Moving to non-Word formats [long] (was: Re: Having trouble finding a word in multiple files

[rikona]

On Tue, 16 Jun 2020 01:02:49 +0200
Liam Proven <lproven at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Tue, 16 Jun 2020 at 00:38, Mike Marchywka <marchywka at hotmail.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > This has always puzzled me as some pdf "forms" are so awful I can't
> > get the local UPS store that specializes in things like this to
> > even print them without a huge hassle. They need data- a
> > csv file would do. Why is there still "paperwork" on a computer ?
> > Humans can read a csv file too...  
> 
> Oh, yes, agreed.
> 
> I bought a battered old Lexmark laser printer and ancient Epson
> SCSI/USB1 scanner to Czechia with me. I regularly need both. At least
> once a month, for 6 years, someone emails me a form which I must print
> out, sign, scan and email back. >_<
> 
> > What exactly is "outline mode?"  
> 
> I had a look because I thought I must have blogged about this, but I
> can't see anything.
> 
> http://outliners.scripting.com/
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outliner
> 
> There are 2 kinds: single-pane and dual-pane.  There are lots of FOSS
> dual-pane outliners, but as a writer, they are useless to me.
> 
> A dual-pane outliner draws a tree, like a directory tree, in the left
> pane. The end of each branch is a document.
> 
> A single-pane outliner is a totally different beast.
> 
> It's a mode of text-editing which gives a text file (a one-dimensional
> document: beginning to end) a _structure_. It's not 2D like a
> spreadsheet grid but it's sort of 1.5D.
> 
> Think of a bulleted list. One with multiple levels:
> 
> 1
> 1 a
> 1 b
> 1 c i
> 1 c ii
> 1 c iii
> 1 c iv
> 1 d
> 
> Now, imagine you can bump stuff up and down a level with Tab and
> Shift-Tab. When you do, all the others renumber automatically.
> 
> Now, imagine that this list editor lets you move entries under other
> entries, or promote sub-entries up, and merge and split entries.
> 
> Finally, imagine you can say "show me the top 3 levels and collapse
> everything lower" or "show all" or "only show headings". Or you can
> hide just one entry's sub-headings, or hide them all and then expand
> just one.
> 
> Finally, take away the numbering. :-) It's not needed.
> 
> It's a _far_ more flexible way of editing long documents than any
> flat, 1D editor.
> 
> So, for example, the previous tech-writing contract to now gave me a
> 3D printer, a service mechanic, and a copy of another company's
> unrelated product manual. I had 3 months to make a service manual for
> the 3D printer.
> 
> Step 1, I entered all the headings from the other product manual into
> an outline. I saved it. 2-3 pages.
> Step 2, I edited all the headings so they related to the 3D printer
> instead. Same length, 2-3pp.
> Then I showed this to the client, who approved it.
> Step 3, I added subheadings to every section detailing what it would
> contain, and then subheadings to all of them, until all the conceptual
> stages were mapped out. 10pp.
> Step 4, with the engineer, we tried to work out which bits would need
> more detail and which less. 20pp.
> Step 5, we started disassembling and reassembling bits, while I made
> LOTS of notes, some on paper and some directly into the outline. 75
> pages.
> Step 6, we reviewed, revised, resequenced. 100pp.
> Step 7, I did all the steps, from my notes, and fleshed them out as
> necessary, I imported a parts list, direct into the outline.
> Step 8, I wrote intros and so on from scratch.
> Step 9, I told Word to insert a table of contents and an index. It
> could do this entirely automatically because every paragraph and every
> step had a position in one giant structure, and some had numbers etc.
> (250pp.) I also added pictures at this stage.
> 
> Also, bear in mind, everything has styles automatically applied, live,
> and changing as the structure changes. Promote or demote an item, its
> style changes according to its position.
> 
> Then once the draught doc was approved, I got a stylesheet from the
> marketing team and made a stylesheet with all the company fonts and
> colours etc. I then applied the stylesheet to my outline and Word
> magically formatted the now 350+ page manual in the company styles.
> 
> A single doc, from planning to repro-ready copy. No conversions, no
> formatting stages, nothing.
> 
> At any point, at any time, I could instantly zoom out to headline
> level, move to the section I wanted, and drill down, without ever
> knowing or caring what page number it was or anything. It's an
> immensely powerful _navigation_ tool as well.
> 
> It's an almost incredibly powerful tool and no other leading
> wordprocessor has anything like it. WordPerfect doesn't, LibreOffice
> doesn't, AbiWord or KWord or anything.
> 
> Kingsoft WPS Office has a very clunky one, but it's not FOSS and it's
> got the horrid Ribbon interface, which I loathe.
> 
> Outline mode is the one thing that keeps Word my go-to writing tool
> of choice.

That is exactly the same for me! I have tried to find other outliners
that are as good, but so far NO success. I no longer produce "documents"
though, so I do use other writing tools.

Rik