Differences between Scrivener 2 and version 3

[Grid71]

Hello,

I used Scrivener2 since 2013. Now I purchased Scrivener3, but i’m lot confused . The new version is very powerful, but it’s very different from the old one.

I’m sorry… but I have a few questions about Scrivener 3:

1. With the old App that I utilized to write my novel and to export it in e-pub format, I tested it in iBooks: as soon as I tapped a (foot-)note, a small POP-UP window opened and it showed the contents of the footnotes.
   Also in MOBI format with Kindle, the footnotes tapped appeared as POP-UP (I have an e-reader Kindle, the app Kindle in my iPad and the Kindle Previewer emulator in Mac).
   I noticed, instead, that an ePub created with Scrivener2 has a different mechanism: tapping the footnote, the page runs until the end of the document, where are the notes.
   I think it happens because Scrivener2 export in ePub2 format.
   Then I have tried to open my document using Scrivener 3, choosing of exporting in ePub3, I have found the option in order to activate the FOOTNOTES as POP-UP… and it works!!! but in the window for compiling, I don’t find anymore the different options that were in Scrivener2 as the options for the PAGEBREAK BEFORE and AS IS”. I’m a little confused…

2. In Scrivener2, in the compile window, selecting Footnotes and Comments, I can choose the TITLE of the ENDNOTES PAGES (being me Italian, I should replace NOTES with NOTE), I don’t find this option in Scrivener 3.

3. Is Scrivener 3 compatible with iOS Version? For more than one year I have used both Scrivener 2 for Mac and iOS VERSION sharing documents, but the old files, *.scriv of Scrivener2 are not compatible with Scrivener3, that has somehow to reconstruct them.
   Of course, a file of Scrivener3 will not be compatible at all with the old version 2, so for now, I continue to work with the version 2 and to study this beautiful version 3 that supports the Epub3 format.

4. In Scrivener2 I could choose the formatting of output in COMPILE—>Formatting, where I could select LAYOUT, FONTS, position of the titles of the HEADINGS (centre, left, etc.).
   I directly click in the window with the SECTION TYPES (LEVEL 1+.etc.).
   With Scrivener3 I can’t plan the LAYOUT of the page of OUTPUT.
   The mechanism is maybe different.

I apologize for this very long post.

Best Regards,
Cristiano

[Grid71]

Hello,

I used Scrivener2 since 2013. Now I purchased Scrivener3, but i’m lot confused . The new version is very powerful, but it’s very different from the old one.

I’m sorry… but I have a few questions about Scrivener 3:

1. With the old App that I utilized to write my novel and to export it in e-pub format, I tested it in iBooks: as soon as I tapped a (foot-)note, a small POP-UP window opened and it showed the contents of the footnotes.
   Also in MOBI format with Kindle, the footnotes tapped appeared as POP-UP (I have an e-reader Kindle, the app Kindle in my iPad and the Kindle Previewer emulator in Mac).
   I noticed, instead, that an ePub created with Scrivener2 has a different mechanism: tapping the footnote, the page runs until the end of the document, where are the notes.
   I think it happens because Scrivener2 export in ePub2 format.
   Then I have tried to open my document using Scrivener 3, choosing of exporting in ePub3, I have found the option in order to activate the FOOTNOTES as POP-UP… and it works!!! but in the window for compiling, I don’t find anymore the different options that were in Scrivener2 as the options for the PAGEBREAK BEFORE and AS IS”. I’m a little confused…

2. In Scrivener2, in the compile window, selecting Footnotes and Comments, I can choose the TITLE of the ENDNOTES PAGES (being me Italian, I should replace NOTES with NOTE), I don’t find this option in Scrivener 3.

3. Is Scrivener 3 compatible with iOS Version? For more than one year I have used both Scrivener 2 for Mac and iOS VERSION sharing documents, but the old files, *.scriv of Scrivener2 are not compatible with Scrivener3, that has somehow to reconstruct them.
   Of course, a file of Scrivener3 will not be compatible at all with the old version 2, so for now, I continue to work with the version 2 and to study this beautiful version 3 that supports the Epub3 format.

4. In Scrivener2 I could choose the formatting of output in COMPILE—>Formatting, where I could select LAYOUT, FONTS, position of the titles of the HEADINGS (centre, left, etc.).
   I directly click in the window with the SECTION TYPES (LEVEL 1+.etc.).
   With Scrivener3 I can’t plan the LAYOUT of the page of OUTPUT.
   The mechanism is maybe different.

I apologize for this very long post.

Best Regards,
Cristiano

[AmberV]

I don’t find anymore the different options that were in Scrivener2 as the options for the PAGEBREAK BEFORE and AS IS”.

In general it’s going to be a good idea to run through a few of the sections in the interactive tutorial that cover the changes in version 3, particularly for compile. Appendix E in the user manual also has a lot of information for migrating your work. This exact question is answered in E.3, Section Types, Page Breaks and As-Is.

Briefly, those checkboxes were a way of forcing draft items to act a certain way. Nowadays you can tag the items in your binder as being types of things, like a “chapter” or a “front matter section”, and then treat those things logically and directly in compile. If a front matter section needs a page break, then that would be part of how you format it, as a front matter section, not merely because the item has a few checkboxes set a certain way, and happens to be a level 1 file.

In Scrivener2, in the compile window, selecting Footnotes and Comments, I can choose the TITLE of the ENDNOTES PAGES (being me Italian, I should replace NOTES with NOTE), I don’t find this option in Scrivener 3.

Hmm, I’m not sure where you are looking. In the Footnotes & Comments pane, with either ePub 3 or 2 file type selected, I get this option provided.

Is Scrivener 3 compatible with iOS Version?

Yes, it has always been capable of loading v3 projects, since even before it was released. We developed both at the same time.

In Scrivener2 I could choose the formatting of output in COMPILE—>Formatting, where I could select LAYOUT, FONTS, position of the titles of the HEADINGS (centre, left, etc.).

I directly click in the window with the SECTION TYPES (LEVEL 1+.etc.).

Yes—what I was referring to above, as “tagging” your binder items as having types, that’s all you do. You merely say “this item is a scene”, not how a scene should be printed. That’s for compile settings to decide.

And that is what the middle preview column in the compile overview screen is all about. That is where you say “scene” should look like this or that.

And if you want to change or add those tiles, then you would edit the compile format (right-click on the Format in the left pane).

So it’s a little different—you aren’t styling “level 2 folders” directly, but in essence it is the same thing. You can, in your Project Settings, tell all level 2 folders to be “Chapters” and all level 1 folders to be “Parts”, and then when you compile you decide what a part looks like, and a chapter.

For those that don’t need to change much it should be a simpler system then having to figure out what "level 2+ means, when all you want to do is change the chapter heading font.

Now for the popup footnotes being different—I don’t know about that. When I load an ePub compiled from v2 in iBooks I don’t get a popup. That was never a format feature in ePub 2. Some readers would try and detect something that looks like a footnote and treat it differently from a regular cross-reference. Such methods are always going to be fragile. The ePub 3 checkbox enables additional syntax that is considered a common convention for asking readers to present a cross-reference in a popup. They may respect it, they may not.

Let me know if you need any clarification on the points above!

[kewms]

Scrivener 3 is a major upgrade and has completely revamped the Compile functionality. If you haven’t already, I would strongly recommend reviewing, at a minimum, the Interactive Tutorial and Appendix E of the manual, as well as the last few weeks of blog posts on this site.

1. Scrivener 3 can compile to either ePub2 or ePub3 format.

2. Scrivener 3 is compatible with iOS Scrivener. iOS Scrivener was built from the ground up to use the new Scrivener 3 project format, so you should be able to keep on working exactly as you have been once you’ve converted your projects.

2 & 4: These are still possible, but the relevant tools have changed. Again, start with the Interactive Tutorial if you haven’t already.

Katherine

[Katherina_74]

Elaine Giles’ video on youtube on Scrivener 3 new features (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeYbSdIwwTY&t=1493s) explains the differences clearly, and made me want to upgrade immediately. I do not regret the upgrade.

I have asked before on the forum that there be more windows through which to look at various scrivenings, and they have responded to that request and have done much more. Now essentially you have have about 7 windows without counting the floating ones.

[AmberV]

Moderator note: moved duplicate topic from “Using Scrivener” board and merged with this one. Please do not cross-post questions to multiple boards.

[Grid71]

Thanks to all for your kindness and for your rich explanations!
Best regards,