Losing paragraph alignment in compile

Scrivener Scrivener for Windows
1

I’ve got about a half-dozen paragraphs in my 400-page document which should be centered left-right on the page.

I tried using the center-align button, and it looks fine in Scrivener, but the compiled export has the 'graphs left-aligned like everything else.

Then I tried using the ruler, to indent the six 'graphs; same issue.

My guess is there’s a setting somewhere in the Compiler format area that I’ve overlooked.

Could anyone advise on this?

Thanks.

  • Ken
2

Your speculation is likely accurate. The Compiler, in most of the stock default presets and templates, is configured to clean up the formatting of your book. This way you don’t have to worry about details like paragraph and font formatting while you write. If you’ve got a work that requires specific localised formatting, however, this convenience can get in the way of output.

There are two ways to work around it right now:

  • Put the special section into its own item in the binder, and set that item’s compile option flag to “Compile As-Is”. This will instruct the formatting engine to ignore this piece and leave it be. This works well for larger sections, or if you have no issue with the occasional very small pieces making up larger sections in your outline. If you’ve got a work littered with block quotes (or what have you), then it might not be feasible for you.
  • Switch off the formatting override. This can be done in the Formatting compile option pane (you might need to expand the dialogue to see more than two settings). The switch is at the top of the pane. Once you do that though, you have to treat the editor more like a word processor and be careful about how you format everything.

At a half-dozen, you might be okay with option #1, if splitting a section into three or more parts to accommodate having a specially formatting piece in its own “scrivening” is okay with you. Just remember that Scrivenings mode can make this way of working feasible.

As time goes by, we’ll be gradually improving this interplay between editor and compiler, giving you more options for control—such as telling the override feature to ignore alignment but fix everything else.

3

Amber – many thanks for the reply. (One of the joys of working with Scrivener is the responsiveness of the team (and other users!) on the discussion boards)

I tested the option of moving the few paragraphs into their own items, and then clicking compile “as is”. That did preserve the horizontal alignment; though it also didn’t change the font (for some reason, I’m composing in one font in Scrivener, and then compiling out into a different font).

But I now have a couple of options; and with just a handful of paragraphs in the work that need babysitting, I can work with it (though I look forward to future enhancements along the line you mentioned).

– Ken

4

You’re welcome!

Precisely so, “As-Is” is taken very literally. When that flag is on, it will output exactly as you see it in the editor in all ways, to the fullest that the output format can support it. So obviously if you are compiling to plain .txt files it won’t actually be centre aligned—there is no such thing in a txt file—but if it can it will. As-Is will also always export the text content of the piece and nothing else. This comes into play if the item would otherwise print a title, or maybe even not print the text at all. In general it’s useful for title pages, dedications, and anything that requires special treatment like that.

So in any of these sections you need to match your output formatting completely, except for the parts you are creating an exception for (centre alignment).

That illustrates the drawback to the second option above. If you switched the whole thing off then you entire book would look like it does in the editor, which in most cases isn’t what one would want.

So, I’m glad to hear the partial method will work for you since it would otherwise be a lot of work to get your editor formatting changed to be output ready!