Compile for Word

Scrivener Scrivener for macOS
1

Hi. I am compiling my first document in Scrivener, and I have a question regarding compiling for Word. Each chapter has a Section Type of “Chapter.” When I compile, each chapter is started with a next-page section break. This complicates headers and footers, since I have to go to each chapter and make changes. Is there a way to have compile use next-page page breaks instead of section breaks?

Thanks.

2

Scrivener will use section breaks instead of regular page breaks in several circumstances. For instance: if you have a different header or footer set for front matter; if the header and footer on the page after a page break is different; if back matter is set to have a different header or footer; if Compile is set not to put header or footers on single pages; if it uses Roman numbering anywhere; if footnotes are set to restart with each section.

Any of these settings will trigger section breaks being used instead of regular page breaks, because there is no other way to achieve any of these settings without section breaks.

All the best,
Keith

3

Thanks. Now, if I could just walk in there and use your toaster… :smiley:

4

Keith,

I have some follow-up questions:

  1. “…different header or footer set for front matter” I didn’t compile with front or back matter. I don’t see where a different header or footer option would be set, anyway.

  2. “…if the header and footer on the page after a page break is different” Not sure where to check for that, but I haven’t set anything for either header or footer (at least not that I’m aware of).

  3. “…if back matter is set to have a different header or footer” No back matter, and unchecked in the Compile screen.

  4. “…if Compile is set not to put header or footers on single pages” I went through the Compile menu and didn’t see where this was an option or where to check.

  5. “…if it uses Roman numbering anywhere” Not that I’m aware of, but I don’t know where to look for it.

  6. “…if footnotes are set to restart with each section” I’m not using footnotes.

I went through the video tutorials on compiling but didn’t see anything that would help me fix this problem. It’s still compiling with each chapter being a separate section in Word. Any additional insight is appreciated.

Thanks

Mike

5

This is something that I’ve been trying to figure out for some time… Specifically, my question is: What are the setting in Compile that will enable Scrivner to create section breaks between text files so that, upon comping a document, the section breaks restart the pagination where the section breaks begin?

Thank you.

6

There’s something weird happening with Compile. I noticed that on Chapter 17 in the compiled doc random paragraphs were numbered (the Word numbering was turned on for these paragraphs). Sometimes the numbers would sequence, sometimes they restarted, and sometimes there weren’t any.

Some other chapters had them, too.

I like to use style codes, and the document (which is thirty-three chapters) only has two throughout the document. These are custom styles, defined by me, and they’re fairly generic (Times New Roman, 12-point, one indents and the other doesn’t).

I like Scrivener, and it does some things better than Word, but it doesn’t seem to compile cleanly.

7

Try compiling to RTF and open that in Word, to let Word do the conversion to .doc/.docx. That leaves out the third party conversion engine.

Does that help?

Mark

8

Keep away from my toaster!

This is all set in the “Page Settings” area of the Compile Format editor (i.e. Ctrl-click on a format in the “Formats” list and choose to edit or duplicate and edit it). This is where you would check everything else. Essentially, the Compile Format you are using might have options set that will trigger using section breaks instead of page breaks.

I went through the video tutorials on compiling but didn’t see anything that would help me fix this problem. It’s still compiling with each chapter being a separate section in Word. Any additional insight is appreciated.
[/quote]

There are no options for this in Scrivener except from after front matter. You can set it up by editing “Page Settings” in the Compile Format so that the numbering restarts after front matter, but nowhere else. For anything more complicated or specific, you will need to edit the sections in Word or another dedicated word processor.

The first thing I would check there is that list formatting hasn’t been applied to those paragraphs. Select them in the editor and go to Format > Lists, and ensure that “None” is selected. Anything else must be down to your Compile settings, which you have presumably set up yourself.

Scrivener definitely does compile cleanly, but because it allows for so many different formats and a lot of customisation, you need to get familiar with the various Compile settings if you want to do something different from what the built-in Compile formats provide.

All the best,
Keith

9

Keith,

Thanks for the reply. Good call on the Format Lists - that’s what was causing the numbering, although I have no idea how it got turned on.

I’ll play around with the settings and see if I can figure it out.

Thanks for the help.