Import Autocomplete list into another project

Scrivener Scrivener for Windows
8

I have a solution if you’re willing to back up your original project (.scrivx) files then edit them. Keep in mind that the following is not endorsed by L&L, but it worked when I did it.

The Auto-Complete list is kept in the project’s .scrivx file, and that file appears to be just an XML text file. The AutoComplete information is kept near the bottom of the file and looks like this:

    <AutoCompleteList>
        <Completion Scope="-1">JJDDIKL</Completion>
    </AutoCompleteList>

If you are willing to live on the edge a bit instead of retyping all of your words, you can do this:

  1. Close all Scrivener projects.
  2. Make backup copies of all .scrivx files involved in copying AutoComplete lists. If something goes wrong, you can copy or rename the backups and be back where you began with no harm done.
  3. Using a normal text editor, like Notepad (not MSWord), open the source .scrivx file, scroll to near the bottom and find the AutoComplete section. Highlight the lines you want to copy, press Ctrl-C to copy them to the clipboard, then close Notepad (instead of closing Notepad, you can open another instance of it; just be careful to note which file is source and which is target).
  4. Open the target .scrivx file in Notepad, find the AutoComplete section and use Ctrl-V to paste the other file’s contents into the AutoComplete section.
  5. If you want the list sorted in any way, that has to be done manually, but now is the time to do it.
  6. Make sure you have not deleted or interfered with any of the XML syntax items, such as “<”, “/”, etc.
  7. Save the modified .scrivx file and exit Notepad.
  8. Open the .scrivx file in Scrivener and check your AutoComplete list. If it all looks good, there’s nothing more to do. If Scrivener complains/crashes/etc., close Scrivener and restore your .scrivx file from the backup you made in step 2.

This should work if you are careful. If you make a mistake and want to try again, copy your backup file(s) and use those fresh copies to try again.

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