• Abstract

    This document tests the capability of scriverner as a frond end tool for long forms, compared to a pure MD process ( with sublime 3, or multimarkdown for example. It tests basic capabilities, and examines what facility scivener brings, or prevents in term of capability and process, with a zkn and academic-referencing target in mind.  

  • Audience

    academics, withe zkn process

  • The questions it tries to answer

    - can I switch safely from pure MD to scrivener for long form writing ?

  • Basics

    In this section, we consider the basic typographic element of scrivener, how how the get translated into MD

    • Basic Typographics

      Testing the rendering of basic typographics :


      - Lists with dash

      - Lists : not working




       • Enumerated

       • Lists with bullet : working 



       • Italics this is italics and is not working

       • This is emphasis, and is working ( character styles)


      Bold: this is bold ( not working)  

      This is strong (and is working)


      Results: ok, but read


       • Can’t use the intuitive alt B alt I  ( unless remapped).

       • List have to be styled, cant use the common dash list

    • Tables

      Col 1

      Col 2 is centered

       

      Right emphasis

      centered

      Table with voids

       A strong content

      Amazing easy


      Table with voids


      Results: works, and is an improvement.

      See if there are limits not explored now


      Potential to investigate :

      - Large table

      - Paste from excel 


      ( Require « convert table to multimarkdown in compile settings)

    • Links

      This is an External Link : and this is not working

      This is an External md [link](https://www.taesch.com/cognitive/reperes-vers-la-maitrise) : and this is working

    • foonotes, comments annotations

      Foot notes


      This is a foot note and it works quite transparently



      This is a comment  and nothing gets out . Maybe have to see the compile process. When ticked in the compile process, , it gets in the compile as 

      <span class="comment" title="just a comment">comment</span>


      So are annotations

      So are <span class="annotation" style="color:#9E0B03">annotations</span>


      Results :

       •  pretty much an improvement  to the cumbersome and boring process of managing note number . Increase transparency/ fluen...

    • references

      Adding a reference from zotero : [@biggs_toward_2012]

       • Just a shift copy C in zotero then past from zotero : works great

       • A possible option: some script search from scrivener: [@taya_scrivener_2018]

       • Insert bibliography/ citations (cmd Y) opens zotero ! 

       ⁃ No more integration, needs  a shift copy C in zotero then past from zotero

       ⁃ Open: see if more zotero integration exists in scrivener 3 ? How did it find zotero then ? To be investigated



       • Results: easy to do . However a slightly de...

    • citations and block quotes

      This is a citation and I am expecting it to be block quoted : 


       Blab bal balb citations . This is block quote style

      When typing return , it goes back to default mode 


      I may be tempted to insert a zotero citation also :

      "Définir   ce que  c'est  qu'être  autonome  dans  son  rôle  professionnel,  dans  sa  posture  de  manager ou   de   chef   d'équipe   a   du   sens.   Définir   l'autonomie   professionnelle   d'un   coach,   d'un accompagnateur,   d'un   consultant   l'emmène   sur   le   ch...

    • images

      inline

    • images by references

      Url from site.

    • captions and figures

    • renumbering title, moving things around

      r


      enumbering title, moving things around is transparent, and this is an improvement. We do not <manage the level of titels by hand.


      Results : an improvement

      Possible hicup:  the auto number of titles. Makes using « small » text fiddling no ok ( to be explained) .need fusion afterwards

  • a Process approach

    • integrating a zkn in research

      Inserting a zkn content by drag and drop into research

      Work perfect. Need to be found before though, via an index or whatever


      Inserting a zkn ref by paste

      Not working. Is pasting the path 


      Inserting via 


      Click on research / add from file

      Work Is creating a note with file content, like drag and drop. Thi sis a copy, not a reference

       

    • referencing a zkn , externally stored

      Insterting a zkn by file ref.

      Not found yet, still i believe external fle reference exists


      Note that embedding the zkn ( rathetr thana linking) enables to have it at hand when you go mobile 


      . To be investigated

      Explain why it would be needed , or an improvement also




    • forming the outline

      When forming the detailed outline, I tendto the following target , as described in[@nicholas_cifuentes-goodbody_outlines_2016]


      1. Introductory paragraph 

      2. Sections 

       A. Paragraph 

        i. First sentence

        ii. Exemple 

        iii. Quote 


      Once ia passed the “draft sysnopsis” stage, I creted this structure in the outiline, as this serve as a roadmap and prevent procastination by indecision

    • preparing the argument

      When I am stating a document in a top down fashion, I d like to write in a continuous manner , with bullets, and writing one line synospsys in the text


      When I feel this is mature enough, I later then slice this text in bit and turns the sysnopsis  in proper card sysnopsys, and leave them in the text as annotation, so I can distinguish them from real text. Then I go in detail mode, and make my outline proper, then fills the details


      In this process, I am using the follwing from sciverner

       • Test...

    • using a templating approach for the outline

    • drafting the outline with sysnopsys

    • Placement

      To be synced , th efile sneed to be put in apps/scriuvener. And the scrivomatic process require shit load of local file. To be invetigated

  • Discussion

    From a pratique viewpoint:


    Regression


     • Most of the basic typography is covered ok 

     • The only open hicup is citation / block quote, but this is a pandoc issue, not scriverner. To be investigated

     • Zotero is ok . Need switch and copy paste for the ref versus integrated search . minor

     • Left open : images from url. Any better process ?


    Benefits : 

     • Tables are a definitive improvement. No more juggling with many external tools to fix this

     • Footnote is an imporevement . No more manuel re...

  • References

  • Criteria unders consideration

    Some aspects are on the productivity side,  Other on the creativity side,  othesr on the portability and interoperability side 


    Let define and exemplify the expectations: 


    - productivity : I do not have to launch manually pandoc or renumber heading when reorganising a text 

    - Creativity : tables are managed easily via a table editor and generate MD tables 

    - When Outlining, I Can Access Or Refer To Zkn, And They Get Updated 

    - I can Create Zkn During The Writing Process ( Outlining)

    - Portabil...