Im certain the answer is no (as i’ve now read all the manuals and done the interactive tutorial, and they suggest that)
but can i really delete the Draft folder?
im not writing a script, im using scivener as a research tool and project manager, and its totally awesome for that.
so i dont see why having a draft folder (i know i can rename it) is useful to me as it can only hold text files. id simply just rather not have a folder that limits my choices, so out of sight out of mind is what im hoping for.
cant i hide it if not delete it? or remove it and reimport if needed?
cant users just assign a regular folder as a draft folder for compiling?
why cant a regular folder be assigned to compile? ( i guess as it must be text only right)
im sure theres reasons why its fundamental, can someone explain what it does other than compiling?
Well, the fundamental reason is that Scrivener was designed to be a document production software, not a note taking or database type program, so in that original design purpose, it would be useless to not have an area of the project that is dedicated toward the final production of that text.
Of course, that said, there is nothing at all prohibiting you from using a project for notes lacking a central document production theme—in fact I use it that way quite a lot. Since my notes are mostly text, I tend to put them in the Draft folder (renaming it to something more appropriate anyway), and leave the rest of the binder for supporting material and “meta” stuff like templates. If you really have no use for it, just drag it to the bottom of the binder, below Trash, and you’ll hardly ever see it.
No, you can’t delete it. It’s fundamental because gathering text documents that will eventually be compiled is the whole point of Scrivener. Scrivener isn’t really designed to be a standalone project manager or research tool - those things are intended to support the writing of a long text. There are better tools for doing just those things (such as DevonThink). Of course you are welcome to use Scrivener in that way if you prefer to do so, but because that’s not what it is designed for, you will run into things like this.
But as I say, compiling a draft is Scrivener’s raison d’etre; it would be like allowing users to delete the inbox from Mail.
I explored every menu and features of scrivener and i am totally blown away by how well designed and thought through it is… no detail has been missed. its really a great piece of work. i experimented with devon think and 10 other apps, and scrivener was by far the best in my opinion.
i get that its intended for screen writing, and quite possibly that focus is whats made it so good.
in any case i am settling in to use it for my project research as my tool of choice. who knows, some of my use of scrivener form a different perspective may discover some useful requests for any user.
I do understand the drafts folder, as i did the interactive template tutorial (which was awesome by the way)
so no other folder can do compiling?
is the idea of hiding folders a bad thing? this could help users to see only what they are focused on. as the binder can quickly fill up with folders.
also i actually wish there was a way to lock the trash bin so that it always stays at the bottom, especially when importing docs drag n drop etc. i seem to be moving the trash down all the time…
Have you tried hoisting? This should achieve what you want. Select the folder in the binder that you want to narrow your scope to and then choose Documents>Hoist Binder. By this you could choose just to see the Research folder, etc.
Collections might also be useful to you for gathering together certain files, depending how you’re using the program.
The files will drop wherever your cursor is, so just make sure it’s above the trash. Likewise, when you import via the menu, make sure the selection in the binder is where you want to import.
If you want files that you drag into scrivener to end up at the bottom of your Research folder (or whatever top-level folder you use), drag the file to the folder icon itself. When you drop the file there, it goes to the bottom of that folder’s list of documents.
Scrivener isn’t really designed to be a standalone project manager or research tool - those things are intended to support the writing of a long text. There are better tools for doing just those things (such as DevonThink). Of course you are welcome to use Scrivener in that way if you prefer to do so, but because that’s not what it is designed for, you will run into things like this.