Veronica K. B. Olsen
184 lines
8.7 KiB
ReStructuredText
184 lines
8.7 KiB
ReStructuredText
.. _a_struct:
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***************
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Novel Structure
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***************
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This section covers the structure of a novel project.
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.. note::
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This section concerns files under the Novel type root folder only. There are some restrictions
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and features that only applies to these type of files.
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.. _a_struct_heads:
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Importance of Headings
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======================
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Subfolders under root folders have no impact on the structure of the novel itself. The structure is
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instead dictated by the heading level of the headers within the text files. Four levels of headings
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are supported, signified by the number of hashes preceding the title. See also the :ref:`a_ui_md`
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section.
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.. note::
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The header levels are not only important when generating the exported novel file, but they are
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also used by the indexer when building the outline tree in the :guilabel:`Outline` tab. Each
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heading also starts a new region where new references to tags can be set.
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The different header levels are interpreted as specific section types of the novel in the following
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way:
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``# Header1``
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Header level 1 signifies that the text refers to either the novel title or the name of a top
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level partition when you want to split the manuscript up into books, parts, or acts.
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``## Header2``
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Header level 2 signifies a chapter level partition. Each time you want to start a new chapter,
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you must add such a heading. If you chose to split your manuscript up into one file per scene,
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you need a single chapeter file with just the heading. You can of course also add a synopsis and
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tags and references to the chapter file. If you want to open the chaper with a quote, this is
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also where you'd put the text for that.
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``### Header3``
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Header level 3 signifies a scene level partition. The title itself can be replaced with a scene
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separator or just skipped entirely when you export your manuscript.
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``#### Header4``
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Header level 4 signifies a sub-scene level partition (section). These can be useful if you want
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to change tag references mid-scene, like if you change the point of view character. You are free
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to use sections as you wish, and can filter the titles out of the final manuscript just like with
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scene titles.
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There are multiple options of how to process novel titles when exporting the manuscript. For
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instance, chapter numbers can be applied automatically, and so can scene numbers if you want them in
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a draft manuscript. See the :ref:`a_export` page for more details.
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.. _a_struct_tags:
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Tag References
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==============
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Each partition, indicated by a heading, can contain references to tags set in the supporting files
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of the project. The references are gathered by the indexer and used to generate the outline view on
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the :guilabel:`Outline` tab of how the different parts of the novel are connected.
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References and tags are also clickable in the document editor and viewer, making it easy to navigate
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reference notes while writing.
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References are set as keyword and a list of corresponding tags. The valid keywords are listed below.
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The format of a meta line is ``@keyword: value1, [value2] ... [valueN]``. All keywords allow
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multiple values.
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``@pov``
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The point-of-view character for the current section. The target must be a note tag in the
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character type root folder.
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``@char``
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Other characters in the current section. The target must be a note tag in a character type root
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folder. This should not include the point-of-view character.
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``@plot``
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The plot or subplot touched by the current section. The target must be a note tag in a plot type
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root folder.
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``@time``
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The timelines touched by the current section. The target must be a note tag in a timeline type
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root folder.
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``@location``
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The location the current section takes place in. The target must be a note tag in a locations
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type root folder.
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``@object``
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Objects present in the current section. The target must be a note tag in a object type root
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folder.
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``@entity``
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Entities present in the current section. The target must be a note tag in an entities type root
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folder.
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``@custom``
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Custom references in the current section. The target must be a note tag in a custom type root
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folder.
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The syntax highlighter will alert the user that the tags and references are used correctly, and that
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the tags referenced exist.
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The highlighter may be mistake if the index of defined tags is out of date. If so, press :kbd:`F9`
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to regenerate it, or select :guilabel:`Rebuild Index` from the :guilabel:`Tools` menu. In general,
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the index for a file is regenerated when a file is saved, so this shouldn't normally be necessary.
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.. _a_struct_layout:
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Novel File Layout
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=================
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All files in a novelWriter project can have a layout format set. These layouts are important when
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the project is exported as they indicate how to treat the content in terms of formatting, headings,
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and page breaks. The layout for each file is indicated as the last set of characters in the
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:guilabel:`Flags` column of the project tree.
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Not all layout types are actually treated differently, but they also help to indicate what each file
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is for in your project. The "Book" layout is a generic novel file layout that in formatting is
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identical to "Chapter" and "Scene", but may help to indicate what files do in your project.
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You can for instance lay out your project using Book files for each act, and then later split those
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into chapter or scene files by using the :guilabel:`Split Document` tool. Scenes can also be
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contained within chapter files, but you lose the drag and drop feature that comes with having them
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in separate files if you organise them this way.
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Some layouts *do* have implications on how the project is exported. Files with layout "Title" and
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"Partition" have all headings and text centred, while the "Unnumbered" layout disables the automatic
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chapter numbering feature for everything contained within it. The latter is convenient for Prologue
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and Epilogue type chapters.
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All of the above layout formats are only usable in the Novel root folder. Files that are not a part
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of the novel itself should have the Note layout. These files are not getting any special formatting,
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and it is possible to collectively filter them out during export. Note files can be used anywhere
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in the project, also in the Novel root folder.
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Below is an overview of all available layout formats.
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Title Page
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The title page layout. The title should be formatted as a heading level one. All text is automatically centred on exports.
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Plain Page
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A plain page layout useful for instance for front matter pages. Heading levels are ignored for this layout format, and so are
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formatting options like Justify Text. The page is exported with a page break before it.
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Book
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This is the generic novel file format that in principle can be used for all novel files. Since the internal structure of the
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novel is controlled by the heading levels, this file will produce the same result as a collection of Partition, Chapter and Scene
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type files. However, it does not provide the functionality of the Unnumbered layout format.
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Partition
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A partition can be used to split the novel into parts. Partition titles are indicated with a level one heading. You can also add
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text and meta data to the page. The Partition file layout will in addition force a page break before the heading, and centre all
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content on the page.
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Chapter
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Signifies the start of a new chapter. If the text itself is contained in scene files, these files should only contain the title,
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comments, synopsis, and tag references for characters, plot, etc. The heading for chapters should be level two. If you need an
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opening text, like a quote or other leading text before the first scene, this is also where you'd want to add this text.
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Unnumbered
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Same as Chapter, but when exporting the files and automatic chapter numbering is enabled, this file will not receive a number.
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This makes the layout suitable for Prologue and Epilogue type chapters.
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Scene
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A scene file. This file should have a header of level three. Further sections can have headers of level four, but there are no
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file layout specifically for sections.
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Note
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A generic file that is optionally ignored when the novel is exported. Use these files for descriptions of content in the
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supporting root folders. Note files can also be added to the Novel root folder if you need to insert notes there. Note file
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headers receive no formatting when building the project. They are always exported as-is.
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.. note::
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The layout granularity is entirely optional. In principle, you can write the entire novel in a single file with layout "Book".
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You can also have a single file per chapter if that suits you better. The :guilabel:`Outline` will show your structure of
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chapters and scenes regardless of how your files are organised.
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