</B>Z-Write is customizable to the way you work via preference settings. You access the Preferences window via the Preferences command on the File menu.
<P>The Preferences window is divided into several tabbed panes, with each panel allowing you to change various settings. These are briefly explained within the "hothelp" feature within the dialog box, but here's more detail about each option.
<B><P>General Preferences
</B>The General area lets you set various preferences for how Z-Write operates. These options apply to all documents.
<I><P>Tab Key
</I><P>Unlike some word processors, Z-Write does not support tabs or tables. To align text you'll have to use a monospaced font (like Monaco) and use spaces. When you press the tab key or import text containing tabs, Z-Write will replace the tabs with spaces. This is where you specify how many spaces Z-Write uses in place of each tab character.
<I><P>Autosave
</I><P>Use this feature to have Z-Write automatically save your document at regular intervals. You set the time between saves in minutes. Set it to zero if you don't want Z-Write to save your document automatically.
<I><P>Show Seconds on Clock
</I><P>Set this if you want the clock in the lower right corner of documents to display seconds. (On slower Macs, updating the clock less frequently can speed operations.)
<I><P>Buttonbar Visible by Default
</I><P>Set this if you want new documents to have a buttonbar or not. This only affects new documents. Z-Write will remember the buttonbar state for each document when it is saved.
<I><P>Smart Quotes
</I><P>Here you can turn on Z-Write's "Smart Quotes" feature. Smart quotes are sometimes called curly quotes, since they curl in and out depending on if they are at the beginning or ending of a phrase. Smart quotes give your work a more "typeset" look, but they aren't always compatible across platforms. On Macs you can type curly left and right doublequotes with Option-[ and Option-Shift-[, but that's not the easiest. Z-Write will replace standard quotes with curly quotes as you type if you turn on the "Automatic Smart Quotes" feature. If Z-Write types the curly quote in the wrong direction (which can happen if Z-Write is unsure whether you're at the beginning of a phrase or not), don't panic – just press the same quote key again and Z-Write will just change the quote's direction. (You can also convert between smart and straight quotes via the commands on the convert menu – useful for text you've already typed or you're preparing to e-mail.)
<I><P>Date/Time Formats
</I><P>Since Z-Write has handy tools for allowing you to insert the Date and Time within your document (such as clicking on the document's clock in the lower right corner), it allows you to set the format used (such as "7/4/99" versus "Sunday, July 4, 1999"). In fact, Z-Write lets you pick two formats: a primary and a secondary. If you Option-click the date or time clocks (or hold down Option while you choose Insert Date or Insert Time from the Utilities menu) Z-Write will use the alternate format.
<P>A powerful secondary feature of this is that you can map Glossary items to a Secondary format. Simply choose the glossary name from the popup menus to assign it to that function. This is mainly for creating custom date/time stamps. For instance, you could have a stamp that prints out "Modified Wednesday, July 7, 1999 at 9:16:31 PM." Rather than piece that together with several clicks of the mouse and some typing, simple create a glossary item that reads like this: "Modified #d at #t." When you call the glossary item, Z-Write will replace the "#d" with the primary date and "#t" with the primary time. Once you've mapped a glossary item to, for example, the secondary date function, option-clicking the date would execute your glossary (instead of the regular date routine).
<I><P>Spelling Checker
</I><P>Since Z-Write uses the free Excalibur spelling checker, you must have downloaded and installed it for Z-Write to allow the checking of spelling. To prevent you from selecting spelling without installing Excalibur, you must enable spelling within the Preferences dialog before the Check Spelling command is available. You only have to do this once. There's a handy button within the window to copy the Excalibur URL to the clipboard for you so you can visit the website at your convenience.
<B><P>Printing Options
</B>The Printing tab of the Preferences dialog lets you modify Z-Write's printing options.
<B><P>Important</B>: Printing options can be <I>global</I> (affecting all new documents) or <I>document-specific</I> (affecting only the current document). If you have a document open, changing any print option will only apply to that document. If you have no documents open, changing print settings will create default settings that apply to any new documents you create.
<I><P>Margins
</I><P>This is where you specify the top, bottom, left, and right margins for your document. Measurements are in inches.
<I><P>Header/Footer
</I><P>TThe "Edit Header/Footer" button allows you to customize either
the Header and Footer of the current document, or the Default Header
and Footer, which are used for all <I>new </I>documents. (See the "Headers
and Footers" section for specific details.) You can also turn the header
and footer off or on here.
<I><P>Line Spacing
</I><P>Z-Write also lets you set the leading, or line spacing (the space between lines of type). By default Z-Write uses the typesetting standard of 120% (so 12-point text prints with 14.4 points of leading). This is a line spacing of one. You can set your line spacing to 1.5 (150%), 2 (200%), or 3 (300%). Note that this setting is global to the entire document: it affects everything that is printed. There is no way to set a particular paragraph to a different amount of leading.
<P>Z-Write uses proportional leading, so if you make some text in the middle of a paragraph extra-large, the leading will be different for that line.
<I><P>Sections Start On New Page
</I><P>This option automatically puts in a page break at the beginning of a Section when you are printing multiple Sections. (You can manually insert page breaks wherever you want with the Insert Page Break menu command.)
<I><P>Auto-Resize
</I><P>The most innovative print feature of Z-Write is the "Auto-Resize" option. This allows you to enter in a number (in typeface points), and Z-Write will resize all text in your document by the specified amount. If you enter a positive number, the text is enlarged. If you enter a negative number, the text is shrunk. For example, a "-2" would make all 14-point text print as 12-point, and 18-point subheads would print as 16-point.
<P>The advantage of Auto-Resize is that it allows you to edit your text at a large, readable size, then print it at a more appropriate 10- or 12-point. This is better than using the percentage reduction feature of your print driver, as that reduces the entire page, giving you distorted margins. Z-Write recomposes your document at print time at the new size, so it's also great for making more text fit on fewer pages.
<B><P>Document Defaults
</B>The settings here are used for all new documents.
<I><P>Default Font, Size, and Section Name
</I><P>Here you can specify the default font and font size Z-Write uses for new documents. There's also a place where you can put the default name for the Section when Z-Write creates a new document. (By default this is "Default" but you can change it to whatever you want.)
<P>The default font and size set here are used when you use the "Set all text to default font" menu command.
<I><P>On Launch
</I>Within this area you can specify what Z-Write does when launched. Check the "Do nothing" radio button if you don't want Z-Write to do anything. Check "Open blank document" if you want Z-Write to open an empty, untitled document. You can have Z-Write reopen the last file you were working with by choosing the "Open last file" option, or you can have Z-Write open a template file (see next section).
<I><h2>Templates</h2>
</I>Template files are standard Z-Write documents. Z-Write will simply make a duplicate of the file you specify and open it as an <I>untitled</I> document. Why is this good?
<P>While a default font is nice, sometimes you'd prefer more control over how Z-Write creates new documents. If you define a Template file – a Z-Write document with whatever settings, text, and Sections you'd like – Z-Write will automatically create a duplicate whenever you launch it.
<P>For instance, let's say you like to write short stories and you've got a nice Z-Write document with certain common sections you need for your stories. Tell Z-Write it's a template document and Z-Write will make a blank copy of it ready for writing. To set the default template, choose the "Open template" option and click the "Choose Template" button to select a file.
<P>If you've got a Template defined, you can choose "New" from the File menu while holding down the Option key and Z-Write will create a copy of your default template for you. (If you want to create a document from a different template, use the "Open Template" command.)
<B><h2>Printing</h2>
</B>Z-Write has a powerful Print Preview feature. This allows you to see your document on screen exactly as it will be printed without wasting paper. You can print a single Section or a group of Sections. When you choose the "Print Sections..." command from the file menu, you are presented with the "Select Sections" dialog. Click on the Sections you wish to print (Section names with a round bullet next to them will print). Sections always print in the same order as they appear in the document.
<P ALIGN="CENTER">
<I><P>Print Preview
</I><P>Within the Print Preview window, you can move between pages with the buttons on the screen, or use the left and right arrow keys. Holding down the Option key while clicking the Next or Previous page buttons or using an arrow key jumps you ten pages forward or backward. There are also buttons that take you to the first or last page of the document.
<P>You have the option of turning the print header or footer on or off. When you are ready to print, press the Print button.
<B><P>Warning</B>: Print Preview uses a considerable amount of memory. (There's no way around this; Z-Write essentially must draw the entire document in memory in order to show it to you.) You may need to allocate more RAM to Z-Write if you are printing long documents or many Sections. For instance, one of my novels is a 315K Z-Write document. I had to increase Z-Write's memory to nearly 20MB before I could print the entire thing at once! (Another solution is to print fewer Sections at once.)
<I><h2>Headers and Footers</h2>
</I><P>Z-Write supports flexible headers and footers that appear when your document is printed. Headers and footers can be any text you want, and you have the ability to specify the font, text size, color, and various style options for the text. You also can add a divider line which separates the header/footer from the body text, and you can set the thickness of the line.
<B><P>Note</B>: Z-Write's headers and footers always print centered within the top and bottom margins you've selected, so make sure you leave enough room for them to fit!
<P ALIGN="CENTER">
<P>While the header and footer text is limited to one line and one style of attributes (font, size, color, etc.), you have three alignment options. By default Z-Write flushes your text to the left. If you press the Tab key, Z-Write will type in <TAB> within the text line. This is a special code that Z-Write uses so you can see you've typed a tab (since tabs are invisible). Just like tabs in a regular word processor can align text in various ways, these special header/footer tabs will align your text.
<P>The first bit of text you type is flushed left. After the first <TAB>, however, the next bit is centered. After another <TAB>, the third bit is flushed right. This allows you to easily create a header with some text on the left, some centered, and some aligned on the right! If you wish your header to be only flushed right or centered, simply enter the appropriate number of <TAB>s (one for centering, two for flushed right) and no text before them. (See the examples below for more.)
<P>Z-Write's headers and footers also support print variables. These are very cool tags that allow you to insert special information that isn't known until print time (like the name of the current Section being printed, or the length of the document). The following variables are supported (which are replaced at print time):
<P> #d (print date)
<P> #t (print time)
<P> #p (current page number)
<P> ## (total pages being printed)
<P> #s (name of the current Section)
<P>You can type these codes manually, or you can use the handy popup menu in the Edit Header/Footer dialog box. The following are some examples of headers/footers:
<B><P>Example 1:</B> The Great Novel<TAB>#s<TAB>#d
<I><P>Prints like this</I>: The Great Novel Chapter One 10/04/99
<B><P>Example 2:</B> <TAB><TAB>Page #p of ##
<I><P>Prints like this</I>: Page 7 of 29
<P>Note that the Total Pages code is the total of pages being currently printed, not necessarily the length of your entire document. If you're only printing one Section, it's the length of that Section.
<P>As you type or change settings within your header or footer, the result is graphically previewed within the dialog box.
<B><h2>Exporting Text</h2>
</B>Z-Write is designed as a research and writing tool. For final production, you'll probably want to export the text you've created in Z-Write in a format other programs support. Z-Write allows you to export its text in one of three formats: styled text (Macintosh "Simpletext" format, readable by nearly any Mac program), HTML, and RTF (Rich Text Format). RTF is readable by many word processors such as Microsoft Word. You can also copy and paste text from Z-Write into other programs, and vice versa. Z-Write also supports "text clippings" – drag some text to your desktop to create a clipping file, or drag a clipping file into your document to import it.
<P>With all of the export options you are presented with Z-Write's standard "Select Sections" dialog which allows you to pick which Sections you wish to export (Sections marked "On" will be included in your export). If you choose multiple Sections, the text for each Section is combined into a single file. The text for each Section is labeled with "Section: Section Name" so you can easily find the various Sections.
<B><h2>HTML Export</h2>
</B>HTML export is a little more complicated. You can create a single file or export each selected Section as a separate file. If you choose the latter option (multiple files), you can have Z-Write generate a TOC (Table of Contents) file. This is a very basic HTML document with the title of your document and bulleted list of documents. Each of these is the name of a Section and is hotlinked to that document. The documents themselves are linked to each other via "Previous" and "Next" buttons, and to the TOC document via a "Contents" link. This makes it easy to put your document on the Web. If you'd like to enhance the look of the basic HTML documents Z-Write creates, you can edit the files within an HTML editor like Adobe PageMill or by hand if you know HTML.
<P>When you export any HTML there are two settings that effect the kind of HTML generated. You can set Z-Write to use all uppercase or lowercase HTML codes. This has no effect on performance or quality -- it's simply a subjective issue for people who like to edit HTML by hand. You can also set whether or not Z-Write uses FONT tags to preserve font information. If you turn this option on, the document should look the same within your browser as within Z-Write. If you're planning on publishing the document on the Web and you've used fonts others viewing the document may not have, it might be better to turn this option off (meaning the document will be displayed with whatever default font the user has set for their browser).
<B><h2>Rich Text Format (RTF) Export</h2>
</B>Rich Text Format is a text-based cross-platform format that preserves text formatting. Most word processors can interpret RTF. If someone would like you to send them a Microsoft Word file, RTF is an excellent substitute.
<P>There are no options for RTF Export. Simply select the Sections you'd like to export and enter the filename in the save dialog.
<h2>About Stone Table Software</h2><BR>
Stone Table Software released their first product, the popular freeware graphics utility ScanCalc, in 1996. The company was founded by Marc Zeedar, a graphic designer, freelance writer, and Mac enthusiast, with the idea of creating simple, innovative, useful tools that follow the Macintosh Way. In 2000 STS released their flagship product, Z-Write, a word processor for writers with several unique and innovative features. Z-Write is garnering praise and sighs of relief from writers around the globe. In addition to Mac programming, Marc is a columnist for MacOpinion.com, runs a graphic design studio, DesignWrite, and is actively writing two novels. Stone Table Software is based in Northern California, where Marc lives with his cats, Mischief and Mayhem.
<P><B>About the Author</B> <BR>
My name is Marc Zeedar. I've been using the Mac since '88, and computers since high school. (For some reason my ancient semi-compatible PC clone hasn't been touched, since, well, 1988. Gee, I wonder if there's a connection somewhere. ;-)
<P>I run my own graphic design company in Northern California called DesignWrite, producing a wide range of graphic communication pieces, including posters, brochures, newsletters, books, catalogs, calendars, and advertisements. I also do electronic publishing consulting, Macintosh training and seminars, and technical writing. (If you'd like more information on DesignWrite's services, please contact me or see my <a href="http://www.designwrite.com/">website</a>.) Programming is done in my "negative" spare time (i.e. the time I should be sleeping or having fun).
<P>I maintain a number of websites:<br>
<UL><LI><a href="http://www.svprint.com/pmscripting.html">The PageMaker Scripting Center</a>, for graphic designers who use Adobe PageMaker.
<LI><a href="http://designwrite.com/oneclick/index.html">OneClick Fan Page</a>, for fans of WestCode's amazing OneClick macro software.
<LI><I><a href="http://designwrite.com/havoc/index.html">The Wreakly Havoc</a></I>, my own neglected e-zine.
</UL>
<P>You can also find my opinion column, <I>Less Tangible</I>, at <a href="http://www.macopinion.com">MacOpinion</a>, and I sometimes write articles for <a href="http://www.applelinks.com">AppleLinks</a> and other sites.
<P>I got into programming in high school when I owned a PC clone and no software (or money to buy it with). Back then when I wanted software to do something I had to write it myself. Today I work as a graphic designer and I have ideas for all kinds of (seemingly) simple utilities that would make my life much easier, but no one is writing them. So I'm diving in and doing it myself. Z-Write is a terrific example of this process at work. I wrote it as something I'd like, but then figured others might find it useful.
<h2>Technical Specs (ugh!)</h2><BR>
Z-Write was entirely written in REAL Software's REALbasic, an absolutely incredible object-oriented programming environment. I encourage anyone interested in Mac programming but intimidated by the high learning curve to check out the REALbasic 30-day demo at <A HREF="http://www.realbasic.com/">http://www.realbasic.com/</A>. Believe it or not, I got this program working (opening and saving files) in less than 20 hours of programming time. That's partly because I was able to reuse some code from another project, but mostly because REALbasic is so easy. Adding extra features like find and replace and printing took longer, and bringing it to its current polished state took several hundred hours.
