12th DEC - LEE'S UPDATE

Scrivener Scrivener for Windows
1

Hi All,
The new Windows beta 1.4 has been released and can be found here:
http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivenerforwindows/Scrivener-1.4-installer.exe

Scrivener for Linux will be available tomorrow - sincere apologies for this delay.

Beta 1.4 will expire on the 30th Jan 2011, so you don’t need to worry about not being able to access your work. You can either uninstall the previous version - which is the preferred option, or install straight over the top of the existing. In both cases, any files updated in the previous Scrivener install directory will be backed up automatically; however, I’d still err on the side of caution and backup you .scriv project folders (these are your Scrivener projects).

This release was mainly focused on getting the rich text engine into a much more robust state, so for many users there’s no whiz-bang amazing difference. I believe we have ridden Scrivener of 95% of the RTF related bugs that we had earlier. Out of the 45 problematic files RTF files that we’re sent to me, 42 now pass without issue. So, it’s not perfect but definitely a damn site better than before and we’ve run out of time as the existing betas expire on the 12th Dec 2010 - so we have no choice but to release.

We found a bug late Friday in testing exporting tables to Word in 2010 which we need to fix ASAP. We also pulled out a large change on Thursday regarding introducing extensive import and export capabilities as the interface was too flaky and we were running out of time to fix it. We decided to pull the feature and look at rolling it out as an interim update to those folks that want it in the next week or two. The capability will include adding the following import and export functions:

EXPORT support for: PS, ODT, DOC, DOCX, HTML, MHTML, XML, EPS, WMF, EMF, SVG, SWF, JPEG, TIFF, BMP, GIF, PNG, TGA, PCX, PCL.

IMPORT support for: DOC, DOCX, MHTML, PPT, PPTX.

We also need to address import support for further international code pages (the reason why the remaining 3 rtf files didn’t import perfectly). Whilst Scrivener is fully Unicode enabled, imported data may not be, so until we can map these older imported formats and then save as Unicode - there may still be the odd issue here. We should have this all sorted out soon.

So, what’s been fixed in 1.4:

RTF:

  • RTF Import and export problems have been fixed.
  • Changing fonts, font size and font families have now been fixed.
  • Problems with lists, and images in the editor have been address.
  • Table cells sizes now remain as well as many other table related bugs are fixed.
  • Issues with Scrivener links have now been address.
  • Scrivener links between Mac and Windows has been addressed.
  • Transferring German projects from Mac to Win changes the umlaute. ö becomes š, ü becomes Ÿ and ä etc - fixed.

COMPILE:

  • Compiling to RTF and including title no longer creates 1000+ page output and every character to run on a single line down the left-hand side of the page.
  • Compiling to RTF you can now include footnotes and they are rendered to correct RTF style footnotes.
  • Compile to text results no longer duplicate every card text.

BINDER:

  • When nothing is selected in the binder and you exit Scrivener and then restart and click on any mode no longer crashes Scrivener.

EDITOR:

  • If a link is at the end of a sentence hitting return no longer continues the link to the next line.
  • Vanishing and re-appearing text issues have now been addressed.
  • Cut and paste from Word RTF no longer adds.
  • Space added end of each paragraph a space at the end of every paragraph.
  • All accents are now maintained by the editor e.g. Ç ü é â ä à ç ê ë è ï î ì Ä Å É æ Æ ô ö ò û ù ÿ Ö Ü á í ó ú ñ Ñ ¿
  • Tables row and column box no longer hang when you highlight values and change values by typing.
  • On format menu changed struck through to strike through

INSPECTOR:

  • You can now select more than 20 characters (as much as you like) and click to auto-populate synopsis button.

EXPORT:

  • To RTF has been fixed
  • Added support for Postscript and PDF.

GENERAL:

  • There is now a familiar Windows “Exit” command on the file menu instead of a Quit.
  • Split screen tooltips now reflect correct horizontal or vertical values
  • The vertical split screen can now be activated by CTRL+SHIFT+”
  • Various tutorial corrections.
  • Fixed hideous bug when creating back-up of a project and opt to use a non-zipped up version. This created multiple copies of folders within folders that could then not be deleted.

COMMENTS ON DICTIONARY OUTSTANDING BUGS:

  • Dictionary doesn’t remember learned words between different projects
    The dictionary is currently enabled to learn words on a project by project basis. Learned Words on one project are not known words in another project. This needs to be changed or an option given to the user to make the scope Scrivener wide instead of project specific - I know a lot of people are craving for this - we will get to it ASAP.

Lee

2

Incredible! I’m so excited! Thank you so much for all your hard work!

3

Lee, you guys work hard. And it sounds very good judgment where you’re making the cuts. You’ve certainly hit everything needed here at this point, and I am sure for many others.

Thank you. Downloading now. It’s evening of the 11th here.

Best,
Clive

4

Sounds great Lee! Appreciate your hard work!

5

And…

Scrivener 1.4 installer exe reported safe with Norton Internet Security automatically on download complete.

Your certificate is successful.

C.

6

Awesome!

I’m using it right now! Looking forward to the interim update as been able to export images would be really handy since I use Scrivener for tarot readings.

7

Can I just say that even with the bugs that still exist, this is an AMAZING product? You guys are doing a fabulous job and I definitely appreciate all your hard work! While it’s not yet as near-perfect as the Mac version, it’s such a joy to me to be able to have my beloved Scrivener, even when I’m using my PC laptop instead of my desktop Mac.

Thank you so much for all your hard, hard work! This is gonna be an AMAZING product, and I can’t wait to get my official release version in January. Meantime, I’m using the beta and reveling in it!

Thank you again!

Maureen :smiley:

8

Sweet! Thanks for all your hard work. :slight_smile:

9

Hi,
I’m very excited about scrivener for windows. However, even with the new update I’m still having major issues with footnotes (or endnotes) when trying to compile stuff into rtf. (I thought that supposed to be fixed in the new version?)

Either with texts imported (here I manually told scrivener my footnotes) or those written in scrivener, the compilation does not give me these texts with footnotes or endnotes (but instead, with endnotes (i think) distorts the document (i.e. i can’t scroll to the second page).

It does let me compile into pdf, but only with endnotes - that’s good, but not good enough, since I will have to do more formatting (double space, for example), which I can’t do on pdf(and scrivener does not let to do me either).

I’m confused that these bugs still exist, even though update list gives them as solved. Is there something I’m doing wrong? I’ve deinstalled 1.3. And, after noticing the bug, I uninstalled the 1.4, and installed again, but same issue. Starting a brandnew project also did not help :confused: :confused:

10

Awesome. I won nano, but I haven’t looked at it in over a week now. Hopefully getting a chance to play with the new beta will be incentive to finish the actual story. :slight_smile:

11

There’s several issues still outstanding with footnotes. First, the import from RTF - footnotes come through but are not marked up as footnotes in Scrivener. Second, export of Scrivener footnotes to RTF and Scrivener footnote for the Windows and Mac OS X versions - Windows will be smart enough to do both i.e. if you’re exporting to RTF, RTF footnotes will be output, if you’re saving a Scrivener project - Scrivener footnotes will be saved (in the format inherited from the Mac platform).

We are working on this as I speak. We simply run out of time before the beta expiry deadline. We are doing our best to resolve these issues as fast as we can.

Lee

12

Sweet! Thank you so much for all the hard work! :smiley:

13

Hi, scribbling,

Yes, per what Lee says above, I can confirm that:

  • when exporting to RTF, footnotes do come out, though apparently without marker numbers yet - instead one or two letters of the footnote text is superscripted at bottom of page. Easy fix.

  • I think they are still endnotes still, and I can’t seem to find the configuration option any more that selects whether they will be footnotes or endnotes. If that setting is truly lost, am sure it will come back in, presently…

  • when compiling to RTF, foot/endnotes are pretty scrambled up, just as they were before.

My thought is that we should give Lee & co. the full space they need to resolve all this, as am very confident they will. It’s pretty apparent that they are as suspected running to exhaustion, and this fixed delivery date requirement has had to be sensibly answered with a partial result.

I still think they are moving very healthily – software is hard, and it always has one more layer! And as far as footnotes, that’s at least here something just run into, rather than immediate need. I think they are saying you can be confident your footnote formatting in written text will end up fully honored, and that feels right, because it already partially is.

Have found one more thing so far, in another area, but I’m going to go over to the actual bug reporting for it, as we should :wink:

Best to all,
Clive

14

cool - thanks for answering my posting!

15

Thanks Clive. As you have noted, we are fully aware of the outstanding issues with footnotes, end notes, RTF code pages for internationalization, Unicode support, table issues, cut and paste of images rather than just via import. It also pains me that I have not had chance to address the horrible bugs outstanding with compiling drafts i.e. line breaking issues, titles down side of page etc. etc.

I have to remind myself when I start to beat myself up about these outstanding issues, or read some negative twitter post and take it too personally, that this is a Beta and it’s not due to complete until end of Feb 2011. We have actually made significant progress in beta 1.4; invisible as it may seem to many users. I’m also the first to want things to be solved faster, but we really are doing all we can as soon as possible to the highest quality. We will get there. These bugs that are really annoying folks today all have a very limited life-span.

We are actually in a very good position, we fully understand the issues listed above and how to address them. In reality we are a few weeks away from having all these remaining RTF issues licked permanently. My personal goal is before Christmas. Scrivener’s core engine will soon be solid - I know I keep saying this, but it really is true; Scouts honor :slight_smile: The benefits to this are enormous for extending the product into the future as we will have complete access to every nut and bolt of our underlying text engine which will give us complete flexibility and granularity into what and how we export and compile content moving forward. I believe it is still worth the investment and pain as the dividends will be significant for all users - eventually.

I’m truly grateful to be working with such a fantastic bunch of passionate people. Together, we really are creating something quite amazing. It will all be worth the frustration and inconvenience in the end. Who knows how many books, dissertations or ideas that could change the world, will be written using this text compilation tool that we are all shaping and contributing to?

I’d better get back to it.

Lee

16

Hi Lee,

Much agree that what’s being created is something amazing - and by your bravery in having an open beta, we are all getting a taste and an effective tool, well before it is fully ready. This is very appreciated, and I use Scrivener for writing every day, appreciating the freedoms it opens. I just keep backups after each major point, and relax, especially because of the safety net for text you’ve provided in the way the backups and in fact the manuscript storage itself are conceived.

I think any of us who’ve had to do with depth creative development will fully understand how your work on the invisible core capabilities is completely worthwhile, and natural to be first priority. All the rest hangs on and benefits by this, after all.

Please do not ‘beat yourself up’ when a critical remark comes. This is a time when people write such things anyway, and with less good judgement, due to outside circumstances we all have.

My feeling as a long experienced interventionist consultant is that you are much on a right track, and that all of this is going to turn out very well.

Realism is the key for that, and not least because it keeps re-opening the spaces for being constructively imaginative.

Best, then, and support as you keep the balances, personal life and otherwise, from which the best dependably comes. Holiday wishes also, to you and yours.

Clive

17

Thanks Clive.

18

Oh good lord. Who’s complaining about a beta fer chrissakes? It’s going to have bugs. It’s going to crash, and work is going to be lost. That’s why it’s a beta. That this one is as solid as it is says a lot about the programming and work that went into it. :slight_smile: Heck, I’ve been in game betas where the thing doesn’t even install for 3-4 versions.

19

What she said. The fact I can do about 90% of what I want to in this program even in beta says a lot about the quality of the development of this software. In fact it has been so solid I have to remind myself that it is still only in beta when I come across little niggles. Annoyances yes but nothing that stops me getting the job done. Even when things do not wrong you provide a quick response and update us regularly. That means a lot and makes me feel valued as an end user as well as customer.

I’ve seen products reach final release with bigger bugs.

You are doing a great job Lee and I enjoy working in the program every day.

20

All I know is we are definitely progressing quickly towards a amazing finished product. With this update I’m finally able to compile and it keep the things I need. Meaning soon I will be able to print my manuscript with out having to switch to OpenOffice or Word for a long period of time to pull it off.

We are getting there. The people who don’t understand what a Beta is should have read the first page more carefully before downloading. If I were meaner, I’d just go down the line and tell these people to “uninstall and come back in three months”. :smiling_imp:

Keep up the great work, Lee.