Wrap text

[istara]

How can I get Scrivener 3 to wrap text? It's keeping my text to a fixed width page, no matter how wide I drag the window.

This fixed width is useless and meaningless to me since I'm creating an eBook, so pagination is dynamic.

I don't understand where or why it has created a specific page width for itself.

NB "View: Zoom: Fit Width" is also greyed out, in case that would help.


EDIT: I found it! It's a very buried option, but to restore the old dynamic width vs the new fixed width editor, go to:

Scrivener -> Preferences -> Appearance -> Main Editor -> Options -> Use Fixed Width Editor (DESELECT this)

[AmberV]

It’s not a page width and has nothing to do with pagination, it’s a simple pixel width that is designed to keep line-lengths from getting too wide on large screens. As you note, if you don’t like it you can turn it off.

It might be a good idea to run through the “What’s New” appendix in the manual for things like this. I do in fact mention this one and how to switch it back if you don’t like it.

[gyokusai]

ISTARA thank you, you made my day!!! I’d given up already, after about an hour, and downgraded back to Scrivener 2.

It’s almost like they hid it on purpose.

NOW I can enjoy Scrivener 3!

[istara]

ISTARA thank you, you made my day!!! I’d given up already, after about an hour, and downgraded back to Scrivener 2.

I know, I was actually starting to feel tearful about it (a month of sleep deprivation from Nanowrimo hasn't helped!)

I did actually search the forums and and the Help for every term I could think of - Wrap, Width - and so on. I didn't think to search the manual separately. I had also checked the blogs and product feature page.

It took me a while to find it in the manual, even after skipping 800 pages to the What's New section. In terms of search, it would really be helpful to include the phrase "wrap text" in there somewhere. "Fixed width" was not a phrase that came to mind.

It is quite a stark change to have this new fixed-with editor as the default. I doubt I'm going to be the only one to get a shock, AND struggle on restoring the previous option. So I wonder if it's worth highlighting this in the key changes list on the website etc, along with the fact that it can be disabled.

[gyokusai]

@Istara Yes to everything.

[KB]

I'm surprised people want to turn this off! The column isn't entirely fixed width. When you reduce the width of the window so that it is narrower than the column of text, then the column will resize to wrap. But it's well known that very wide columns of text are much more difficult to read than narrower ones. So I set Scrivener 3 to use a default column width a bit wider than a paperback so that it's not too narrow on wider screens but is still easy to read. It also makes the text a little more stable for navigating at different window sizes. I have found writing in Scrivener *so* much nicer because of it. I don't like using page view when writing, but I never liked having text so wide either, so this provides the best of both worlds.

But, as ever, you can of course turn it off if you want, as you have found. I'm going to write a blog post on tips for Scrivener 2 users upgrading to Scrivener 3 and will include this in it. Even if I think you're all crazy.

[devinganger]

I'm surprised people want to turn this off!

I wonder if this isn't a by-product of the divide between people who feel they need to see their text formatted as closely as possible to their imagine output at all times vs. those who don't worry about it until Compile.

[FadedStardust]

I'm surprised people want to turn this off!

But, as ever, you can of course turn it off if you want, as you have found. I'm going to write a blog post on tips for Scrivener 2 users upgrading to Scrivener 3 and will include this in it. Even if I think you're all crazy.

I'm with you on this one, Keith! On Scriv 1 for Windows, there is no pagination or width options, and I always find myself stretching out the Binder and Inspector to crazy funny widths in order to "narrow" the text box to make it more readable. Upon opening the new Beta and seeing the false "pagination" the OP mentioned, I was super happy!

[AmberV]

… it would really be helpful to include the phrase “wrap text” in there somewhere. “Fixed width” was not a phrase that came to mind.

I’m not familiar with the term as you’re using it. What would that be in opposition to? To me text that isn’t wrapped means each paragraph is on one line and you need to scroll horizontally to read the entire paragraph. There is nothing in Scrivener like that, so referring to it as wrapped, merely because it wraps an inch earlier than it would otherwise, doesn’t make sense to me.

I’m happy to consider it to be clear, like I say I am not familiar with the jargon though, perhaps having come more from a text editor context than Word and such.

That aside, definitely count me in the group that prefers a book-ish wide text column to work in. How anyone can manage writing and editing with a 13" wide line of text is beyond me!

[dberreby]

I'm surprised people want to turn this off!

I wonder if this isn't a by-product of the divide between people who feel they need to see their text formatted as closely as possible to their imagine output at all times vs. those who don't worry about it until Compile.

I agree. Another element is that some of us with small screens (I'm on a 13" MB Pro) have kicked up magnification to make text easy to read. My Scrivener default is 200 % magnification, So when I go full screen the lines don't look (to me anyway) that much longer than they would on a sheet of paper.

I haven't installed my newly purchased v3 yet because I have a big project to finish in v2 and don't want to get tripped up in new prefs, functions, etc. But when I do install I will turn off the fixed width option.

David

[KB]

I would try the fixed width option before turning it off, David. It's much improved over Scrivener 2's, and, as I say, wraps when you narrow the editor.

[dberreby]

I would try the fixed width option before turning it off, David. It's much improved over Scrivener 2's, and, as I say, wraps when you narrow the editor.

Fair enough. No sense adding salt before tasting what the chef has prepared! Looking forward to moving up to 3. Just have to finish one more long piece.

Best, as ever,
David

[SarsenLintel]

I found that once I unchecked the option to centre the editor that I liked the fixed width much better. I tend to sit a bit left of centre with respect to my monitor, so turning off the centring option brought the text back in front of me rather than off to the side. YMMV of course.

[Silverdragon]

I'm surprised people want to turn this off! The column isn't entirely fixed width. When you reduce the width of the window so that it is narrower than the column of text, then the column will resize to wrap. But it's well known that very wide columns of text are much more difficult to read than narrower ones. So I set Scrivener 3 to use a default column width a bit wider than a paperback so that it's not too narrow on wider screens but is still easy to read. It also makes the text a little more stable for navigating at different window sizes. I have found writing in Scrivener *so* much nicer because of it. I don't like using page view when writing, but I never liked having text so wide either, so this provides the best of both worlds.

But, as ever, you can of course turn it off if you want, as you have found. I'm going to write a blog post on tips for Scrivener 2 users upgrading to Scrivener 3 and will include this in it. Even if I think you're all crazy.

Of course we're all crazy. We're writers.

I have an 11" MacBook Air, so the main window is not too wide at full width with the binder and inspector visible. If I have a really big screen available I'll split the editor vertically. Composition mode with its fake little piece of paper in the middle, and the sides empty wasting screen space drives me bonkers. Never use it. First thing I did on iOS Scrivener last year was turn on full width....

Hate narrow width fake paperback. Hate hate hate. Thank you SO much for providing a way to turn it off! <3 (Unlike some other writing software developers I could mention...)

[Fitch]

I really like the new version of fixed width that wraps automatically. I go back and forth between an iMac with three 27" monitors and a 15" MBP. I almost always have the screen split vertically with the outline view on the right and the window I'm writing in on the left on either the MBP or the iMac. The only difference is that I have the binder and inspector hidden on the MBP so they only show up if I move to cursor to the corresponding edge of the screen.

Fitch