Version 3.210 is Now Available

The new version is finally out.

 

Bug Fixes:
• Fix to ePub export crash when elements have been split but new elements have not been renamed.
• Minor fixes.

New Features:
•Support for EPub covers – All project editors now let you select an image to use as a cover.
•Location Editor completely rewritten.
•Arcs are now displayed in the Timeline menu
•Basic Aeon export capability
•Automatically generate arcs and events for Aeon Timeline.
•Basic Timeline Arc Editor
•Basic Timeline Event Editor
•Grammar check now lets you select whether to ignore dialogue.

Auteureist™ Support For Aeon Timeline Coming

I’ve been working on the next release of Auteureist™. There have been a few bumps along the way, but I’ve been able to make a lot of progress.  Some users have asked for Aeon Timeline ( http://www.scribblecode.com ) support, and I’m glad to say the next release of the app will include some basic capabilities.

First, here is a screenshot of Aeon Timeline with an exported Auteureist™ project.

 

Aeon Timeline Export Example

 

The interesting point here isn’t  that you can export your projects, but that Auteureist™ actually generates the timeline without any work needed by the writer by analyzing your project and the actual text of the project.

Specifically, Auteureist™ can generate the following items automatically:

• Global arc
• Narration arc
• An arc for each element
• An arc for each character
• An arc for each location
• An event for each character’s first and last appearance in the project
• An event for each locations’s first and last appearance in the project
• An event spanning each element’s timeline.

I’ll be adding more auto-generated content in future releases.

If you define characters and locations in your project, Auteureist™ will use that information to generated the timeline.  Elements, characters, and locations are automatically treated as Aeon entities. You can, of course, also add and edit your own story arcs, and events. Additionally, you’ll be able to highlight text and create an event from it as you write leading to a more intuitive way of working with Aeon Timeline.

I think these capabilities make Auteureist™ unique and allows you to work in a more natural way with Aeon Timeline.

One limitation, currently, is that the ability to import an Aeon Timeline won’t be supported in the first release.

Version 3.200 should be released in the next week or two.

Version 3.200 Features

Time for an update.

In addition to one or two fixes, I’m still working on redesigning all of the editors.  The next release will include a redone Location Editor,. The major difference, however, will be internal since Apple now requires 64 bit support which required some app wide fixes.

I’m also including a new feature in 3.200. The next release will allow you to select an image to use as a cover photo using all of the project editors. The cover will be used when you’re exporting your project in ePub format. Here is an example of an ePub created with Auteureist viewed in iBooks:

Introducing Grammar Check

One of the features I’ve had on my list since version 1.00 was the ability to check grammar.

Now that version 3.100 is out, the next version will include the ability to check and fix grammar. This ability needs an Internet connection and will work on all project types except journals. Why not journals? I just feel that journals are more relaxed.

I’m using a service called “After the Deadline” to do the grammar checking. It only works for English, and is good for strict grammar checks only. It won’t do spelling or punctuation.

One thing to note is that this feature will automatically create a new draft once you edit an element using this feature. This gives you the ability to go back to your text before you made grammatical fixes.

This is what the main interface looks like:

It will be released in the next week or two.

#auteureist #writing #finaldraft #script #journal #blog

Sent from my iPad

Version 3.100 Features

November is a busy month for me. One of the things that is chewing up my time is writing during NaNoWriMo (). This lets me really stress the app. Previous posts here have talked about some of the changes coming in version 3.100. Here is a complete breakdown of what to expect:

• Faster menu animations.
• Totally redesigned the main editors (project and element) have been redesigned to be more compact and organized.
• Totally redesigned the export view to be more compact and easier to understand.
• Totally redesigned export formatters. The generated output is much cleaner.
• Element Menus are now color coded:
◦ White – normal
◦ Yellow – selected
◦ Green – complete / done.
• Support for TouchID, and Passcode. I’ve removed the old-style password.
• Support for exporting to iCloud Drive.
• Redesigned Welcome screens.
• Some iOS 8 3x graphics upgrades.
• Ability to update your NaNoWriMo word count from within the app.
• Corkboard can now open, and delete elements as well as open the Element Editor
• Corkboard now reachable from the Element Management popup. This makes the cork board view a lot more usable.
• Main accessory toolbar has a set of buttons to easily move between elements. I’ve removed the ability to swipe (with page curls) to move between elements. This was a good idea back in 3.000, but this had a negative impact on the app’s usability when you tried bringing up the menu and you missed, it would turn the page. The improved UI is more understandable and reduces this kind of frustration.
• Lots of bug fixes

I’m planning on releasing this version to the App Store by the end of the year.

More About 3.100 Updates

A bit more on the changes in 3.100.

As I mentioned the focus has been on rewriting the major editors and exports. I’ve made a lot of progress on the redesign and rewrite. I’m still have the PDF, OPML, and Scrivener exports to redo, but these should be relatively quick given the redesign is reusable across most formats.

Here is a screenshot of the new export control view.  Again, it’s more organized and compact than the old one.

New export view

As part of this redesign and improved formatting, I’m including a feature I’ve wanted for a while.  You’ll be able to include your own ePub covers directly from the app. Here is a screenshot of an ePub generated by Auteureist™ 3.100.  You probably won’t be able to choose your own photo until a version soon after 3.100, but this lays the groundwork.

ePub default cover

A new feature in 3.100 includes support for TouchID rather than using a password. If you don’t want to protect your work you don’t have to, but if you choose to hide your work, you can use your fingerprint.

TouchID support

There are some other optimizations in speed and graphics quality along with some bug fixes.

3.100 should be ready in a month or two.  I’ll be busy participating in NaNoWriMo again this year, so coding will be cut back as usual while I focus on writing.

Oh one more thing…

Coming…

Auteureist™ and iOS 8.

3.100 will be the next release of Auteureist™ (up from 3.014).  This signals a significant update.

iOS 8 is out as are the new iPhones.  Auteureist™ still works properly on iOS8 on iPads.

I’ve been working on iOS 8 enhancements for Auteureist™ and the next release will include some internal changes and optimizations to leverage iOS8 features that will be included. Most of these features won’t be visible until they are ready.

However, what will be visible will be some long-needed redesigns of the main editors (Novel, Script, Blog, Element, etc.)  This really isn’t an iOS 8 feature, but current 3 designs have been around since 2.x and I’ve never really liked them.  They were clunky and disorganized—but they worked.  With 3.100 you’ll hopefully find them easier to use and more understandable.

Here is what the current Project Editor looks like. (Yuck!)

Old Editor

And this is the 3.100 redesign.

New Editor

I am also redesigning the Export screen which is better but still not very intuitive. 3.100 is not quite ready yet, but I’m hoping to get it into the App Store in the next couple of weeks.

Sent from Auteureist™

3.014 Submitted

It’s time for another status update.

I’ve been quiet here because I’ve been focused on resolving issues and I’ve begun getting ready for iOS8.  There is still things to do for 8 but the current version is a lot more stable since the first release of 3. I’ve also implemented a few minor enhancements suggested by users that improve the overall ease of use of the app. 

I’ve just submitted 3.014 to the App Store for approval. 

Depending on what Apple announces at the announcement today, may have an affect on the app and what I focus on in terms of bug fixes and improvements.  

NaNoWriMo is sneaking up on us in a couple of months and I’ll be using the app as I always do. More on that as we approach November.

Remember you can always find out what bugs are being worked on and what new features are introduced at http://auteureist.com/.  

I’m also testing something interesting for a future release, I’ll say more when the time comes.

Finally, I want to thank all of you who have provided feedback, bug reports, and supported the app through the years.

It’s time for a status update. Auteureist 3 has been out for a bit now and has been having some birthing pains, which is to be expected from a new release, but not a good thing to have. Although there haven’t been a ton of issues, the few that have cropped up have been hard to track down.

I’ve been fixing any issues that are getting reported or are being captured if the app crashes. At this point, I’m pushing fixes out at about once a week, so things are improving rapidly. If you do experience a problem, please report it using the website or the in-app support page.

I’ve also been adjusting the UI a bit based on feedback. At this point I’m focused on fixing issues, and am not working on new major features or major UI improvements. Those will come later.

3.004 has been submitted and awaiting approval. This release fixes the last major issue that has cropped up in the reports and logs.

If you would like to help test (not play or try out, but actually test) please sign up on the website. I’m looking for a couple of good testers.

Thanks for everyone’s support and feedback.

3.004 Submitted

Auteureist 3.0 Is Live

It’s finally here. Apple approved the latest version of Auteureist, and it’s now available.

NOTE: This version is NOT compatible with earlier version, if you want to save old writing, export it.

This version is a vast improvement over the previous one. This is a HUGE release in terms of capability. Here is what you should know:

– Documentation – complete and extensive: http://auteureist.com
– Real FAQ, help and support – http://auteureist.helpshift.com/
– Partial feature list – http://auteureist.com/page9/index.html
– Support email remains: support at auteureist co m.
– Yes there is support for NaNoWriMo (limited to what NaNoWriMo provides).
– Sign up for tips and tricks newsletter (I won’t spam).
– Now that the base version is out, bug fixes and new features will be rolled out more frequently. No piece of software is perfect. We’ll work on fixing and continually improving it.
– Follow @Auteureist on Twitter for important updates and information.

Your feedback, suggestions, and bug reports are appreciated. I hope the wait was worth it.

Thank you all for your patience and support over the years.
S Koren
VisualNewt Software