yWriter import/export

Command reference

• Import from yWriter
• Import from yWriter for proof reading
• Character list
• Location list
• Item list
• Cross reference
• Export to yWriter
• Advanced features

HowTo

• How to set up a work in progress for export
• How to set up an outline for export

Import from yWriter

This will load yWriter 6/7 chapters and scenes into a new OpenDocument text document (odt).

• The document is placed in the same folder as the yWriter project.
• Document's filename: ‹yW project name›.odt.
• Text markup: Bold and italics are supported. Other highlighting such as underline and strikethrough are lost.
• Only "normal" chapters and scenes are imported. Chapters and scenes marked "unused", "todo" or "notes" are not imported.
• Only scenes that are intended for RTF export in yWriter will be imported.
• Comments in the text bracketed with slashes and asterisks (like /* this is a comment */) are converted to author's comments.
• Interspersed HTML, TEX, or RTF commands are taken over unchanged.
• Gobal variables and project variables are not resolved.
• Chapter titles appear as first level heading if the chapter is marked as beginning of a new section in yWriter. Such headings are considered as "part" headings.
• Chapter titles appear as second level heading if the chapter is not marked as beginning of a new section. Such headings are considered as "chapter" headings.
• Scene titles appear as navigable comments pinned to the beginning of the scene.
• Usually, scenes are separated by blank lines. The first line is not indented.
• Starting from the second paragraph, paragraphs begin with indentation of the first line.
• Scenes marked "attach to previous scene" in yWriter appear like continuous paragraphs.

Import from yWriter for proof reading

This will load yWriter 6/7 chapters and scenes into a new OpenDocument text document (odt) with chapter and scene markers. File name suffix is _proof.

• The proof read document is placed in the same folder as the yWriter project.
• Document's filename: ‹yW project name›_proof.odt.
• Text markup: Bold and italics are supported. Other highlighting such as underline and strikethrough are lost.
• All chapters and scenes will be exported, whether "used" or "unused".
• The document contains chapter [ChID:x] and scene [ScID:y] markers according to yWriter 5 standard. Do not touch lines containing the markers if you want to be able to reimport the document into yWriter.
• Back up your yWriter project and close yWriter before.

You can write back the proofread scenes to the yWriter 6/7 project file with the Export to yWriter command.

Character list

This will generate a new OpenDocument spreadsheet (ods) containing a character list that can be edited in Office Calc and written back to yWriter format. File name suffix is _charlist.

You may change the sort order of the rows. You may also add or remove rows. New entities must get a unique ID.

You can write back the edited table to the yWriter 6/7 project file with the Export to yWriter command.

Location list

This will generate a new OpenDocument spreadsheet (ods) containing a location list that can be edited in Office Calc and written back to yWriter format. File name suffix is _loclist.

You may change the sort order of the rows. You may also add or remove rows. New entities must get a unique ID.

You can write back the edited table to the yWriter 6/7 project file with the Export to yWriter command.

Item list

This will generate a new OpenDocument spreadsheet (ods) containing an item list that can be edited in Office Calc and written back to yWriter format. File name suffix is _itemlist.

You may change the sort order of the rows. You may also add or remove rows. New entities must get a unique ID.

You can write back the edited table to the yWriter 6/7 project file with the Export to yWriter command.

Cross reference

This will generate a new OpenDocument text document (odt) containing navigable cross references. File name suffix is _xref. The cross references are:

• Scenes per character,
• scenes per location,
• scenes per item,
• scenes per tag,
• characters per tag,
• locations per tag,
• items per tag.

Export to yWriter

This writes back the document's content to the yWriter project file.

• Make sure not to change a generated document's file name before writing back to yWriter format.
• The yWriter 6/7 project to rewrite must exist in the same folder as the document.
• If both yw6 and yw7 project files exist, yw7 is rewritten.
• If the document's file name has no suffix, the document is considered a Work in progress or an Outline to be exported into a newly created yWriter project. Note: Existing yWriter projects will not be overwritten.

How to set up a work in progress for export

Generate a new yWriter 7 project from a work in progress:

• The new yWriter project is placed in the same folder as the document.
• yWriter project's filename: ‹document name›.yw7.
• Existing yWriter 7 projects will not be overwritten.

How to format a work in progress:

A work in progress has no third level heading.

• Heading 1 –› New chapter title (beginning a new section).
• Heading 2 –› New chapter title.
• * * * –› Scene divider (not needed for the first scenes in a chapter).
• All other text is considered to be scene content.

How to set up an outline for export

Generate a new yWriter 7 project from an outline:

• The new yWriter project is placed in the same folder as the document.
• yWriter project's filename: ‹document name›.yw7.
• Existing yWriter 7 projects will not be overwritten.

How to format an outline:

An outline has at least one third level heading.

• Heading 1 –› New chapter title (beginning a new section).
• Heading 2 –› New chapter title.
• Heading 3 –› New scene title.
• All other text is considered to be chapter/scene description.