Swipe the screen. That is what the iPad is for. It’s incredibly intuitive. Try out iA Writer and see just how sublime their distraction free writing environment is. Scrivener would benefit hugely from it – and since it is a feature on the Mac version, it boggles the mind why it’s not on iOS.
On an iPad, you can have the exact same keyboard shortcuts as on the Mac. People use external keyboards.
The reaction from users is because there has been no answer. Literally, KB said that the answer is no because it’s rich text. That makes no sense whatsoever.
People want a distraction free feature because it’s a thing, and it’s a very good thing. There’s no reason not to have it.
The iOS app is basically designed to be a complement to the Mac/Windows version, not a stand-alone app although it can be used that way. The fact that iOS devices can be used with external keyboards doesn’t mean that iOS apps should be designed as if an external keyboard is the primary way to use the device.
Still, KB has politely answered the opening Wish with a polite No, so why do people continue arguing?
If every answer from L&L is met with a never-ending argument my guess is that they will comment user wishes more seldom and avoid giving definite answers.
Don’t assume that your use case is the same as everyone else’s. Not everyone who uses iOS Scrivener makes it their main writing environment. Moreover, the same software has to work on the iPhone, where external keyboards are much less common.
OK, which of you fraudsters have been calling yourselves writers without permission again? You know the rules — doesn’t matter how many books you think you’ve published: you’re not a real writer unless you follow the RULES (as amended 2017)[1].
Rule 2. External keyboards only on the iPad.
[1] This is of course a supplement to the original Rule, which is that you’re not a real writer unless you write in white text on blue background. For a full treatment of this rule, please see the discussion on this thread:
It doesn’t matter whether or not my use case is the same as anyone else’s. There are multiple requests for a distraction free writing mode, and there have been no real answers as to why it’s not possible. That’s why there are still people posting in this thread. Moreover, the request to have a distraction free mode has no bearing on whether or not Scrivener os anyone’s primary writing environment.
The last three replies have been fairly toxic to say the least.
If anyone thinks that KB has actually given a reason as to why distraction free mode is not possible on iOS, I suggest you read back through the thread. You will be disappointed.
He hasn’t answered – he has said it is a rich text environment, which A doesn’t make sense and B doesn’t answer why it can’t be a feature.
It doesn’t matter whether or not the app is a little brother of a bigger Mac app or not.
It doesn’t matter that you may not use a keyboard on the iPhone. Simply don’t allow distraction free mode on the iPhone. It makes no sense to have it on the iPhone anyway, just like it makes no sense to have corkboard view on the iPhone.
You’re missing the point. KB doesn’t have to explain and his answers don’t have to make sense. He didn’t say that it can’t be a feature, he said it won’t! There’s a difference in there.
KB is the Creator of Scrivener so in the universe of Scrivener, he is God. He decides. Sometimes he listen to wishes, and sometimes he doesn’t, and sometimes he says that a wish doesn’t comply with his vision of Scrivener. That’s all there is to it. KB decides and his arguments don’t have to make sense to anyone else.
Generally speaking, the Official Answer when threads get to this point is, “You are welcome to use [insert software here] if you believe it is a better fit for your requirements.”
You specifically claimed that the lack of shortcut keys was irrelevant because “no writer writes on the on-screen keyboard for any length of time.” That claim rests on assumptions about iOS Scrivener users that are simply not true.
I am not trying to be mean or intemperate, merely concise.
There are multiple requests for Feature X. Official L&L reps say “No, we will not do Feature X.” Generally, they try to provide at least some reason, because they are pleasant people. However, no matter what reason they give (or whether they give one or not) someone – in most cases, multiple someones – argue with them. Inevitably it comes down to “you don’t understand.” Inevitably, it comes down to someone not accepting any answer except the one they want and think they are entitled to.
Given they deal with a lot of the stuff we never see in the forums (via the official support channels) I think “you don’t understand” is rarely accurate.
In any case, they do not owe us an explanation. They don’t even owe us interaction. There is a lot of software out there that is offered and if you like it, you buy it and use it, if you don’t like it, then you make do or use something else. L&L put out great software at a great price point. They offer these forums for communication and interaction. That does NOT put them under ANY obligation to cave to every demand, no matter how popular. Last I checked, their internal development methodology was not “vote on the next feature or bug to be included.”
Your dollars get you the right to the software as it is the moment you buy it. That’s it. Everything else is gravy. Please don’t make it so that KB decides it’s finally time to stop listening to the wish list.
Your replies suggest you don’t understand the situation.
KB is the one-man designer-programmer ”team” making the iOS version of Scrivener and he answered in the second post in this thread:
”There are no plans to hide those icons entirely. Scrivener isn’t a plain text app, so the formatting controls are part of the rich text editing experience.”
KB created Scrivener because he didn’t find a writing software that worked the way he wanted. It is his own desires and wishes that decide which features that are added.
End of discussion.
I won’t post anymore, because as a previous poster said, it’s literally like talking to a brick wall.
I’ll just quote KB once more so it’s not lost in all the noise of the previous argumentative babble, and hope that he provides further clarification. Have a nice day, folks
I would love further clarification on this if you have a moment, Keith.
I don’t understand what you mean. A focus, or distraction free mode, with pure full screen, is nothing to do with plain text or rich text. It’s all about the writing.
You have the feature on desktop, so it can’t go against the philosophy of Scrivener. Is there anything in particular stopping it featuring on the iOS app?
I concur: a “distraction free mode” is a marketed feature of the desktop version, which is not a “plain text” editor either.
I consider space on phones/tablets/etc. to be premium, unlike my 36” wide curved super-monitor thing hooked up to my loaded-for-bear MacBook Pro. If anything, I’d say a fully bare composition mode on these smaller screens is more important than the desktop.
My biggest irk: as I type on the iPad, the buttons on the bottom of the Scrivener writing area change to reflect whatever context they detect. I find this VERY distracting. Strangely and frustratingly, when I click the “hide” down arrows on these bars, they reclaim their space as soon as I start typing! ARGH!!! Even MS Word doesn’t do that, if I hide a toolbar it’s just gone!
Please, a full-on distraction-free composition mode. It’s possible there’s a reason not to have it, but I’d imagine it’s a philosophical one as opposed to technical, which would seem to be a contradiction to the philosophy of the desktop experience.
The desktop version can safely assume that the user will have a keyboard, and therefore that the keyboard formatting shortcuts will be available to them.
I’m not sure if I understood that correctly, but you can get all those bars away from your settings when using external keyboard. I tweaked the iPad’s keyboard settings and I managed to get all those bars away. I have nothing but the page view (and of course the basic buttons on the top), no formatting or other bars at the bottom and when I start to write with my external keyboard, they won’t pop up. They are all hidden. So, distraction free mode is on
