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infuriated by word and thus need help

Posted: 2010-07-02 16:21:07
by shadeofgrey
1. are there any tutorial videos for using nisus available to those that buy pro?
2. my primary reason for buyimng nisus is because im fed up with doing something in word only to have it autoformat something every time i start a new line only to go back and have to do it again.... and word NEVER learns! so heres what im trying to do:

first and foremost i need to know if nisus is capable of auto-formatting text and replacing given text strings with something else. For exqmple, becaujswe i can only type one handed it would be very useful (im an author and need to write very large files that include a LOT of dialogue) if when i typed something like // it automatically got changed to " so i wouldnt have to hit the shift key. also, how do i specify a list of words that i want changed... for example: auto-replacing shouldmt with shouldn't and all other contractions?

finally -- the thing that i cant stand in word the most (and this also has to do with the fact that im an author) i cant write a novel withoutfirst compiling all my research and whatnot, but that implies creating very complicated outlines that are neverending nested lists... i know that theres an outline list style - but how do i change that style so that the following is true:
- EVERY heading regardless of whether its a I. or A. how do i bold the automatically created part?
- how do i set the entire outline style to function so that whenever it aujtocreates something it DOESNT add lots of space? in word it will sometimes put ungodly amounts of blank space inbetween style markers and that drives me insane. also - how do i specify that i want blank lines between certain levels in the outline style?

word creates lists like this:
I. text
A. text
B. text
C. text

i want it to look like this:
I. text

A, Text

B, Text

C. Text

Finally, how do i specify how far i want different levels of the outline style indented?

...i cant begin to tell you how many hours i have wasted just trying to get my outlines to look the way that i want. i recognise that microsoft is a great company, but its my computer and if they are going to automatically move my text around for me they should at least make it easy for me to TELL it how i want automatically generated lists and other text to look. Im sure that somewhere, there are options that do change all the things that i want to do, but the thing that killed word at least for me is that they added all that complex functionality, totally neglected to provide users with a manual, and didnt make the menus self explanitory so its almost impossible to bend to your will.

THATS why i bought Nisus. Heres to hoping that all i hope for is possible.

-Chris
for those of you that feel compelled to answer me directly dont hesitate to email shadeofgrey@gmail.com

p.s. is there a phone number to call during the week if i have tech support questions?

Re: infuriated by word and thus need help

Posted: 2010-07-02 17:49:29
by martin
Hello Chris. I hope Nisus Writer and you end up having happy writings. On to your questions:
shadeofgrey wrote:1. are there any tutorial videos for using nisus available to those that buy pro?
There aren't any videos, but there's plenty of text to read. To read the User Guide / Manual, use the menu Help > Nisus Writer Pro Help with within Nisus Writer Pro (NWP). Searching here on the forum can also be quite helpful.
first and foremost i need to know if nisus is capable of auto-formatting text and replacing given text strings with something else. For exqmple, becaujswe i can only type one handed it would be very useful (im an author and need to write very large files that include a LOT of dialogue) if when i typed something like // it automatically got changed to " so i wouldnt have to hit the shift key. also, how do i specify a list of words that i want changed... for example: auto-replacing shouldmt with shouldn't and all other contractions?
NWP has this feature, and you can configure the substitutions in the "QuickFix" area of the preferences. The list of typos/corrections is configurable by language, so each language you work in can have different set of substitutions.

If you want to have your corrections include richer content (eg: formatting like fonts, tables, images, etc) you can use our Glossary system. Basically it works like typo correction, but the substitution can include any content producible in a NWP document.
- EVERY heading regardless of whether its a I. or A. how do i bold the automatically created part?
1. Switch to the Style Sheet view.
2. From the list of styles on the left, choose the list style you are working with.
3. From the preview on the right, select all list levels.
4. Apply any formatting you want, like bold.
- how do i set the entire outline style to function so that whenever it aujtocreates something it DOESNT add lots of space? in word it will sometimes put ungodly amounts of blank space inbetween style markers and that drives me insane.
Do you mean the space between the list bullet/number and the start of the paragraph's actual text? You can control that using the List palette and the indentation amount labelled "text".
how do i specify that i want blank lines between certain levels in the outline style?
You'll want to adjust the "after" paragraph spacing, in the Paragraph palette. If you want to apply/control the spacing uniformly and automatically via styles, you'll have to first create a paragraph style in your stylesheet. Once that's done, you can add a list style to that paragraph style, and configure the paragraph spacing. Then, in the normal document area, you can apply just that paragraph style, which will enforce the list and spacing you configured.
Finally, how do i specify how far i want different levels of the outline style indented?
You'll go back to the stylesheet and configure the list levels. Select them one at a time and adjust the indents in the List palette, or move the ruler's indent markers around.
for those of you that feel compelled to answer me directly dont hesitate to email
Although our users are nice helpful people, this is a public forum viewable by anyone on the internet; it might not be the best idea to post your email address for all the world to see.
p.s. is there a phone number to call during the week if i have tech support questions?
We do have a phone number on our support page, though we prefer to be contacted via email.