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yWriter - software for book writers

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October 26, 2024 - 1:40pm
#1
rbon
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Joined: 2011-04-30 13:26
yWriter - software for book writers

(description from author's website)
yWriter is a word processor which breaks your novel into chapters and scenes, helping you keep track of your work while leaving your mind free to create. It will not write your novel for you, suggest plot ideas or perform creative tasks of any kind. yWriter was designed by an author, not a salesman!
I realise Word, OpenOffice and other modern word processors have outlining features, but they don't have snapshot backups to sequential files like yWriter does. Roll back scenes to where they were half an hour ago, or re-read a version from four months ago - yWriter stores them all, automatically.

yWriter will export selected chapters to RTF format. Proof them, check the grammar, then import them back in again!
yWriter7 now includes Epub and Mobi export. (BETA feature)

Feature list:
• Organise your novel using a project.
• Add chapters to the project.
• Add scenes, characters, items and locations.
• Display the word count for every file in the project, along with a total.
• Saves a log file every day, showing words per file and the total. (Tracks your progress)
• Saves automatic backups at user-specified intervals.
• Allows multiple scenes within chapters
• Viewpoint character, goal, conflict and outcome fields for each scene.
• Multiple characters per scene.
• Storyboard view, a visual layout of your work.
• Re-order scenes within chapters.
• Drag and drop of chapters, scenes, characters, items and locations.
• Automatic chapter renumbering.
... And many more

Links:
• website: https://www.spacejock.com/yWriter7.html
• download page: https://www.spacejock.com/yWriter7_Download.html
• direct download no-install rel. 7.1.5.2: https://www.spacejock.com/files/yWriter7.zip
• direct download no-install Beta rel. 7.1.5.8: https://www.spacejock.com/files/yWriter7Beta.zip

System requirement:
• Windows 7 or higher
• Windows .NET Runtime 4.8 or higher

Other releases:
• yWriter5 for Windows XP: https://www.spacejock.com/files/yWriter5.zip
• yWriter6 for Windows Vista: https://www.spacejock.com/files/yWriter6.zip

Other S.O.
• MacOS: https://www.spacejock.com/yWriterMac.html
• Android: https://www.spacejock.com/yWriterAndroid.html

Support on Google Groups: https://groups.google.com/g/ywriter

Screenshot: https://www.spacejock.com/images/yWriter7Main.png

Price:
yWriter (for Windows) is freeware, but You are encouraged to register your copy.

Review:
• Softpedia: https://www.softpedia.com/get/PORTABLE-SOFTWARE/Authoring-Tools/yWriter-...

About portability:
1. download the .zip package and extract it in your favorite folder
2. run yWriter7.exe (or other release for XP or Vista)

yWriter (.zip version) is no-install, but I don't have checked if it writes its settings in (Windows) Registry or %APPDATA%.

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October 29, 2024 - 5:30pm
RaphaelRB
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Last seen: 4 days 22 hours ago
Joined: 2011-07-20 11:10
Amazing program.

It's an amazing program and I do hope someone could make it portable in PAF format.

You said:
yWriter (.zip version) is no-install, but I don't have checked if it writes its settings in (Windows) Registry or %APPDATA%.

Well, at the botton of download page it's written "You can run my programs from a memory stick", followed by a link where Simon Haynes explains that

When you run one of my apps from a memory stick it will try to create a data folder in the logged-in user's Documents folder on the host PC, and it will also try to put its settings in C:\Documents and Settings\ [...]

and

To override this, you MUST create an ini file in the program folder on the memory stick.

(In a few words, just unzip it to any folder and put a empty file named yWriter7.ini on this same folder.)

Unfortunately, even doing the above procedure, it still creates a folder in C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\ called Spacejock Software. Fortuatelly, no files in it, just empty subfolder.

I checked Windows Registry for "yWriter" and "Spacejock" and found some entries, although I believe they are created by Windows itself and just because I've ran yWriter7 for a folder on drive C, not a USB stick). These are:

  • A key (folder) "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Tracing\yWriter7_RASAPI32" with some values inside.
  • A key "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Tracing\yWriter7_RASMANCS" with same keys inside.
  • An empty key "HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Tracing\yWriter7_RASMANCS".
  • Values in keys "HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\bam\State\UserSettings\S[numbers], "HKEY_USERS\S[numbers]\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FeatureUsage\AppSwitched" and "HKEY_USERS\S[numbers]\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Compatibility Assistant\Store" pointing to the folder and file where yWriter7 is located.

I hope it helps someone to do a PAF version of this software.

RaphaelRB - Brazil

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October 29, 2024 - 5:55pm
rbon
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Last seen: 15 sec ago
Joined: 2011-04-30 13:26
Thanks for your test.

Thanks for your test.
I also did a test and found that the installer (created with Inno Setup) has the following instructions for the registry:

[Registry]
Root: HKCR; Subkey: ".yw7"; ValueType: String; ValueData: "yWriter7"; Tasks: RegExtn; Flags: uninsdeletevalue
Root: HKCR; Subkey: "yWriter7"; ValueType: String; ValueData: "yWriter7 Project"; Tasks: RegExtn; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKCR; Subkey: "yWriter7\DefaultIcon"; ValueType: String; ValueData: "{app}\yWriter7.exe,0"; Tasks: RegExtn; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKCR; Subkey: "yWriter7\shell\open\command"; ValueType: String; ValueData: """{app}\yWriter7.exe"" ""%1"""; Tasks: RegExtn; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKCR; Subkey: ".yw6"; ValueType: String; ValueData: "yWriter7"; Tasks: RegExtn; Flags: uninsdeletevalue
Root: HKCR; Subkey: "yWriter7"; ValueType: String; ValueData: "yWriter7 Project"; Tasks: RegExtn; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKCR; Subkey: "yWriter7\DefaultIcon"; ValueType: String; ValueData: "{app}\yWriter7.exe,0"; Tasks: RegExtn; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKCR; Subkey: "yWriter7\shell\open\command"; ValueType: String; ValueData: """{app}\yWriter7.exe"" ""%1"""; Tasks: RegExtn; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKCR; Subkey: ".yw5"; ValueType: String; ValueData: "yWriter7"; Tasks: RegExtn; Flags: uninsdeletevalue
Root: HKCR; Subkey: "yWriter7"; ValueType: String; ValueData: "yWriter7 Project"; Tasks: RegExtn; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKCR; Subkey: "yWriter7\DefaultIcon"; ValueType: String; ValueData: "{app}\yWriter7.exe,0"; Tasks: RegExtn; Flags: uninsdeletekey
Root: HKCR; Subkey: "yWriter7\shell\open\command"; ValueType: String; ValueData: """{app}\yWriter7.exe"" ""%1"""; Tasks: RegExtn; Flags: uninsdeletekey

The exe installer version is preferable because it can export the book to LaTex https://www.latex-project.org/.

Differences between the zip archive and exe Installer:
- yWriter7 zip file: size 4.7 mb
- yWriter7 exe installer: size 9.7 mb

In detail:
- zip archive has these subfolders:
--> help
--> Languages
exe installer has these subfolders:
--> Help
--> Languages
--> Dict
--> LaTex Headers
--> Themes

yWriter7 Stable exe installer: https://www.spacejock.com/files/yWriter7Full.exe

In any case, for portabilize (create a PAF installer) a freeware program, it is necessary to ask the authorization to author (who can also refuse).

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