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Eric Rhys Taylor edited this page Dec 27, 2025 · 23 revisions

Reorder Scenes

Scenes in Radial Timeline can be reordered in two ways: by renaming the scene title or by dragging scenes in Narrative Mode.

Method 1: Reorder by Scene Title (All Versions)

Radial Timeline uses the leading scene number in the scene title to determine order.

Example:

1 Tom rides a bike
  • 1 = scene order
  • Tom rides a bike = scene title

To move the scene, change the leading number:

3 Tom rides a bike

The scene is now treated as Scene 3.
Only the number controls ordering—the text after it is the title.

Acts and Scene Order

Scene order is act-specific.

If you change the scene number but do not update the Act, the scene will move to the new position within its current act.

Example YAML:

Act: 1

If you rename a scene to the highest number in the manuscript but leave Act: 1, it will become the last scene of Act 1, not the last scene overall.

To move a scene to a different act, update the YAML:

Act: 3

Always update both:

  • the scene number in the title
  • the Act field in YAML, if changing acts

Method 2: Drag & Drop (Narrative Mode Only)

In recent versions of Radial Timeline:

  • Switch to Narrative Mode
  • Drag the numbered scene squares on the outer ring (cursor becomes double arrow)

Drag scene start

  • Drop the scene into its new position on the numbered scene square

Drag scene destination

  • Confirm the change when prompted

This method automatically updates ordering for you.

Note: You can only drag a scene to another act if that act already contains at least one scene. To move a scene to an empty act, either create a new scene in that act first or manually update the Act field in the scene's YAML frontmatter.

Summary

  • Scene order is controlled by the number at the start of the title
  • Scene order is scoped to the Act
  • Changing acts requires updating the YAML Act: field
  • Narrative Mode supports drag-and-drop reordering

Manage Subplots in Bulk

Need to rename or delete a subplot across dozens of scenes? Use the Subplot Manager command (command palette → “Radial Timeline: Open Subplot Manager”). The modal lets you:

  • Rename a subplot and automatically update the frontmatter of every scene using it.
  • Delete a subplot and strip the tag from all scenes in one action.

This is especially helpful after reorganizing your B/C plots—you no longer have to hunt through every note manually.

Search

You can filter scenes by searching for text content across multiple fields.

  • Trigger: Use the command palette (Cmd/Ctrl + P) → Radial Timeline: Search timeline.
  • Matches: Searches case-insensitive text in:
    • Title
    • Date (When) and Times (e.g., "9am", "April")
    • Synopsis
    • Pulse analysis
    • Subplot
    • Characters
  • Visuals:
    • Scene Numbers: Highlighted in yellow all subplot rings.
    • Text: Matching text within the synopsis hover metadata is highlighted in yellow.
  • Clear: Use the command Radial Timeline: Clear search or click the clear button in the modal.

Rotate the timeline

In Narrative and Subplot modes you can use the rotation toggle (arrow icon near the outer ring) to rotate the timeline for easier reading. The rotation offset is act-aware (based on your configured Act count) and keeps scene number squares oriented correctly.

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