Struggling with Compiling / Formatting

Scrivener Newcomer Central
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Hey, I am relatively new to Scrivener, and i’m using Windows platform.

I’ve tried using various different templates and formats in the compile window, and have set up the sections using the project settings, but I am struggling to work out how to format it correctly in the compile window so that each “new text” section starts on a new page.

So far, the compiler has just jumbled things up, added additional unnecessary blank pages and at other times started a new section on the same page as something else.

I am using formatting templates and options that show or include page breaks - but it does not seem to help. Can anyone suggest what I may be doing wrong or how I can work out this issue??

Im currently using templates under “modern” in the compile window but maybe this is wrong?

Thank you in advance for any help.

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You can double-click a compile format to edit it. (In the compile panel, left side.)
That’s where you set page-breaks and the overall formatting.

Pick “Duplicate and Edit” when prompted.
This will create a new version. From there, this is your version, it’ll appear at the top of the list.

I strongly recommend you read the manual about compiling and compile formats.

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Sounds like you are meaning to accomplish what you want using defined Section Types.

  1. So you defined some Section Types in Project Settings > Section Types.
  2. And you have declared your text sections as being of one or the other of these Section Types. (This can be done in various ways, and can be confirmed/adjusted in the rightmost pane of the Compile dialog box.)
  3. You have then used the center pane of the main Compile dialogue box to assign each of your Section Types to a Section Format (which determines things like whether things of that section type should start with a page break before). Assign Section Layouts...

Internal to a compile format is a Separators section which specifies for each section format

  • whether when we come to a section of this format it should lead with a page break (or something else).
  • whether when two sections of this same format succeed each other there should be a page break (or something else) between them.

The tiles in the center section of the compile dialog box prefigure for you these facts about the various section formats associated with your chosen compile format.

[Note: if all your text sections (aka docs) in the Binder will get treated the same on Compile, it is not strictly necessary to define a special Section Type for them. In compile you can just assign your generic text sections to a section format.]

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Thank you, I will have a look at the manual and try what you suggested.

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Thank you for this, I will have a look and see if this makes any difference. Thank you for your help.

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I have a series of articles for windows on compiling and how to structure your novel with pictures. I also discuss separators which define if each scene(text) starts on a new page. This requires scenes have a page break separator. start here and this might help.

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