Is it me, or is there no way to employ double line spacing?
Not yet, but this is on the to-do list.
I see there is double spacing under format scrip settingns. script settings then format, or paragraph but it won’t take what you wrote and double space, it will however start where you are typing. Probally a bug will report it in bug area
Well, it’s probably less a bug and more just that parts of this beta are not completely assembled yet. When finished, line spacing will be integrated into the format ruler along with the font, alignment, and other tools. It will also be a function of the compiler’s formatting overrides.
For what it’s worth, I cannot use and will not buy this product without double-spacing implemented. It is a huge problem that importing my current manuscript forces it to single-spacing and I have no way to double-space it again. I print out each draft and hand-write notes between the double-spacing. It’s a necessary part of my process, as things pop out in a printed version that do not on the screen. I am very reluctant even to continue with the beta without being able to double-space what I have imported.
Just my two cents, but implementing this feature should be a priority for you. Maybe I’m in the minority, but then again, maybe a lot of authors (prospective buyers) work this way.
Keep in mind that 80% of users use only 20% of the features of any program.
Just that 20% changes from user to user.
So, what you consider an essential feature, others (such as me) consider a non-issue. And issues that others care about (such as source and link tracking), you don’t. And there are some (such as not crashing when creating new projects) that everyone can consider essential.
The product is in beta, and it has already been noted that a. line spacing will be in the release version, b. another beta is coming out in two weeks, and we’re probably going to be seeing several more between then and release, and c. missing features will be implemented sometime along the betas.
If you’re so hesitant to use Scrivener now (and are unwilling to Compile it to an rtf, quickly load it into Word and apply double-spacing before printing as a temporary measure), then checking back in two weeks when there’s a new beta (or waiting until the final is released in three months) may be your best option.
You won’t need to buy it without double-spacing, don’t worry; as explained, this is just something that hasn’t been implemented yet. This is a beta, and that means some things just aren’t working - as explained on the download page, you should only use it if you don’t mind putting up with these things, otherwise, as kdbertel says, the best thing to do is just wait for the release version early next year which we would never release without essentials such as double-spacing. When software is in “beta” it means that it is still in development and still has a little way to go before it is ready for general use.
Thanks,
Keith
Thank you for noticing! Other writers and myself were knocking ourselves out trying to figure out how to double space. Most agents and publishers want manuscripts double spaced when submitted, and it makes it easier to see on the screen.
Not to be picky, but why was this not one of those ‘no-brainer’ features put into the Beta? It’s Writing 101.
But thanks for letting us know it’s in the future 
So far I like what I’m seeing here.
Limited time and a large number of other features that people consider to be no-brainers. Many of those are things like “not crashing” and “preserving formatting between sessions” and things like that. But the developer only has so much time, and can only focus on so many things. So something like double-spacing, which there realistically is a workaround for (compile->load in Word->set formatting of “Normal” to “Spacing: 2x”) becomes less important than things like being able to move index cards around and have the sections of the story move around correspondingly.
This isn’t as big of an issue as it seems, because Scrivener unlike most other writing programs on the market, doesn’t require the WYSIWYG model of writing. There is no need to bash your brains out staring at double-spacing all day long (though some do prefer it!) just because your editor demands it. That’s what the compiler reformatting is for. Once double-spacing is implemented, it will be in the compiler and from that point on it won’t matter that you’ve been writing in single-spacing all of this time, once you fire off a compiled manuscript, it will look as though you’ve been working away in a word processor set up to those specifications the entire time.
Just wondering, is paragraph spacing also planned?
I would imagine so, as offsetting paragraphs from one another is, after first-line indent, the gold standard for visually typesetting paragraphs.
The simplest way around that, I’ve found, is to just type a couple lines of throwaway text in either Word or Open Office Writer (depending on which I have been using most of the day, as my shortcut menu is totally unpinned), like:
Abc
def
ghi
jkl.
Then I apply my favored formatting to it, which in my case is simply adding .08 in the ‘below paragraph’ attribute, copy it as it is, and then paste it into my blank Scrivener page. I then select it and type over it, and the formatting is preserved.