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Update the project sections of the docs to 2.6

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Veronica Berglyd Olsen
2025-01-26 18:15:36 +01:00
parent 87890dd249
commit f2c118776a
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docs/source/usage_breakdown.rst
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@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ How it Works
.. _Fusion: https://doc.qt.io/qt-6/gallery.html
.. _Pandoc: https://pandoc.org/
.. _Open Document: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDocument
.. _Office Open XML: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_Open_XML
.. _version control: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Version_control
The main features of novelWriter are listed in the :ref:`a_intro` chapter. In this chapter, we go
into some more details on how they are implemented. This is intended as an overview. Later on in
@@ -42,9 +44,10 @@ views you can switch between, a quick link to the **Build Manuscript** tool, and
project-related tools and quick access to settings at the bottom.
.. versionadded:: 2.2
A number of new formatting options were added in 2.2 to allow for some special formatting cases.
At the same time, a small formatting toolbar was added to the editor. It is hidden by default,
but can be opened by pressing the button in the top right corner of the editor header.
but can be opened by pressing the button in the top--left corner of the editor header.
Project Tree and Editor View
@@ -54,9 +57,9 @@ Project Tree and Editor View
A screenshot of the Project Tree and Editor View.
When the application is in **Project Tree View** mode, the main work area of the main window is
split in two, or optionally three, panels. The left-most panel contains the project tree and all
the documents in your project. The second panel is the document editor.
When the application is in **Project Tree View** mode, the work area of the main window is split in
two, or optionally three, panels. The left-most panel contains the project tree and all the
documents in your project. The second panel is the document editor.
An optional third panel on the right side contains a document viewer which can view any document in
your project independently of what is open in the document editor. This panel is not intended as a
@@ -68,6 +71,14 @@ The editor also has a **Focus Mode** you can toggle either from the menu, from t
editor's header, or by pressing :kbd:`F8`. When **Focus Mode** is enabled, all the user interface
elements other than the document editor itself are hidden away.
The project tree will highlight with a different background colour the document that is currently
open in the editor.
.. versionadded:: 2.6
You can now drag and drop documents from the project tree onto the editor or viewer panels to
open them.
Novel View and Editor View
--------------------------
@@ -110,21 +121,20 @@ Novel Outline View
A screenshot of the Novel Outline View.
When the application is in **Novel Outline View** mode, the tree, editor and viewer will be
replaced by a large table that shows the entire novel structure with all the tags and references
listed. Pretty much all collected meta data is available here in different columns.
When the application is in **Novel Outline View** mode, the tree, editor and viewer are replaced by
a large table that shows the entire novel structure with all the tags and references listed. Pretty
much all collected meta data is available here in different columns.
You can select which novel root folder to display from the dropdown box, and you can select which
columns to show or hide from the menu button. You can also rearrange the columns by drag and drop.
The app will remember your column order and size between sessions, and for each individual project.
The app remembers your column order and sizes between sessions, and for each individual project.
Colour Themes
-------------
By default, novelWriter will use the colour theme provided by the Qt library, which is determined
by the Fusion_ style setting. You can also choose between a standard dark and light theme that have
neutral colours from **Preferences**.
By default, novelWriter uses a light colour theme. You can also choose between a standard dark
theme that have neutral colours, or a series of other included themes, from **Preferences**.
If you wish, you *can* create your own colour themes, and even have them added to the application.
See :ref:`a_custom_theme` for more details.
@@ -134,6 +144,7 @@ separate colour selectable from the "Document colour theme" setting in **Prefere
separated because there are a lot more options to choose from for the editor and viewer.
.. note::
If you switch between light and dark mode on the GUI, you should also switch editor theme to
match, otherwise icons may be hard to see in the editor and viewer.
@@ -155,11 +166,11 @@ If the project or novel view does not have focus, pressing :kbd:`Ctrl+T` switche
whichever of the two is visible. If one of them already has focus, the key press will switch
between them instead.
Likewise, pressing :kbd:`Ctrl+E` with switch focus to the document editor or viewer, or if any of
Likewise, pressing :kbd:`Ctrl+E` will switch focus to the document editor or viewer, or if any of
them already have focus, it will switch focus between them,
These two shortcuts makes it possible to jump between all these GUI elements without having to
reach for the mouse or touchpad.
These two shortcuts make it possible to jump between all these GUI elements without having to reach
for the mouse or touchpad.
.. _a_breakdown_project:
@@ -167,7 +178,7 @@ reach for the mouse or touchpad.
Project Layout
==============
This is a brief introduction to how you structure your writing projects. All of this will be
This is a brief introduction to how you should structure your writing projects. All of this will be
covered in more detail later.
The main point of novelWriter is that you are free to organise your project documents as you wish
@@ -193,12 +204,19 @@ This heading level structure is only taken into account for :term:`novel documen
:term:`project notes`, the heading levels have no structural meaning, and you are free to use them
however you want. See :ref:`a_struct` and :ref:`a_references` for more details.
.. versionadded:: 2.0
.. tip::
You can add documents as child items of other documents. This is often more useful than adding
folders, since you anyway may want to have the chapter heading in a separate document from your
individual scene documents so that you can rearrange scene documents freely without affecting
chapter placement.
.. versionadded:: 2.6
The heading levels for partitions, chapters and scenes only apply within novelWriter. When you
generate your manuscript, chapters are considered as the topmost heading level, with scenes
below it. Partitions are inserted as text elements in most formats.
.. _a_breakdown_export:
@@ -206,22 +224,24 @@ Building a Manuscript
=====================
The project can at any time be assembled into a range of different formats through the
**Build Manuscript** tool. Natively, novelWriter supports `Open Document`_, HTML5, and
various flavours of Markdown.
**Build Manuscript** tool. Natively, novelWriter supports `Open Document`_, Microsoft Word Document
(known as `Office Open XML`_), HTML5, and various flavours of Markdown. You can also generate a PDF
document.
The HTML5 format is suitable for conversion by a number of other tools like Pandoc_, or for
importing into word processors if the Open Document format isn't suitable. The Open Document format
is supported by most office type applications. In addition, printing is also possible. Print to PDF
is available from the print dialog.
importing into word processors if the Open Document or Word Document format isn't suitable. The
Open Document format is supported by most office type applications, so is the Word Document format.
In addition, printing is also possible.
For advanced processing, you can export the content of the project to a JSON file. This is useful
if you want to write your own custom processing script in for instance Python, as the entire novel
can be read into a Python dictionary with a couple of lines of code. The JSON file can be populated
with either HTML formatted text, or with the raw text as typed into the novel documents.
with either HTML formatted text, or with the raw text as typed it into the novel documents.
See :ref:`a_manuscript` for more details.
.. versionadded:: 2.1
You can now define multiple build definitions in the **Build Manuscript** tool. This allows you
to define specific settings for various types of draft documents, outline documents, and
manuscript formats. See :ref:`a_manuscript` for more details.
@@ -234,8 +254,8 @@ Project Storage
The files of a novelWriter project are stored in a dedicated project folder. The project structure
is kept in a file at the root of this folder called ``nwProject.nwx``. All the document files and
associated meta data is stored in other folders below the project folder. For more technical
details about what all the files mean and how they're organised, see the :ref:`a_storage` section.
associated meta data are stored in other folders below the project folder. For a more technical
description of what all the files mean and how they're organised, see the :ref:`a_storage` section.
This way of storing data was chosen for several reasons.
@@ -247,17 +267,19 @@ crashes.
Secondly, having multiple small files means it is very easy to synchronise them between computers
with standard file synchronisation tools.
Thirdly, if you use version control software to track the changes to your project, the file formats
used for the files are well suited. All the JSON documents have line breaks and indents as well,
which makes it easier to track them with version control software.
Thirdly, if you use `version control`_ software to track the changes to your project, the file
formats used for the files are well suited. All the JSON documents have line breaks and indents as
well, which makes it easier to track them with version control software.
.. note::
Since novelWriter has to keep track of a bunch of files and folders when a project is open, it
may not run well on some virtual file systems. A file or folder must be accessible with exactly
the path it was saved or created with. An example where this is not the case is the way Google
Drive is mapped on Linux Gnome desktops using gvfs/gio.
.. caution::
You should not add additional files to the project folder yourself. Nor should you, as a rule,
manually edit files within it. If you really must manually edit the text files, e.g. with some
automated task you want to perform, you need to rebuild the :term:`Project Index` when you open