How to set default icons for new documents?

Scrivener Scrivener for macOS
1

Hi all,

I’ve looked all over the place in preferences and likely am just missing something - but is there a way to set the default icon for new documents?

I have been using Scrivener to write my emails to my mailing list and typically will use the check box/unchecked box as a way to remind myself which ones I’ve sent so far and would love to be able to set the default icon so that it just removes that one extra step when creating.

Thanks!

2

Here’s one way: Add a text document that has an unchecked box as the icon. Call it something like “Unsent” and put it in your Templates folder. Then, to create a new document, do something like this:

Screen Shot 2019-03-25 at 12.48.23 PM.jpg
Screen Shot 2019-03-25 at 12.48.23 PM.jpg1624×718 168 KB

I use this to create a special POV scene. You can see my Templates folder in the background.

3

That’s a helpful idea - thank you. I also was unaware that you could set different color backgrounds for documents within the binder. Is that a simple fix too?

If anyone else has suggestions, I’m all ears :slight_smile:

4

Yes, In the View menu, choose this (yours will say “Label” and not “Status Label”):

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Screen Shot 2019-03-26 at 7.18.28 AM.jpg1096×294 50.7 KB

I use the labels for the status of the scenes and also to highlight headings. For me, “Labels” are called “Status Labels.” It can get a little garish.

Screen Shot 2019-03-26 at 7.14.57 AM.jpg
Screen Shot 2019-03-26 at 7.14.57 AM.jpg1400×820 210 KB

5

Another trick: you can add a custom shortcut to the menu command, like this one:

Documents->Change Icon->To Do->Ticked

I have ⌃- set to that one, which I like because it matches ⇧⌘-, used to overstrike text in the editor, which is how I mark individual line items as “done”.

Another suggestion: Scrivener has actual checkboxes too. :slight_smile:

  1. Go into Project ▸ Project Settings…, and click on the Custom Metadata pane.
  2. Click the + button to create a new field, and call it “Sent”, and change the Type to “Checkbox”.
  3. Click OK to save.
  4. View a group of items as an Outliner.
  5. Right-click in the outliner column header bar and add the “Sent” column.

Using metadata also makes it easier to search for unsent items. If you set Project Search to check “Sent” and search for “No” or “False”, then you’ll get a list of everything in the project that has yet to be marked as sent.

Of course it’s not as visible as the icon—that’s why I have a shortcut for the custom icon, too. Sometimes a real checkbox is better, other times I just need to know at a bird’s eye, and at all levels of listing in Scrivener, that this thing is done.