I am writing a project that I started by using the Novel Template. Now I am trying the Aeon Timeline template. My question is: can I change the template of my project and modify the template to the Aeon Timeline format or do I need to restart a new project with the Aeon Timeline template and eventually move all the files in the new project?
I wasn’t aware there was a Scrivener project template specific to Aeon Timeline. That really doesn’t matter though, as you can link any existing project to a timeline. You can just start up Aeon Timeline, create a new timeline (File->New), and then once you’ve got the new timeline, go to File->Synchronize and point it to your project. This is covered in Aeon Timeline’s user manual under “Scrivener Synchronization”.
Thank you for your kind reply.
The specific Aeon Timeline + Novel template is available on the support pages of Aeon timeline about the Scrivener Synchronization: the difference from a normal Novel Template is in the Metadata already filled in with specific Aeon Timeline content in order to facilitate the synchronization process. I know that when first synchronizing a Scrivener project the metadata are added to the new Aeon file.
My question was if there is a procedure to change the template of a Scrivener project after its creation. The answer should be “No” (also considering the number of users that viewed my post without answering and probably considering my request an idle one!). I just wanted to be sure.
As a matter of fact, I had to create a new Scrivener project with the Aeon Timeline+Novel template and manually move all my files from the old to the new project. This is to be done not simply copying the files: I had to create in the new project a new file in each section by using the new format (with AT metadata) and then move the file content. A rather time consuming approach!
I wonder why there is the absence of a Timeline feature in Scrivener (like in Storymill for instance!) and you have to buy a new software with somewhat tricky procedures to synchronize. The answer may be simple: to buy a new software!
I’m simply a long-time user of Scrivener, and I can tell you that the question of why there is not a timeline function in Scrivener has been discussed many times in these forums. So it would be worth carrying out a search to find out what the developer had to say.
As far as I can remember, he said that a timeline would not fit easily with the hierarchical Binder structure around which Scrivener is based (but I may have got that wrong, as it was several years ago).
But in any case, since Aeon Timeline has been developed alongside Scrivener, by a Scrivener user, to work successfully with Scrivener, and has shaped up as a really excellent piece of software, it would now seem perverse to try to replicate it within Scrivener. (In business, as in life, I think it’s a good principle “never to re-invent the wheel”.)
I understand that Aeon Timeline is an independent software and not only an addition to Scrivener. However, if a connection exists between Scrivener and Aeon Timeline developers (I find the name of matt in the Scrivener Administrators list) it would be polite to ask for a simpler and better synch process between Scrivener and Aeon Timeline (this last I bought on the MacApp Store yesterday).
Interesting. I’ll have to look into that.
Once you create a project from a template, there’s no template-ness left. In fact, unless you use some auto-filling substitution variables that pull author information from your Contacts, there’s no difference between a template and a freshly created project from that template. Project templates are just a slightly more sophisticated version of the “Save As” function.
If you want to set up a project for Aeon Timeline and then go to File->Save as Template, then you can do that to create a new template from which you can create future project files. Maybe that’s what you were after?
I wouldn’t be surprised if the bulk of the folks looking at this thread were just curious and had no idea how to answer your question. Lots of people are interested in templates for various purposes.
I don’t understand why you would to this. Why not just start the syncronization with Aeon, indicating which documents to add to the timeline, and which ones to link to existing timeline events? That would surely be less tedious than copying and pasting into a new project? According to the following thread at Scribblecode, the template is only intended for starting brand new projects, not for use with projects already under way. http://www.scribblecode.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=237&p=946
Thank you, Robert
for your useful comments on my post.
As regards the Aeon Timeline+Novel template, the file can be downloaded from http://www.scribblecode.com/faq_scrivener.html#synchronise_work, under the topic “Q: Where can I access the Scrivener Project Template?”.
And yes, I was a bit confused and in a hurry about the trans-versioning matter!