4/9/2023 0 Comments Byword markup notation![]() ![]() Time to Write - Composing in Ulysses is straightforward. It’s an imperfect option, however, because some Ulysses features (such as image embedding) don’t work in externally loaded files. There is an exception to this rule: Ulysses also supports “external folders,” meaning you can point the app at a Mac folder to access and modify text files therein. ![]() It’s a single-library app, and all your content lives inside, much like Apple’s Notes and Photos apps. Groups include subgroup support with a familiar nesting behavior.Īlthough groups map conceptually to folders and sheets to files, Ulysses departs from other plain-text editors in that you cannot readily locate its content outside the app. The sheet for this story is in a TidBITS group, for instance. Sheets are organized into groups, which appear in the library. It takes a three-column approach with a composing area on the right, an organizing sidebar or “library” on the left, and a document or “sheet” listing in the middle. However, its more complex interface design is easy to grasp after a while. ![]() Interface Overview - As a sometime user of Byword, a popular Markdown app that is aggressively minimalist, I found Ulysses a bit daunting at first. I like minimalism, but at the same time, I’m a control freak about keeping things organized meticulously, and Ulysses scratches both itches nicely. I’ve yet to fathom why the language is so popular among a certain species of Apple user, but I appreciate Ulysses all the same (I wrote this article in it). Ulysses users don’t have to be obsessed with Markdown. But Ulysses is more ambitious than other Markdown editors in its organizational capabilities, and it adds features (like image embedding) that simpler writing apps leave out. Ulysses also is Markdown-centric, with users applying the syntax by default. They typically support Markdown, a plain-text markup language used for composing and converting to HTML and other formats. In this regard, it’s more like those minimal apps I mentioned. And it doesn’t have collaborative editing capabilities like Google Docs.Īt its core, Ulysses focuses on plain text. It’s also unlike Scrivener, which bristles with organizing features for long-form writers, such as novelists who wrestle with plot outlines, character lists, and story arcs. Ulysses is not like Word or Pages, which blend word processing with desktop publishing to fashion complex documents that incorporate intricate layouts with all manner of imagery and typography. What It Is… and Is Not - Before I go further, I should make crystal-clear what Ulysses is – and isn’t – in general terms. I’ll focus on the Mac version here but dip into aspects of the iOS app that are important. Both Ulysses apps last week underwent another, smaller upgrade to add a handful of additional features – such as blog publishing. The iPad version received an update that added iPhone support. The apps’ publisher, a German outfit called the Soulmen, updated the Mac version in March 2016 – and snagged an Apple Design Award for it during WWDC 2016. Then there’s Ulysses, a Mac and iOS writing app that also attempts to strike a balance between simplicity and raw power – but in a way that is a departure from the familiar. Apple’s Pages and Google Docs are feature-rich, each in their own way, but not to the point of absurdity like the insanely complicated Word. Some writing apps stick to a middle ground. These apps range from the complex (such as Microsoft Word and Literature & Latte’s Scrivener) to the minimalist (like Byword and iA Writer). The sheer number and variety of writing apps for Apple users can be vertigo-inducing, and I’ve tried my share. Writing App Ulysses Blends Power and SimplicityĪs a writer with a tech bent, I’ve long been obsessed with writing apps – which I define as software I would use to compose articles like this one, along with blog posts and other kinds of prose. #1645: AirPlay iPhone to Mac for remote video, Siri learns to restart iPhones, Apple's Q1 2023 financials.1646: Security-focused OS updates, Photos Workbench review, Mastodon client wishlist, Apple-related conferences.1647: Focus-caused notification issues, site-specific browser examples, virtualizing Windows on M-series Macs.#1648: iPhone passcode thefts, Center Cam improves webcam eye contact, APFS Uncertainty Principle.#1649: More LastPass breach details and 1Password switch, macOS screen saver problem, tvOS 16.3.3 fixes Siri Remote bug. ![]()
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