#1 Usability

[didarida]

Hello!

I liked the presentation. My idea with Manuscript Notepad was about the same problem, but from a different angle.

I think a program for creative writing has to have some features to be good, which I lack from your mockup.
1. First, it has to be safe. Not just stable, but it has to have a backup about every damn letter you ever wrote into it. Autosave in every 30 seconds, automatic backups, etc. At the end of the day, it should save a message "i saved everything", and if this message is missing when you next time launch the program, it should collect every temporary file and try to save it properly.
2. If there are so many backups, you have to add a quick, built-in version management program, too. To make it easier, every file should have an inner data segment with the important datas (date and time of first editing, last editing, total length, author, codepage). And, because a newer version is not always better, it should have a text-comparison tool, too. And if you include a file searching tool, too. then there is no way that the user will lose a text. Writers often use paper because it is just safer, so in my opinion these features can make a creative writing software better.
3. It should be customizable. This is not a very important feature, but means a lot if you can use your native language, and have an icon and/or a keyboard shortcut for every often used features. This is why I chose to fork an existing text editor, there are plenty of good opensource editors, and there is no need to write a new one. Also, these are widely tested editors.
4. Multiple clipboards. No need to explain it.
5. I even wondered about save deleted texts, too. Every modification can be informative, if not for the writer, then for the critique. But this way the writer can search for deleted ideas, even years later. I dunno how it should be implemented. The easiest way is to save the undo/redo list, and somehow enable to load it later. This list can be very long, so it should be zipped at the end of the day.

I know these are some very heavy ideas, but I think they are required for a program like this. Tell me what do you think about them.

Keep up the good work!

[CaptainCrunch80]

Hi there didaria!

Thanks for your suggestions! Here are my thoughts about them:

1. + 2. I was thinking about a whole new way of doing this. -> Automated Git commits (even to a online repository or a raid server) of the save directory made by the program! Thats why i took xml as database format. Damn maybe in a very late version even branches are possible if you know a little about git. What is not the worst thing to know for an author. Git is just perfect for this kind of backup and history stuff. Maybe it comes out bazaar is better fitted and better for cross platform, but I think git is just cool for it now.

3. Language support was just implemented tonight and yes the shortcuts will be language dependent too. About the editor: I thought a clean textedit with font only for convenience should do. Bolt etc. has just highlighting character for the author. Why I think this is still cool? because a ascii file works with git and when you export to latex you can add your personal style there in the basic document setup. But letz see what we can do. It should be handy for sure. But text style should not be an author problem in the first pace.

4. Multiple Clipboards -> That's gonna be hard. I recommend an external global working tool like Parcelite that can handle this easier than one only working in program context. You'll have then the clipboards for Web and stuff also and can copy like wild.

5. Git commit before deleting a scene + scene recycle bin!

Thanks for your feedback!!

As you see in 1-5 I try to get the software running with a kind of toolchain. The backups and history could never ever be so great like git. Same with parcelite and so on. So I integrate the stuff with an api if needed and recommend installing the other program if the feature is wanted. Well at least that was my thought for now. If the core functionality is really good and I am still on it, maybe I integrate the one or the other thing directly inside the program.

Another good example is the mindmap database. Planned is to just keep the file position, parse and paint the Freemind and VYM Files inside QCreativeWriter GUI, but if you want to change them qcw will open the original programs. Why reinvent the wheel if the wheel is already running totally round? I think we'll try to let everything feel like out of one piece, that should work best.

Best regards,

captaincrunch80