Complete the usage section

2025-05-24 19:35:58 +02:00
parent 60973954ef
commit d0c838450d
7 changed files with 608 additions and 326 deletions
@@ -3,3 +3,76 @@
 *************************
 Alignment and Indentation
 *************************
+
+The Markdown standard doesn't have commands for aligning text, so novelWriter adds its own syntax
+for this. It also has syntax for indentation, which is similar to Markdown block quotes.
+
+
+Paragraph Alignment and Indentation
+===================================
+
+All documents have the text by default aligned to the left or justified, depending on your setting
+in **Preferences**.
+
+You can override the default text alignment on individual paragraphs by specifying alignment tags.
+These tags are double angle brackets. Either ``>>`` or ``<<``. You put them either before or after
+the paragraph, and they will "push" the text towards the edge the brackets point towards. This
+should be fairly intuitive.
+
+Indentation uses a similar syntax. But here you use a single ``>`` or ``<`` to "push" the text away
+from the edge.
+
+:bdg-info:`Example`
+
+.. csv-table:: Text Alignment and Indentation
+   :header: "Syntax", "Description"
+   :widths: 40, 60
+   :class: "tight-table"
+
+   "``>> Right aligned text``",        "The text paragraph is right-aligned."
+   "``Left aligned text <<``",         "The text paragraph is left-aligned."
+   "``>> Centred text <<``",           "The text paragraph is centred."
+   "``> Left indented text``",         "The text has an increased left margin."
+   "``Right indented text <``",        "The text has an increased right margin."
+   "``> Left/right indented text <``", "The text has both margins increased."
+
+.. note::
+
+   The text editor will not show the alignment and indentation live. But the viewer will show them
+   when you open the document there. It will of course also be reflected in the document generated
+   from the manuscript build tool as long as the format supports paragraph alignment.
+
+
+Alignment with Line Breaks
+==========================
+
+If you have line breaks in the paragraph, the markers for all the lines are combined and used for
+the entire paragraph. For the following text, all lines will be centred:
+
+:bdg-info:`Example`
+
+.. code-block:: md
+
+   >> I am the very model of a modern Major-General
+   I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral
+   I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical
+   From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical <<
+
+
+Alignment with First Line Indent
+================================
+
+If you have first line indent enabled in your Manuscript build settings, you probably want to
+disable it for text in verses. Adding any alignment tags will cause the first line indent to be
+switched off for that paragraph.
+
+:bdg-info:`Example`
+
+The following text will always be aligned against the left margin:
+
+.. code-block:: md
+
+   I am the very model of a modern Major-General <<
+   I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral
+   I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical
+   From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical