I am trying to set the tabs for all documents in the Preferences of Scrivener. I have dragged the tabs to where I want them, but for some reason, I cannot get the tab to set to 0.8"! It will set to either 0.79" or 0.81" but not 0.80". Is there a better way to set the tab than simply dragging? Any help would be appreciated.
Just out of curiosity, what happens when you export to doc/rtf? Does it show up at .8"?
Also, can you set .8" in text edit? I haven’t tried, but this may be a OS X text engine issue.
Ok, I cannot set the tab to 0.8" in Text Edit either. Do I need to report this to Apple?
Yep. Sorry.
This is indeed an annoying limitation of the text system - positioning tabs is a little awkward sometimes. Here’s a workaround though:
Either:
a) Set up the tab in another word processor, then copy and paste some text into Scrivener containing the tab as you want it.
Or:
b) Change into scriptwriting mode (Text > Scriptwriting), then use the Script Settings (Text > Script Settings) to create a paragraph with the first tab set to 0.8" (in the “Paragraph” pane of the script settings sheet you can set the first tab precisely by entering the exact measurement). Then type some text using this format and adjust all of the other paragraph settings how you want them.
Once you have some text in Scrivener with the tab where you want it, all you need to do is click into that text and click on “Use Current” in the Preferences.
This should help you set up the preferences with a 0.8" tab. But definitely report it to Apple, as it’s silly that the tab system is so fiddly you can’t be so precise.
Hope that helps.
All the best,
Keith
Maybe I am a headless fool, but is one hundredth of an inch precision really a problem? We are talking human hair width here. I could see this as a problem for layout, but we are drafting here, right? What am I missing?
It’s a tenth of an inch, though. 
In gross rounding, yes, but we should leave gross to the various personas of Mr. K (and pink)(now that I think about it we should add thequiteone and a few others, but I think I have made my point). Do we really lose that much precision on export to another format?
I guess I am still in the “scrivener is a drafting tool, not a word processor” mentality.
Oh, I see what you mean. You mean between 0.79 and 0.8, not the precision of 0.8 itself - sorry, misunderstood you. I do think dragging should allow for precision on the actual tenths though. It would be better if it just snapped to 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2 etc (I believe Word does that), as it’s more likely that someone will want 0.75 or 0.8 than 0.78 or 0.79… Still, Word should snap it to 0.8 as that doesn’t allow for hundredths of an inch.
All the best,
Keith
Care to comment on my continuing to see scriv as a draft tool, not a WP? Seems we keep looking at WP issues.
Now that I think about it, I prefer draft beer. So if scriv is a “tool for draft” why is it that I still can not have a “Beer” selection under “New”? Think of the convenience: File -> New -> Beer.
Listen you fool. That would make a mess of the hard drive. Not to mention the desk. You need a container, and while the research section of the binder might be suitable, it is [size=120]a binder[/size]. How in the world would you keep beer in a binder?
OO programing uses containers all the time. KB would just need to cast a new object into a “keg” class. Presto, keg in binder.
Good luck moving it though.
I do believe he’s snapped.
T’would seem so. Just in case there is a grain of sanity left in there, I will answer his question…
Scrivener definitely remains a drafting tool rather than a full word processor, but obviously there is a crossover, and in areas like this, where the ruler is already there and part of the interface, it does seem annoying that there isn’t more precision. So although formatting isn’t it’s primary purpose, I did after all choose to make it a rich text tool rather than a plain text tool and the ruler is a basic aspect of rich text control.
All the best,
Keith
Amber, I prefer “popped” for obvious reasons -->
KB, while I comprehend the argument (in debate sense, not the argumentative sense (which is funny, because now I am being argumentative (which makes me wonder if this parenthetical parenthetical parenthetically illustrates what appears to be a sudden decline into the “K zone” without needing to refer to the “popping” above))) I wonder if this might be part of the cause behind the WP style requests for styles, page views, etc. May be a place halfway between RTF and PT is not a bad place to find yourself.
But what do I know? Clearly not much! I will now return to my favorite activity of three legged dog wrestling. Someday I will actually beat that dog! [size=75]But not with a stick. I promise[/size]
[size=200]THE TWILIGHT ZONE!! 
[/size]
I have a bug to report: This section of the forum is entitled ‘Technical support’. It should be ‘Priceless amusement’.
I don`t know about that! I got a soddin migraine after trying to read that lot! My vision went all jaggy and my head started thumping! 