I just installed the Scrivener beta on Windows Vista, opened the program, saw the “create new project” menu, and…I can’t do anything. No matter what options I try to select, the “Create” button is greyed out. Hitting Cancel just quits the program completely, so apparently I need to select one of these templates in order to open a new file, but the program won’t let me. Help?
Did you supply a project name? You have to give the program a project name and location toward the bottom, before it can create a project.
I was briefly confused by this too, so I thought I’d explain the details in case it’s helpful.
When I first tried to open Scrivener, I tried to click on “Non-Fiction” selection, then wrote in a file name and selected a location and then couldn’t figure out why the “Create” button didn’t get activated. It took me a while to realize, since there aren’t that many templates yet, that you have to click on the type of template on the left, then a particular template on the right (that box was blank, so I didn’t know I was missing something).
Eventually I figured it out, and of course this will be more intuitive when there are a bunch of templates, BUT the first most obvious thing to do is choose “blank” and IMO that’s still counter-intuitive, because you basically have to click “blank” twice, once on the left, then again in the box on the right. It’s odd.
Also, this is so minor, but I twice clicked on “cancel” when I wanted “create” because i’m used to “cancel” being to the right, plus where “cancel” is now, on the left, places it closer to everything else you’re clicking around on there.
I don’t know if it’s just a matter of individual taste or if the layout really is a little idiosyncratic.
I also was flummoxed by this startup window when trying to use the non-fiction choice.
I see no templates in the non-fiction window, so I can not create under the non-fiction setting?
works fine in the settings that do have templates.
non-fiction templates coming later?
does not seem like a bug.
TIP
Yes, not really a bug so much as that the current interface is a little confusing since templates haven’t been built yet. I’m sure once there are a half-dozen items in the Non-Fiction section, it will make a lot more sense, as this particular type of interface has been in use since the mid-nineties for template selection. The reason you have to select “Blank” twice is because there can be more than one “Blank” template. As you grow more proficient with the interface, you’ll probably want to create your own starters, and they might not be specific enough to put into any of the categories, so the Blank section is a nice place to put starter templates that are primarily just your preferred labels, status, keywords, and binder skeleton.
Just remember this is a template selection dialogue, not a place to sort your works. There is no need to click “Non-fiction” if that is what you intend to write, and you have no need for a starter project. Once created, Scrivener does not keep your projects in any kind of topical interface—you’ll probably want to organise things with Explorer into various folders if you do a lot of writing styles.