</mark>, <mark>OBJECT</mark> or <mark>CUSTOM</mark> can be given an importance
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level, signified by a coloured icon like for status level. These are also purely there for
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the user's convenience, and you are not required to use them for any other feature to work.
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The intention is to use this list to set how important the character, plot element, or
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otherwise, is for the story. Again, these can in principle be used for whatever you want.
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<p>Note that importance levels currently in use by a file cannot be deleted.</p>
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<h4>Auto-Replace Tab</h4>
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<p>A set of automatically replaced keywords can be added in this tab. The keywords in the left
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column wile be replaced by the text in the right column when documents are opened in the
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viewer. This will also be applied to exports when the feature is added.</p>
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<p>Note that a keyword cannot contain any spaces. The angle brackets are dded by default, and
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when used in the text are a part of the keyword to be replaced. This is to ensure that parts
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of the text isn't unintentionally replaced by the content of the list.</p>
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<a name="Proj_Documents"></a>
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<h2>2.3 Writing Files</h2>
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<p><a href="#Content">Back to top</a></p>
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<p>New document files can be created from the Document menu, or by pressing <mark>Ctrl+N</mark>
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while in the tree view pane. This will create a new, empty file, and open the item settings
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dialog where the filename and various other settings can be set. This dialog can also be
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opened again later from either the menu, <mark>Project > Edit item</mark>, or by pressing
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<mark>Ctrl+E</mark> or <mark>F2</mark> with the item selected.</p>
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<p>The different classes of documents have some restrictions.</p>
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<a name="Proj_Backup"></a>
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<h2>2.4 Backup</h2>
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<p><a href="#Content">Back to top</a></p>
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<p>An automatic backup system is built into novelWriter. In order to use it, a backup path to
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where the backups are to be stored needs to be provided in <mark>Tools > Preferences</mark>.
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Backups can be run automatically when a project is closed, which also implies it is run when
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the application is closed. Backups are date stamped zip files of the entire project
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folder.</p>
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<p>The backup feature, when configured, can also be run manually from the <mark>Tools</mark>
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menu.</p>
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<p>For the backup to be able to run, the <mark>Working Title</mark> must be set in <mark>Project
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Settings</mark>. This value is used to generate the file name. It is also possible to
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dissable automated backup for a given project in its project settings.</p>
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<a name="Novel"></a>
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<h2>3. Novel Structure</h2>
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<p><a href="#Content">Back to top</a></p>
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<p>This section concerns files under the <mark>Novel</mark> type root folder. There are some
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restrictions and features that only applies to these type of files.</p>
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<a name="Novel_Headings"></a>
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<h3>3.1 Importance of Headings</h3>
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<p><a href="#Content">Back to top</a></p>
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<p>Subfolders under root folders have no impact on the structure of the novel itself. The
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structure is instead dictated by the heading level. Four levels of headings are supported,
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signified by the number of hashes preceding the title. See the
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<a href="#GUI_Markdown">Markdown</a> section.</p>
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<p>The header levels are not only important when generating the exported novel file, but is also
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used by the indexer and timeline view. Each heading starts a new region where new references
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to tags can be set, and will show up as a new row in the timeline view.</p>
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<p>The different header levels are interpreted as specific section types of the novel.</p>
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<table>
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<tr>
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<td><mark># Header1</mark></td>
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<td>Header level 1 signifies that the text refers to either the novel title or the
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name of a top level partition.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><mark>## Header2</mark></td>
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<td>Header level 2 signifies a chapter level partition.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><mark>### Header3</mark></td>
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<td>Header level 3 signifies a scene level partition.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><mark>#### Header4</mark></td>
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<td>Header level 4 signifies a sub-scene level partition.</td>
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</tr>
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</table>
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<a name="Novel_Refs"></a>
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<h3>3.2 Tag References</h3>
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<p><a href="#Content">Back to top</a></p>
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<p>Each section started by a heading can contain references to tags set in the supporting files
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of the project. See the <a href="#Notes_Tags">File Tags</a> section.</p>
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<p>The references are gathered by the indexer and used to generate the timeline view of how the
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different parts of the novel are connected.</p>
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<p>References are set as keyword and a list of corresponding tags. The valid keywords are listed
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below. The format of such a line is <mark>@keyword: value1, [value2] ... [valueN]</mark>.
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Note that not all keywords allow multiple values.</p>
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<table>
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<tr>
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<td><mark>@pov</mark></td>
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<td>The point-of-view character for the current section. The target must be a note tag
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in the character root folder. Only one value is accepted. further values are
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ignored.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><mark>@char</mark></td>
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<td>Other characters in the current section. The target must be a note tag in the
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character root folder. Multiple values are allowed. This should not include the
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point-of-view character.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><mark>@plot</mark></td>
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<td>The plot timelines touched by the current section. The target must be a note tag in
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the plot root folder. Multiple values are allowed.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><mark>@time</mark></td>
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<td>The timelines touched by the current section. The target must be a note tag in the
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timeline root folder. Multiple values are allowed.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><mark>@location</mark></td>
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<td>The location the current section takes place in. The target must be a note tag in
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|
|
the locations root folder. Multiple values are allowed.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>@object</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Objects present in the current section. The target must be a note tag in the object
|
|
|
|
|
root folder. Multiple values are allowed.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>@custom</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Custom references in the current section. The target must be a note tag in the
|
|
|
|
|
custom root folder. Multiple values are allowed.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
</table>
|
|
|
|
|
<p>the syntax highlighter will alert the user that only the correct keywords are used, and that
|
|
|
|
|
the tags referenced exist. If the index of defined tags is out of date, press
|
|
|
|
|
<mark>F9</mark> to regenerate it, or select <mark>Tools > Rebuild Indices</mark> from the
|
|
|
|
|
menu. In general, the index for a file is regenerated when a file is saved, so this
|
|
|
|
|
shouldn't normally be necessary.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<a name="Novel_Files"></a>
|
|
|
|
|
<h3>3.3 Novel File Layout</h3>
|
|
|
|
|
<p><a href="#Content">Back to top</a></p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>Files that exist under the <mark>NOVEL</mark> type root folder can have a number of layouts
|
|
|
|
|
set. See overview below. These layouts are currently not used for any internal feature, but
|
|
|
|
|
when the export feature is added they will be important in determining how the different
|
|
|
|
|
sections of the novel is formatted.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
<table>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Title Page</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>The title page layout. The title should be formatted as a heading level one.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Book</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>In principle, the entire novel can be contained in a single file. In that case, use
|
|
|
|
|
the Book layout on this file. The internal structure is then controlled by the
|
|
|
|
|
heading levels.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Plain Page</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>A plain page is just that, It is not included into content and the heading levels
|
|
|
|
|
are ignored.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Partition</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>A partition can be used to split a the novel into parts. Use a level one heading for
|
|
|
|
|
this.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Chapter</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Signifies the start of a new chapter. If the text itself is contained in scene
|
|
|
|
|
files, these files should only contain the title and tag references for characters,
|
|
|
|
|
plot, etc. The heading for chapters should be level two.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Un-Numbered</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Same as Chapter, but when exporting the files and automatic chapter numbering is
|
|
|
|
|
enabled, this file will not receive a number.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Scene</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>A scene file. This file should have a header of level three. Further sections can
|
|
|
|
|
have headers of level four. These will not impact the overall structure, but will
|
|
|
|
|
allow for setting new characters and plot references in parts of a scene if such
|
|
|
|
|
granularity is needed.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Note</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>A generic file that is ignored when the novel is exported. These layout is allowed
|
|
|
|
|
within the Novel root folder, and is the only layout allowed for a file outside the
|
|
|
|
|
Novel root folder.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
</table>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<a name="Notes"></a>
|
|
|
|
|
<h2>4. Supporting Files (Notes)</h2>
|
|
|
|
|
<p><a href="#Content">Back to top</a></p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>Supporting files, or notes, are any files stored in root folders that are not the Novel root
|
|
|
|
|
folder. These files are intended for summaries and outlines of the various plot elements,
|
|
|
|
|
characters, locations, and so on, of the novel. These are no required, but making at least
|
|
|
|
|
minimal files for each such element makes it possible to use the timeline view feature to
|
|
|
|
|
see how each element intersects with each section of the novel itself.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<a name="Notes_Tags"></a>
|
|
|
|
|
<h2>4.1 File Tags</h2>
|
|
|
|
|
<p><a href="#Content">Back to top</a></p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>Each note file can have a tag associated with it, The format of a tag is
|
|
|
|
|
<mark>@tag: tagname</mark>, where tagname is a unique identifier. tags can then be
|
|
|
|
|
referenced in the novel files and will then show up as dots in the timeline view.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
<p>The syntax highlighter will alert the user that the keyword is correctly used and that the
|
|
|
|
|
tag is allowed. Duplicate tags should be detected as long as the index is up to date.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
<p>The tag is the only part of these files that the application used. The rest of the file is
|
|
|
|
|
there for the writer to use in whatever way they wish.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<a name="GUI"></a>
|
|
|
|
|
<h2>5. User Interface</h2>
|
|
|
|
|
<p><a href="#Content">Back to top</a></p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>The user interface is kept as simple as possible to avoid distractions. The main window
|
|
|
|
|
contains a tree vew pane with the entire structure of the project, and a small details panel
|
|
|
|
|
below it to display additional information.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
<p>Editing a document can be done by either double-clicking on it, or hitting the return key
|
|
|
|
|
when the item is selected. This will open the source editor which uses a simplified markdown
|
|
|
|
|
format described in the section below.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
<p>The document can also be viewed as html with all the comments and commands stripped out. To
|
|
|
|
|
view a document, simply press <mark>Ctrl+R</mark> or select a file and go to <mark>Document
|
|
|
|
|
> View Document</mark> in the menu. The document viewed does not need to be the same
|
|
|
|
|
document currently being edited.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<a name="GUI_Markdown"></a>
|
|
|
|
|
<h3>5.1 Markdown Format</h3>
|
|
|
|
|
<p><a href="#Content">Back to top</a></p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>the document editor uses a simplified markdown format. That is, it supports basic formatting
|
|
|
|
|
like bold, italics and underline, as well as four levels of headings. The formats are listed
|
|
|
|
|
below.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
<p>In addition to these standard markdown features, the editor also allows for comments, that is
|
|
|
|
|
text that is ignored by the word counter and not exported or seen in the document viewer.
|
|
|
|
|
The editor also has a minimal set of commands used for setting tags and references between
|
|
|
|
|
files.</p>
|
|
|
|
|
<table>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark># Title</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Heading level one. The space after the # is mandatory.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>## Title</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Heading level two. The space after the # is mandatory.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>### Title</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Heading level three. The space after the # is mandatory.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>#### Title</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Heading level four. The space after the # is mandatory.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>**text**</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>The text is renderred as bold text.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>_text_</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>The text is renderred as italics text.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>__text__</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>The text is renderred as underlined text.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>% text...</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>A comment. The text is not exported, seen in viewer, or counted towards word counts.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>@command: value</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>A command followed by a value, or a comma separated list of values.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
</table>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<a name="GUI_Shortcuts"></a>
|
|
|
|
|
<h3>5.2 Keyboard Shortcuts</h3>
|
|
|
|
|
<p><a href="#Content">Back to top</a></p>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<p>All features are available as keyboard shortcuts. These are as following:</p>
|
|
|
|
|
<table>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+Shift+O</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Open a project.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+Shift+S</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Save the current project.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+Shift+W</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Close the current project.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+Shift+,</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Change project settings.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+Shift+N</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Create new folder.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+E, F2</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>If in tree view, edit a document or folder settings.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+Del</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>If in tree view, move a document to trash, or delete a folder.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+Q</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Exit novelWriter.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+N</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Create new document.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+O</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Open selected document.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Return</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>If in tree view, open a document for editing.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+S</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Save the current document in the editor.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+W</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Close the current document in the editor.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+R</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>If in tree view, open a document for viewing. If in editor pane, open current document for viewing.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+Shift+R</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Close the document view pane.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+Z</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Undo latest changes.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+Y</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Redo latest undo.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+C</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Copy selected text to clipboard.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+X</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Cut selected text to clipboard.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+V</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Paste text from clipboard to cursor position.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+A</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Select all text in document.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+Shift+A</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Select all text in current paragraph.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+1</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Switch focus to tree view pane.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+2</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Switch focus to document editor pane.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+3</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Switch focus to document viewer pane.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+T</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Show project timeline.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+B</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Format selected text, or word under cursor, as bold.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+I</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Format selected text, or word under cursor, as italic.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+U</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Format selected text, or word under cursor, as underline.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+D</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Wrap selected text, or word under cursor, in double quotes.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+Shift+D</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Wrap selected text, or word under cursor, in single quotes.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+Shift+Up</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Move item one step up in the tree view.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+Shift+Down</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Move item one step down in the tree view.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>Ctrl+F7</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Toggle spell checking.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<tr>
|
|
|
|
|
<td><mark>F7</mark></td>
|
|
|
|
|
<td>Re-run spell checker.</td>
|
|
|
|
|
</tr>
|
|
|
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<tr>
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<td><mark>Ctrl+.</mark></td>
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<td>Correct word under cursor.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><mark>F9</mark></td>
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<td>Re-build project indices.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><mark>F1</mark></td>
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<td>Open documentation.</td>
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</tr>
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</table>
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<a name="Code"></a>
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<h2>6. Technical Information</h2>
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<p><a href="#Content">Back to top</a></p>
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<p>This section contains details of how novelWriter stores and handles the project data.</p>
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<a name="Code_Project"></a>
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<h3>6.1 How Data is Stored</h3>
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<p><a href="#Content">Back to top</a></p>
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<h4>Main Project File</h4>
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<p>The project itself requires a dedicated folder for storing its files. The main project file
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is stored as an XML file with the name <mark>nwProject.nwx</mark>. This file contains all
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the meta data unique for the project. That includes project settings.</p>
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<p>If this file is lost or corrupted, the structure of the project is lost. It is important to
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keep this file backed up.</p>
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<p>The project XML file is suitable for diff tools and version control, although a timesetamp is
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set in the meta section on line 2 each time the file is saved.</p>
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<h4>Project Documents</h4>
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<p>The project documents are saved in folders staring with <mark>data_</mark>. Each document has
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a file handle taken from the first 13 characters of a SHA256 hash of the system time. the
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documents are saved with a folder and filename derived from this hash.</p>
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<p>The reason for this is to avoid issues with file naming conventions and restrictions. The
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file name set in the tree view is only saved in the project XML file.</p>
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<p>Each document file contains a plain text version of the text from the editor. The file can in
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principle be edited in any text editor, and is suitable for diffing and version control if
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so desired.</p>
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</body>
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</html>
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