pywoo

The pywoo extension for OpenOffice: Import and export yWriter 7 projects with Python.

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yw7 import/export: advanced features

Warning!

The “advanced features” are meant to be used by experienced OpenOffice/LibreOffice users only. If you aren’t familiar with Calc and the concept of sections in Writer, please do not use the advanced features. There is a risk of damaging the project when writing back if you don’t respect the section boundaries in the ODT text documents, or if you mess up the IDs in the ODS tables. Be sure to try out the features with a test project first.

Command reference

Manuscript with chapter and scene sections

This will write yw7 chapters and scenes into a new OpenDocument text document (odt) with invisible chapter and scene sections (to be seen in the Navigator). File name suffix is _manuscript.

  • Only “normal” chapters and scenes are imported. Chapters and scenes marked “unused”, “todo” or “notes” are not imported.
  • Scenes beginning with <HTML> or <TEX> are not imported.
  • Comments within scenes are written back as scene titles if surrounded by ~.
  • 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.
  • Chapters and scenes can neither be rearranged nor deleted.
  • You can split scenes by inserting headings or a scene divider:
    • Heading 1 → New chapter title (beginning a new section). Optionally, you can add a description, separated by |.
    • Heading 2 → New chapter title. Optionally, you can add a description, separated by |.
    • ### → Scene divider. Optionally, you can append the scene title to the scene divider. You can also add a description, separated by |.
    • Note: Export documents with split scenes not more than once.
  • Paragraphs starting with > are formatted as quotations.
  • Text markup: Bold and italics are supported. Other highlighting such as underline and strikethrough are lost.

You can write back the scene contents and the chapter/part headings to the yw7 project file with the Export to yw7 command.

  • Comments within scenes are written back as scene titles if surrounded by ~.

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Scene descriptions

This will generate a new OpenDocument text document (odt) containing a full synopsis with chapter titles and scene descriptions that can be edited and written back to yw7 format. File name suffix is _scenes.

You can write back the scene descriptions and the chapter/part headings to the yw7 project file with the Export to yw7 command. Comments right at the beginning of the scene descriptions are written back as scene titles.

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Chapter descriptions

This will generate a new OpenDocument text document (odt) containing a brief synopsis with chapter titles and chapter descriptions that can be edited and written back to yw7 format. File name suffix is _chapters.

Note: Doesn’t apply to chapters marked This chapter begins a new section in yw7.

You can write back the headings and descriptions to the yw7 project file with the Export to yw7 command.

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Part descriptions

This will generate a new OpenDocument text document (odt) containing a very brief synopsis with part titles and part descriptions that can be edited and written back to yw7 format. File name suffix is _parts.

Note: Applies only to chapters marked This chapter begins a new section in yw7.

You can write back the headings and descriptions to the yw7 project file with the Export to yw7 command.

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Character descriptions

This will generate a new OpenDocument text document (odt) containing character descriptions, bio, goals, and notes that can be edited in Office Writer and written back to yw7 format. File name suffix is _characters.

You can write back the descriptions to the yw7 project file with the Export to yw7 command.

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Location descriptions

This will generate a new OpenDocument text document (odt) containing location descriptions that can be edited in Office Writer and written back to yw7 format. File name suffix is _locations.

You can write back the descriptions to the yw7 project file with the Export to yw7 command.

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Item descriptions

This will generate a new OpenDocument text document (odt) containing item descriptions that can be edited in Office Writer and written back to yw7 format. File name suffix is _items.

You can write back the descriptions to the yw7 project file with the Export to yw7 command.

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Scene list

This will generate a new OpenDocument spreadsheet (ods) listing the following:

  • Hyperlink to the manuscript’s scene section
  • Scene title
  • Scene description
  • Tags
  • Scene notes
  • A/R
  • Goal
  • Conflict
  • Outcome
  • Sequential scene number
  • Words total
  • Rating 1
  • Rating 2
  • Rating 3
  • Rating 4
  • Word count
  • Letter count
  • Status
  • Characters
  • Locations
  • Items

Only “normal” scenes that would be exported as RTF in yWriter get a row in the scene list. Scenes of the “Unused”, “Notes”, or “ToDo” type are omitted.

Scenes beginning with <HTML> or <TEX> are omitted.

File name suffix is _scenelist.

You can write back the table contents to the yw7 project file with the Export to yw7 command.

The following columns can be written back to the yw7 project:

  • Title
  • Description
  • Tags (comma-separated)
  • Scene notes
  • A/R (action/reaction scene)
  • Goal
  • Conflict
  • Outcome
  • Rating 1
  • Rating 2
  • Rating 3
  • Rating 4
  • Status (‘Outline’, ‘Draft’, ‘1st Edit’, ‘2nd Edit’, ‘Done’)

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Notes chapters

This will write yw7 “Notes” chapters with child scenes into a new OpenDocument text document (odt) with invisible chapter and scene sections (to be seen in the Navigator). File name suffix is _notes.

  • Comments within scenes are written back as scene titles if surrounded by ~.
  • Chapters and scenes can neither be rearranged nor deleted.
  • You can split scenes by inserting headings or a scene divider:
    • Heading 1 → New chapter title (beginning a new section). Optionally, you can add a description, separated by |.
    • Heading 2 → New chapter title. Optionally, you can add a description, separated by |.
    • ### → Scene divider. Optionally, you can append the scene title to the scene divider. You can also add a description, separated by |.
    • Note: Export documents with split scenes not more than once.
  • Paragraphs starting with > are formatted as quotations.
  • Text markup: Bold and italics are supported. Other highlighting such as underline and strikethrough are lost.

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Todo chapters

This will write yw7 “Todo” chapters with child scenes into a new OpenDocument text document (odt) with invisible chapter and scene sections (to be seen in the Navigator). File name suffix is _todo.

  • Comments within scenes are written back as scene titles if surrounded by ~.
  • Chapters and scenes can neither be rearranged nor deleted.
  • You can split scenes by inserting headings or a scene divider:
    • Heading 1 → New chapter title (beginning a new section). Optionally, you can add a description, separated by |.
    • Heading 2 → New chapter title. Optionally, you can add a description, separated by |.
    • ### → Scene divider. Optionally, you can append the scene title to the scene divider. You can also add a description, separated by |.
    • Note: Export documents with split scenes not more than once.
  • Paragraphs starting with > are formatted as quotations.
  • Text markup: Bold and italics are supported. Other highlighting such as underline and strikethrough are lost.

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