Writing modes

The setting, the counts and the tools switch together to match the kind of writing in front of you. A mode belongs to the reader, not to the document.

What a mode changes at once

A mode bundles four axes: the setting, meaning measure, typeface and leading; the counts in the status bar; the side panels such as outline and footnotes; and which blocks reach the slash menu. What a paper needs and what a novel needs differ, so you swap the whole set instead of flipping switches one by one.

The seven modes

ModeWhat it turns on
plainDefault. Nothing switched on, just character and word counts
focusFocus. Only the caret paragraph stays lit, the toolbar hides, typewriter scrolling
bookManuscript. Serif setting, first line indent, scene breaks, manuscript pages, chapter outline
paperPaper. Automatic heading numbers, footnotes with a rail, justified text, outline
essayEssay. A length goal with a progress bar, read time, typewriter scrolling
scriptScreenplay. Scene, character, parenthetical, dialogue and transition blocks with Tab cycling
techdocTech doc. Code and table first in the slash menu, heading numbers, outline

A mode is not saved into the document

The mode you pick stays on this device. Opening the same document in another mode changes nothing in the content; only the setting and the tools move. A footnote added in paper mode, a dialogue line written in screenplay mode, a scene break placed in manuscript mode all render in every mode. Switching modes cannot damage the manuscript.

Adding footnotes

  • In paper mode press the footnote button in the toolbar, or type / on an empty line and pick Footnote.
  • The body keeps only a superscript number, and a footnote list appears below the document. You write the text in that list.
  • Numbers are not stored; they are recomputed in document order. Insert a footnote earlier and the later ones renumber on their own.
  • To remove a footnote from the body, delete the superscript marker. The X button in the list does the same.

Screenplay blocks and Tab

In screenplay mode, Tab cycles the block on the current line through action, scene, character, parenthetical, dialogue and transition. Hold Shift to cycle the other way. Enter follows the screenplay flow: press it on a character line and you land in dialogue, press it in dialogue and you are back in action.

The counts in the status bar

Every number in the status bar is counted straight from the document body. A manuscript page is 200 characters, a page is 1,800 characters, and read time assumes 500 characters per minute for CJK text or 220 words per minute otherwise. Hover an item to see its basis. Table cell text lives outside the body buffer, so it is not included in the character count.

Setting the mode in an embed

The same modes are available on the site you embed into. Pass a builtin name, or start from the nearest one and override a few fields to make your own. If you also pass an individual option, the individual option wins.

Typdit.create(el, { writingMode: 'paper' })

// 가까운 모드에서 몇 칸만 바꿔 새 모드로
Typdit.create(el, {
  writingMode: {
    id: 'minutes',
    extends: 'techdoc',
    label: 'Meeting notes',
    goal: { unit: 'words', target: 400 },
    layout: { measure: '32rem', numberHeadings: false },
  },
  writingLabels: { words: 'Words', goal: 'Goal' },
})
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