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New Features for Scrivener


trial version Scrivener has just released an update for their Windows version, and it comes with some significant changes. If you’re a Windows based Scrivener user then you are aware by now that there are some differences between the Windows version and the Mac version. Windows users have been hounding the folks at Literature and Latte for some time to match the Mac version. Well, in the many years I’ve been using Scrivener, this is probably the most significant update and it sounds like there is more to come.

Accordingly to my newsletter from Literature and Latte here are just a few of the things you can expect to see after you update:


Formatting Presets
If your writing calls for a lot of formatting, then you know that in the past it has been difficult to keep a consistent look without using a lot of settings. You can now save formatting into presets, making it easy to apply that same format over and over to different parts of your text. Additionally, we've added a feature that will make it easier to compile special formatting while also taking advantage of the compiler's unique and powerful features for cleaning up your draft. Check out Preserve Formatting and Formatting Presets.

Special note: if you've customised your Format Bar, you'll need to add the new preset button yourself, using the Tools menu.

Custom Meta-Data
Have you ever found yourself wishing you could track even more details in your projects? We've got an answer for you. It is now possible to add as many meta-data fields to your project as you wish. These can be displayed as columns in the outliner, or easily accessed in the Inspector sidebar. Keep track of dates, characters, names of flowers, who dunnit in the drawing room with the candlestick, and other matters of dire importance.

Custom Icons
Spruce up your binder with a broad selection of useful icons (or add your own). Nothing says fix me now! like a big yellow caution icon on the chapter you've been putting off. Or give yourself a gold star when you finish a scene. Sometimes it's the little things.

 Document Templates
They are kind of like project templates, but for documents in your projects instead. Set up boilerplate texts or even whole folder and file structures for easy duplication. It's like adding new types of items to your Add menus, such as character sheets, references, to-do lists, or whatever else you can imagine.

Binder Favourites
There are some things we just keep coming back to. Now you can add those things to all of the main navigation and selection menus (such as the Move, Scrivener Link and Go To menus), giving you top-shelf access to these, no matter how buried they may be in your outline.

Multiple Project Notes
Open your project notes in a separate window, and create new notepads as tabs in this window to better organise your thoughts. You'll still have access to all of them in the Inspector sidebar as well. No more lumping everything in one place!

PDF Display
This one has been a long time coming. We've completely replaced the PDF engine in Scrivener with a much improved system for both reading and exporting PDFs. Copy selections of text, or even whole pages at once with a simple right-click. You can also quickly navigate within larger PDFs that have a built-in table of contents, or by clicking on internal links.

 Better Web Import
By default, websites will now be converted to PDF using the new engine. The result will faithfully preserve most websites into a stable format that will stand the test of time. We've also introduced support for Microsoft's MHT website archive format. Although Scrivener cannot view MHT files (yet, don't worry, it's coming), you can easily open them in compliant browsers with a click of a button. If all you want is a selected piece of a page, you'll find that copy and paste now works even better with most modern browsers.

Compile Support for Scrivener Links
It might sound arcane, but the ability to link from one piece of your draft to another has important implications: It means you can now cross-reference in a format that will be more useful for your readers, and it also means you can create a table of contents directly in your RTF files. We've included a special tool for easily creating a ToC. If you have MS Office installed, links are also supported for the PDF, DOC and DOCX formats.

All Project Templates and Compile Presets Updated 
We've gone through every project template and compile preset to update them with the new capabilities in this release. You'll find many more options in the compiler's Format As menu, and project templates will come outfitted with convenient document templates, among other improvements.

There's a lot more! If you want to review the full list of changes, please review the official change log:




As I work my way through these new updates, I anticipate there will be some new videos to add to the Scrivener collection on my You Tube channel.

If you’re not familiar with Scrivener you can read about my passion for it here, or watch our introductory video here.  Scrivener is a great tool for all writers including family historians. 

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