I’ve spent hours trying to do this and I still can’t manage to get it right. Two weeks ago I printed a few pages of a single file in Draft with this information in the header: project title.scriv, date and time, /page number. I did it once with one file but I’ve never been able to repeat it when I try to compile the draft. I don’t care about printing “.scriv” but I would like to see the rest of the information up there in a header. I’ve gone through the tutorial again, I’ve perused Scrivener Help, I’ve searched the forums, and I am at my wit’s end. I’ve gone through “page setup” for Scrivener, I’ve tried various settings under "compile draft, and nothing works. I’m not trying to export the draft to another program; I’m just trying to print the damned thing with a header that gives title, date & time, and page number. I did it once – God knows how – but I can’t do it again. Clearly I’m extremely frustrated. I think Scrivener is a wonderful program but it ought to be easy to do what I want to do, and easy to find out how to do it. It’s not. Help!
This happens automatically when you print a single document using File > Print Current Document. Printing the Draft is more intended for manuscripts, though, so it doesn’t do this automatically - you have to enter the header yourself. You set the header via the “Text Options” pane of Compile Draft. Enter “<$p>” in the header to get the page number in there. You can’t automatically generate the date in the Compile Draft header, though - you’d have to enter it yourself.
All the best,
Keith
Thank you very much, Keith. You do a terrific job and Scrivener is a terrific program, even though it does frustrate me at times. My nephew and his daughter are now using it, too. I would suggest, though, that in your next release you give us a choice: make it possible to enter the date and time automatically in Compile Draft, just as in File > Print Current Document – although I suppose now that I know how to do it, that it’s not too important. I’d also like to see a more complete and user-friendly manual. I realize that would be a huge job. I consult the manual a lot.
I downloaded 1.12 beta (SK) yesterday, and it’s working fine so far. In fact, I can’t tell the difference.
-Bill
Unfortunately no piece of software can be specifically tailored for every possible user, so there will always be frustrations… Out of interest, why do you want to enter the current date and time in the header of the draft? Generally a manuscript header wouldn’t contain such things, surely?
Best,
Keith
I print out often and then edit on paper. I like to know if I’m dealing with a version I wrote last week, or one I worked on again today. I’m talking about printing a couple of chapters, not an entire book. I also edit on screen, of course, but I still like paper and want to know when I printed it. If the thing were finished and I were printing the entire manuscript, then I would have no need for date and time. But it’s not finished, and I print out in bits and pieces, and the date and time are useful to me. Now I know how to do it. Thanks. Incidentally, the vertically split screen is really excellent for comparing drafts, too.
Bill
In that case, it might be quicker just to use Edit Scrivenings and the regular “Print Current Document”. Just select the documents you want to print in the binder, hit “Edit Scrivenings” so that they get combined in the editor, and then just hit cmd-P to print them out. This way, you get the documents combined and the date and time in the header, without having to fuss around with Compile Draft. This is ideal for working on print-outs for your own use.
Hope that helps!
All the best,
Keith
That helps a lot! I’m embarrassed that this didn’t occur to me, especially since I’d just been through the tutorial again and if I’d had my wits about me I could have figured it out myself. Clearly that’s the easiest way to accomplish what I want to do.
All best,
Bill