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Synchronised Folders |
Scrivener lets you prepare a special external folder on your disk, which it will use to keep the text contents of a project up to date as changes are made to the contents of this folder. Because it works with simple flat list of files and a few built-in folders, the format is uniquely suited for integrating with various folder sharing services such as DropBox, SugarSync, MobileMe, and others. Using this feature, you can share your work in progress with collaborators, agents, or editors, and later read back any changes they have made directly into your project. Additionally, you could use the feature in conjunction with mobile applications which are aware of DropBox, making it possible to edit your project's content on an iPad or iPhone, and later merge those edits with your main project.
Important Note
This feature is not intended for keeping two versions of the same project in sync and should not be used in such a manner - you should never try to sync two different projects with the same folder. Rather, this feature is intended to allow you to edit or share project files with other applications or on other platforms, and then to have any changes made to the shared files reflected in your Scrivener project. It also cannot be used to perform structural or outline order modifications, just simple text content modifications.
To access the feature, select the menu item, File ▸ Sync ▸ with External Folder...
. A sheet will drop down in the active project with some basic settings.
The first thing you will need to do is select a new, empty folder which Scrivener will take over and use for syncing files with this project from this point forward. Click the Choose...
button (1), and navigate to the location where your cloud service keeps your computer synchronised. For DropBox users, this will be the DropBox folder in your home directory. Keep in mind that the folder you create will need to be dedicated to this Scrivener project, and so must be initially empty. When you sync documents with this folder, Scrivener will create one or more of the following three subdirectories to store the synced files:
Do not select a folder which has already been used to synchronise another Scrivener project! The only time you should choose an existing Scrivener sync folder is if you are certain it is for the same project, and that you have total control over the project (it isn't being edited by anyone else with a copy of the project). It is safe to transfer your Scrivener project from one computer to another, and then use the same sync folder to share changes made on the second computer. While the project will save your sync folder selection, the second computer might have a different address to that spot and require you to reselect it. In that case, you will get a warning when choosing the folder, but you can dismiss the warning and safely continue.
Using this feature in an attempt to merge projects, or to have more than one person using a copy of the project, could result in lost data or confusing results. When in doubt, always create a new folder.
This feature provides the following options:
Enabled by default, the entire Draft folder will be kept in sync with the folder when this is on.
Keep the rest of the project up-to-date with this option. Note it will only work with text files. Enabling this option also activates the Import settings, below.
If this is selected, only documents that are contained in the collection specified in the pop-up list next to this checkbox will be kept in sync with the folder. This essentially acts as a filter for the other two above “Sync” options. For instance, if “Sync the contents of the Draft folder” is selected but “Sync all other text documents” is not, and if this option is selected, then only documents that are contained in the Draft folder and in the specified collection will be synced.
By default, Scrivener will prefix each filename with a numeral corresponding to its position in the Binder. This will keep your files in the same order as the Binder, making them easier to find. Disabling this will remove the number and the contents of the folder will be subject to ordinary alphanumeric sorting based on the names of your Binder items.
Enabled by default. With this option turned on, Scrivener will automatically generate snapshots of each document if it requires updating. If you prefer to handle snapshots manually, you may want to turn this off. However be aware that leaving it on is the safest option, particularly when both items have been accidentally edited separately. Since Scrivener cannot determine which is meant to be the most up-to-date other than by the file modification date, having snapshots available will allow you to review the specific changes and decide how to manage conflicts should they occur.
Enabled by default. When this project is opened, it will briefly scan the contents of the external sync folder and alert you if there are any changes detected, offering you the ability to update your project immediately.
The Import section allows you to choose where files that have been created in the Notes folder outside of Scrivener will be imported. You can select a target container (Research by default), or uncheck the “Only show containers” option to choose any item to become a container for imported files. This section will be disabled if “Sync all other text documents in the project” is turned off, above.
The Format section determines how the files will be created in the sync folder. Because script writers might not want to use a script format for notes and research documents, there are separate options for files stored in the Draft folder and other files in the project. There are three file formats available, and depending on your intended purpose, selecting the right option will be important:
Plain text (TXT): Formatting will be stripped from edited portions when using this option. The resulting files will be standard, plain-text files in the UTF–8 format. If they are edited outside of Scrivener, when synced back in, all custom formatting in paragraphs that have been edited will be lost. Scrivener will protect those areas of the files which have not been edited, wherever possible. Scrivener does its best to retain as much formatting as possible when re-syncing, but if formatting is as important to your workflow as synchronising, then you will either need to find a solution that can take advantage of RTF files, or save formatting for the final stages in your writing project.
When plain text is the chosen format, you can change the default extension that Scrivener will use for the exported files. If you use an editor that displays markup, for example, it can be handy to change the extension to the markup’s accepted form, like .md for Markdown. When using this option, be aware that files added to the sync folder using a different extension will not be recognised. This means once you choose an extension you should stick with it (lest all of the existing files become unrecognised and moved to the “Trashed Files” folder). If you wish to change the extension you are using, use a batch rename tool to fix the sync folder, or regenerate it from scratch.
Rich Text (RTF): This provides the cleanest transfer of information. Most formatting will be retained, especially when used in conjunction with a word processor that handles all of Scrivener’s RTF features, such as Word or Nisus Writer. This is the best option for collaborating with other individuals who do not have access to Scrivener, or for working in a multi-platform setting yourself. All versions of Microsoft Word fully support the RTF format.
Final Draft (FDX): Those working with Final Draft 8+ and scriptwriting mode should use this setting, as it will retain all special script formatting in a round-trip.
Fountain (.fountain): For use with screenplays, this popular plain-text markup format can be edited anywhere plain-text files can be edited, and so has a similar appeal to Markdown for its portability. Scrivener’s internal scriptwriting format will be converted to Fountain syntax when updating the folder contents, and then in reverse the syntax will be converted to Scrivener elements when updating the project. Additional formatting supported by Fountain markup will be converted as well. For details, read more about working with Fountain in the user manual PDF, in the chapter on scriptwriting.
Only those binder items set to script formatting will be converted to Fountain. Standard text documents in the binder will be synced as plain-text documents. Any new text documents added to the “Draft” sync folder from outside of Scrivener will be assumed as Fountain format.
When this option is engaged, Scrivener will intelligently convert your documents' paragraph spacing to better suit the intended environment. Since Plain-text editors cannot display pseudo-spacing between paragraphs, this option will insert a second carriage return to help set them apart from one another. Upon import, these extra carriage returns will be removed for you.
Keep this setting turned off if you require a certain standard, one way or the other, and do not want Scrivener to adjust things for you. In particular, those working in the MultiMarkdown workflow require double-spaced paragraphs, and so will not want Scrivener to remove these spacings upon import. Note that this option only affects plain text (TXT) documents.
Additional settings which impact export and import can be found in the application preferences, under Import & Export
. If you prefer to work with inline annotations and footnotes, make sure the default setting in this pane has been changed, otherwise your RTF comments will all become Inspector comments after a sync cycle.
After clicking the Sync
button for the first time, Scrivener will export a copy of every item according to the options above. If the export folder is located in an area where it is accessible to other computers and mobile devices, you can log on to DropBox with your external application and start browsing the files as soon as they finish uploading. Note that folders in the Scrivener project will appear as ordinary files in the sync folder, because Scrivener folders can contain text.
Scrivener will export all items associated with your manuscript into the Draft
folder. If you choose to export non-Draft files, everything else will be placed into the Notes
folder. If you intend to start editing these files immediately, it would be a good idea to close your Scrivener project at that point. While Scrivener will make scrupulous copies of everything it changes (unless you've disabled snapshot generation), it's best to work in an alternating pattern to reduce confusion between which file is the most up to date.
In a collaboration environment, it may not be possible to wait until the other person is finished. It is safe to work in both the project and the exported copies at once, so long as changed files are looked over after syncing. In most cases Scrivener will select the best option for you, but in cases where both you and your colleague have changed the file in between syncs, you might need to resolve the differences using Snapshots and the Compare feature.
When performing a folder sync, only resources which have changed (either in the project or on the disk) will be synchronised, to save time. In the case where project Binder items have been updated from the disk, a list of these changed items will be presented to you upon completion. The list will not contain items which have only changed on the disk. Use this tool to browse through the changed items and review them with the Snapshot Compare feature. This interface is much like Project Search, and can be dismissed by clicking the X
button in the bottom corner of the Binder footer bar.
For those that want to dig a little deeper, this is really a Collection that will be created and titled “Updated Documents”, with each changed project document added to it. Every time sync needs to change project files, it will look for a Collection named “Updated Documents”, and replace the contents of it with the results of the latest sync, so if you wish to retain a list of changed files for future reference, change the name of the Collection to something else.
New files can be created while you are away from your project. Simply name them whatever you would like them to be called in the Binder, and save them to the Draft or Notes folder. Scrivener will import files created in the external Draft folder into the project's Draft folder, and files created in the external Notes folder into the designated auxiliary container (Research by default), when you sync. Initially they will be imported at the bottom of their respective containers, but once you sort them to their proper location, they will sync from that point forward in an ordinary fashion.
When you have returned to your computer and wish to integrate any of the changes made, simply load the project in Scrivener. It will, by default, check for any changed files and alert you that your project is out of date. If you have this option disabled, or the project is already open, you can manually activate the sync panel again, using the menu item, and click the Sync
button. Moments later, your project will be updated with all of your external changes.
Here are a few guidelines which, if followed, will prevent problems in everyday use:
If you are using this feature in conjunction with another author or editor, make sure to communicate these ground rules with them where relevant. Since it is not possible for Scrivener to guess at your intentions, good communication over where new files should go, and what is being independently worked upon will be beneficial.
RTF Format Limitations: When using the RTF export format, you can expect zero to minimal loss of formatting information when used in conjunction with a good word processor. There are a few features in Scrivener that have no comparison in RTF, such as multi-colour annotations and comments, and internal document links, which will be normalised or lost, respectively.
Plain-text Limitations: Since it is impossible to convey formatting in plain-text without some sort of visible mark-up, Scrivener takes steps to protect as much of your formatting as it possibly can. As with RTF, only those files which have been edited will be transferred back to your project, but further, each changed file will be analysed at the paragraph level and only replace those paragraphs that have been changed, leaving the rest of the file untouched with its original formatting.
[
and ]
) brackets. Inline footnotes will be similarly wrapped in curly braces ({
and }
). However since Scrivener only updates changed paragraphs, unless you edit a paragraph with one of these types, no loss of notation should occur in the rest of the document. In the case that you do edit a paragraph with notes in it, the bracket notation will be retained so that you can manually fix the formatting. A helpful tip to remember is that you can copy and paste from snapshots.Format ▸ Convert
tools.You can safely edit the filename so long as the dashed number is untouched. When a file has been edited in the sync folder, if the Binder name portion of the filename is changed, the sync function will update the Binder with the new name. This is considered an advanced feature, however, to be used with care. Note that changing the sequence number will have no effect on Binder order. Also note that if all you changed is the filename, nothing will happen due to the way modification dates are stamped on the filesystem. Advanced users could use the UNIX command, touch
, to force an update. ↩