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Another timeline request


vkier

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Hi all,

 

I'm a newbie to both the Mac and Storyist, but I just wanted to add my two cents to the timeline discussion.

 

I'd be happy with a feature that allowed me to export selected section information to iCal. I'm currently using iCal to keep track of major events across all three books in my trilogy, with different calendars/colors set up for each POV character. What I'd need exported are:

 

1. POV Character (to map to a specific iCal calendar)

2. Section name

3. Location

4. Start Time

5. End Time

 

I have no idea what level of complexity would be involved in the above, but a linear, number line style timeline doesn't work for me. My stories span so many weeks, a linear view showing the whole project just ends up as a bunch of tiny, meaningless dots.

 

Thanks.

 

Vanessa

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Hi all,

 

I'm a newbie to both the Mac and Storyist, but I just wanted to add my two cents to the timeline discussion.

 

I'd be happy with a feature that allowed me to export selected section information to iCal. I'm currently using iCal to keep track of major events across all three books in my trilogy, with different calendars/colors set up for each POV character. What I'd need exported are:

 

1. POV Character (to map to a specific iCal calendar)

2. Section name

3. Location

4. Start Time

5. End Time

 

I have no idea what level of complexity would be involved in the above, but a linear, number line style timeline doesn't work for me. My stories span so many weeks, a linear view showing the whole project just ends up as a bunch of tiny, meaningless dots.

 

Thanks.

 

Vanessa

 

Hi Vanessa,

 

Thanks for the request.

 

What an interesting use of iCal. If you feel like posting a screenshot, I'd love to see how you use it.

 

-Steve

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Steve,

 

I'd be more than happy to post a screenshot. Only...I have no idea how to get the image to show up in a post.

 

Vanessa

Hi Vanessa. And welcome.

 

How To Post A Screenshot:

Take a screenshot of your iCal page. Come back here and click REPLY to the proper post (this post, for example). You'll notice, below the text box you type into, a gray button labeled "Choose File" within a white-filled rectangle that contains the text "no file selected". Click it and then navigate to your screenshot file on the drop-down menu. Select it and click the menu's CHOOSE button. You've just selected a file for uploading. To the right of the gray "Choose File" button is a green button labeled "UPLOAD". Click that and you're done.

 

Note: The maximum size or a single upload is 492.72K. If necessary, you can reduce the size of your screenshot jpg file in Preview.

 

Note that this procedure is not the same as the Insert Image Button (in the Tool Bar just above the text box when you're in posting mode). Personally, I think they should have merged the two functions (i.e. inserting images from the Web and inserting images from your computer) but the Invision Zone people rarely listen to me. **sigh**

 

Looking forward to seeing your ingenious use of iCal. It (idea trading) is exactly the sort of thing that the Forum should be doing.

- Thoth.

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Thoth,

 

Thanks for the instructions.

 

Unfortunately, I don't seem to have the option that you mention. The only boxes I see below the text box say Toggle Side Panel and BB Code Help.

 

Vanessa

Both the Choose File button and the UPLOAD button are (about an inch) directly below the BB Code Help box. You may need to scroll down a bit.

- Thoth.

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Nope. Not there.

 

Below the BB Code help is a long box that says Post Options (Enable emoticons, etc.). Then another long box below that called Post Icons. Finally there are two boxes - Add Reply and Preview Post. Then everyone else's posts are below that.

 

Am I using the wrong browser? I'm in Safari.

 

--Vanessa

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Nope. Not there.

 

Below the BB Code help is a long box that says Post Options (Enable emoticons, etc.). Then another long box below that called Post Icons. Finally there are two boxes - Add Reply and Preview Post. Then everyone else's posts are below that.

 

Am I using the wrong browser? I'm in Safari.

 

--Vanessa

Below the BB Code help I have a long box that manages attachments (the box you need). Below that is the long box that allows you to enable Post options.

I'll look into this.

- Thoth.

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Below the BB Code help I have a long box that manages attachments (the box you need). Below that is the long box that allows you to enable Post options.

I'll look into this.

- Thoth.

Okay, I looked.

 

It's been a while since I played with my settings but: click on "My Controls" near the top of the page. Find "Menu", on the left, and then "Options" (under Menu) and then "Manage Your Attachments" (under Options). Click on that. In the Attachments manager there should be a box to click.

 

Sorry. The Help file wasn't much help. Short of e-mail to Invision Zone (or Steve) I don't know what else to do.

Hang in there.

- Thoth.

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Thoth,

 

Thanks for the instructions.

 

Unfortunately, I don't seem to have the option that you mention. The only boxes I see below the text box say Toggle Side Panel and BB Code Help.

 

Vanessa

 

Hi Vanessa,

 

It looks like your login didn't have the permissions to upload. My fault. You should see the upload button now.

 

-Steve

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Yeah! It's there.

 

Thanks, Steve!

 

So, here's a screenshot of one month in my story from iCal. Trilogy_Timeline_on_iCal.tiff

 

I created a group called Trilogy, then individual calendars are under that.

 

Retribution and Betrayal are names of books. This view shows that Retribution (book 3) has action going on before the end of Betrayal (book 2). Figuring out who was doing what in this overlap period was one reason I set this up.

 

I've also set up calendars for specific characters and specific groups of characters. I don't pay much attention to the start time except that it falls in the proper part of the day—morning, evening, etc. So you'll see a lot of 6 p.m. events.

 

Marguerite, if you don't care about the year matching the one in your story, this could work for you. You'd just choose a day and month that work for your story, knowing that the year isn't correct, and move forward from there. That's what I do. Just because the calendar says November 2009 doesn't mean my action takes place in 2009. The month and day of the week are what matter to me so I can see the overall sequence of events and make certain no one is in two places at the same time.

 

I also set each individual calendar so that it doesn't do alarms and doesn't sync to my mobile devices. Before I did this I got alerts such as – Rafe rescues Gabby today at 6 p.m. Which was amusing, but not particularly relevant when driving home from work. B)

 

Vanessa

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