Keyboard support

[squinonescolon]

Hi,

I like your program a lot. I currently own Scrivener, which is a very good program with lots of flaws. I believe your program just about fixes every problem I have with Scrivener. Save for one. Keyboard shortcut support. First I want to say that I want to be able to edit my keyboard shortcuts to any of the features of the program so I can have my own. I want to work the way I want to work. I should be able to. Second is navigation through shortcuts. My biggest problem right now is I can't get to the projects pane with a shortcut. I can create a chapter or section with a shortcut, which is good, but if I'm editing the text in the manuscript, there is no way for me to get back to the project pane so I can select another chapter or section. I hate using the mouse, so I want to be able to get anywhere in the program without touching the mouse. Another annoyance is, if I've selected a section or a chapter and I hit tab, I expect my cursor to jump to the beginning or end of that section's body text. Right now, the cursor jumps to the beginning of the manuscript, regardless of which section you have selected in the project pane. Another problem that is related is that you can't see the cursor!! You should have a blinking cursor, or a cursor with custom color, so you can see where it lands when you tab. Or alternatively you can have the window snap to where the cursor is so you have a hint. Also, if I remember correctly when you open the cork-board with a key shortcut(nice!), you don't get focus on the pane so you can't select a card with your keys (bad!). Whenever you can fix navigation with the keyboard, I'll be glad to switch. Until then, is back to Scrivener.

Thanks for listening.

Steven Quinones-Colon

[Steve]

Steven,

 

Thanks for the feedback. Comments below.

 

I like your program a lot. I currently own Scrivener, which is a very good program with lots of flaws. I believe your program just about fixes every problem I have with Scrivener. Save for one. Keyboard shortcut support. First I want to say that I want to be able to edit my keyboard shortcuts to any of the features of the program so I can have my own. I want to work the way I want to work. I should be able to.

 

This is a good suggestion and one that will likely be implemented down the road. You might be interested in a product from unsanity called Menu Master.

 

From their website:

 

"Menu Master is a haxie that allows you to change or remove menu shortcut keys in any application with ease. It takes about 15 seconds to learn how to use Menu Master, and saves you lots of time later because you can use the shortcuts you defined and do not bother remembering which ones the developer of the software invented for you. Additionally, you can set shortcuts to any menu item that had no shortcuts, or remove shortcuts from menu items."

 

I tested Menu Master with Storyist a while back and found it to work as advertised.

 

Second is navigation through shortcuts. My biggest problem right now is I can't get to the projects pane with a shortcut. I can create a chapter or section with a shortcut, which is good, but if I'm editing the text in the manuscript, there is no way for me to get back to the project pane so I can select another chapter or section. I hate using the mouse, so I want to be able to get anywhere in the program without touching the mouse.

 

Also a good suggestion and one I've been meaning to add for a while. The development tools I use to build Storyist have this feature.

 

Another annoyance is, if I've selected a section or a chapter and I hit tab, I expect my cursor to jump to the beginning or end of that section's body text. Right now, the cursor jumps to the beginning of the manuscript, regardless of which section you have selected in the project pane. Another problem that is related is that you can't see the cursor!! You should have a blinking cursor, or a cursor with custom color, so you can see where it lands when you tab. Or alternatively you can have the window snap to where the cursor is so you have a hint.

 

Both behaviors stem from a bug that will be fixed in 1.3.3. When you select something in the Project pane, the section or chapter is scrolled into view. It SHOULD also leave the cursor positioned at the start of the section or chapter too.

 

Also, if I remember correctly when you open the cork-board with a key shortcut(nice!), you don't get focus on the pane so you can't select a card with your keys (bad!).

 

Thanks. I'll fix that.

 

Whenever you can fix navigation with the keyboard, I'll be glad to switch. Until then, is back to Scrivener.

Thanks for listening.

Steven Quinones-Colon

 

Thanks again for the feedback.

 

-Steve

[squinonescolon]

Thanks for the answers, if 1.3.3 fixes those things I'll definitely purchase the program. Menu Master is only $10 so that should be an OK fix until you get shortcuts working. Just as a curiosity, what do you use to develop the program?, and what's the schedule for 1.3.3. A broad guess should be fine. I would like to use the program to finish some scripts and essays I'm currently working on.

Best regards,

Steven Quinones-Colon

[Steve]

Thanks for the answers, if 1.3.3 fixes the those things I'll definitely purchase the program. Menu Master is only $10 so that should be an OK fix until you get shortcuts working. Just as a curiosity, what do you use to develop the program?

 

I use the Apple's Xcode for project management, compilation, and some light editing.

 

My editor of choice is Emacs. Aside from the fact that I've been using it forever and it is what is "under my fingers," it has a handy zip mode that (with the addition of the following lines to your .emacs file) is incredibly useful for editing story files directly.

 

(setq auto-mode-alist

(append '(

("\\.story" . archive-mode)

) auto-mode-alist))

 

and what's the schedule for 1.3.3. A broad guess should be fine. I would like to use the programs to finish some scripts and essays I'm currently working on.

Best regards,

Steven Quinones-Colon

 

Version 1.3.2 (Leopard features and bug fixes) will be out tomorrow. Version 1.3.3 should follow about 3 weeks after that.

 

-Steve

[squinonescolon]

Version 1.3.2 (Leopard features and bug fixes) will be out tomorrow. Version 1.3.3 should follow about 3 weeks after that.

 

-Steve

Fantastic! That's an aggressive schedule. I'll be getting Leopard tomorrow at my Apple store, I have a feeling an order will be coming to you before the end of the weekend.

Cheers,

Steven