Setting Default Paragraph Spacing

Scrivener Windows Beta (Archived)
1

I was trying out your new beta for Windows, and I was having some difficulty figuring out how to set the default paragraph spacing for editing. I finally figured it out, but it seems to be a very complicated and not-so-obvious way of doing it.

It would make it easier and more obvious if you put an option to set the paragraph spacing under:

Options > Editing > Formatting

Since it was not there, I had to do this (which is a lot of extra steps).

  1. Open the Formatting Options at: Options > Editing > Formatting
  2. Try to figure out how to set the paragraph spacing.
  3. Realize that you cannot do that on this screen.
  4. Look over at the Guide on your desk with the big bold words “DON’T PANIC” on it and breath in deeply.
  5. Notice that it says “Use formatting in current editor” and get an idea.
  6. Close the Options dialog.
  7. On a random text document, place your cursor on a random paragraph. Make sure this paragraph does not have any other formatting, such as Heading or Title.
  8. Find the paragraph settings in the menu: Format > Paragraph > Line & Paragraph Spacing
  9. Set the desired paragraph spacing.
  10. Make sure your cursor is still flashing on the paragraph that you had just formatted.
  11. Open the Formatting Options again: Options > Editing > Formatting
  12. Click on the button “Use formatting in current editor” in anticipation.
  13. Sigh in relief that you figured it out without having to ask how to do it.
  14. Fiddle with it for at least 10 more minutes until you get it to look how you want.
  15. Go to the Scrivener forum and write a lengthy post asking for a simpler way of doing this.

As you can see, 15 steps are way too many!

So, it would be nice if you had the option of setting the default paragraph spacing inside Options > Editing > Formatting.

:wink:

Beta Version: 2.9.0.31 Beta (771012) 64-bit - 12 Dec 2019

2

Go to Options > Editing > Formatting.

There’s a box with a Nietzsche quote in it. Above that there’s a ruler. Above that there are drop downs to choose font, style, size, justification, spacing, etc. to set up your document defaults. You’ll find the spacing drop down on the far right.

3

To show you the control that Scribhneoir is talking about:

ScrivenerOptionsEditingFormattingParagraphSpacingOther.jpg
ScrivenerOptionsEditingFormattingParagraphSpacingOther.jpg739×615 91.5 KB

The drop down that I’ve circled in red will give you a bunch of options. If you choose “Other” you’ll see this additional dialog box:

ScrivenerOptionsEditingFormattingParagraphSpacing.jpg
ScrivenerOptionsEditingFormattingParagraphSpacing.jpg734×614 80.4 KB

4

I actually was playing with that control. Unless you pick “Other,” it just adjusts the line spacing, so I assumed it only controlled line spacing.

I never would have thought to select “Other…” to adjust paragraph spacing.

Version 1.0 seemed more intuitive, at least for this feature.

5

Yeah, I didn’t think it was the most intuitive option either, but it does match what Scrivener for Mac is doing, so asking to rework that dialog into something a bit more intuitive is going to be a matter for the Wish List, not the beta test.