http://www.idkfa.com/v3 idkfa: syndicated http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=5173 My sense of elegance is probably a little warped, as my appreciation for algorithmic design and mathematical proofs is pretty much zero in the face of practicality and work deadlines. Elegance to a true computer scientist is being able to perform all iteration through functional recursion. Elegance to me is something that works surprisingly well, and fits the size of the problem at hand without overstepping boundaries or introducing unneeded dependency or complexity. The problem was this: Mediawiki, MoinMoin, and Liquid Story Binder all have the concept of document "association." That is, for a given document, based on its contents, the applications can tell you what implied and explicit links between two documents that an author has drawn. Mediawiki and MoinMoin support associations between documents based on what wikilinks exist between the documents. Liquid Story Binder simply associates commonly named files together into arbitrary containers. Of course, I wanted these features. But with Giterary, there is no "special database" to use in this way, and adding something like it would violate a number of the design principles I started with ("At the end of the day, everything in Giterary is just files," "Everything within reason should be editable with a text editor," "Don't use proprietary or closed-source storage formats"). The Git repository database doesn't store much more than directory state, and while that is sufficient to solve the problem, you would have to search the entire directory every time you ask for Orphaned or Wanted pages. It would also introduce complexity in what it would take to install the software, and introduce a dependency on something that was completely optional. Another solution would be to create a human-readable database file that could be "queried" upon user request. While this would work, it would not scale well. As you added more and more kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Indiscernible from Magic Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:08:17 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=5173 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=5135 So, I'm still working on this. And will continue to work on it. The following are features I've added since the announcement. TODO searching now extends to TBD, with added highlighting, better searching, and contextually-relevant search output ("Not only did I match the line, but I matched this part in the line...") Considerable cleanup with textual outputs causing tabular row output to wrap lines, over-extend boundaries, etc. Listing a directory now shows the latest commit that occurred to, or within a given directory (useful for showing changes in aggregate, rather than one-by-one). Introduced the concept of tagging, whereby an author can tag a document with one or more tags (character names, setting names, scene types, etc.), and search on them. Tag searches can be combined to list things like "All scenes with both characters X and Y." Introduced the concept of templates, whereby an author can create a new page based on the contents of another. Useful for quickly creating new pages with pre-populated structures. Modified the concept of collections. Previously, they served only to collect multiple pages and render them sequentially. Collections can now be rendered as either collections or "lists," which are just ordered lists of matching pages. Collections can also filter on tags, making it possible to form collections based not only on directory structures, but also by tags. Additionally, it is possible to render a list or collection as the other, as they share the same file formats and programmatic underpinnings. For each of the previous features, "function links" (or macros, in other words) exist, such that one can create customized links or widgets that make use of the above functionality. For instance, one can create "launcher" pages that consist of forms to create new scenes, new journal entries, link to pre-programmed tag searches, or list matching kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Indiscernible from Magic Fri, 24 May 2013 12:53:14 -0800 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=5135 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4956 Not IE8, but IE9 worked well after I logged in as the test user. Also, I have editing of the main page (Home) disabled by the test user so people don't muck up my examples. However, you can edit any of the underlying pages, as well as the "Jot" pages (at least I was able to during my test). kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Indiscernible from Magic Wed, 20 Feb 2013 20:15:48 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4956 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4955 First thought it won't work for me at all to edit or open things in the outdated IE8 that the municipality makes us run. I can click around and see stuff but not make new files or open things to edit them. That's a fairly specific problem to me though. I'll try at home. lizinthelibrary@idkfa.com (lizinthelibrary) Indiscernible from Magic Wed, 20 Feb 2013 20:07:23 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4955 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4947 Quick Jump functionality is complete. Now you can jump... quickly. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Indiscernible from Magic Tue, 05 Feb 2013 19:29:52 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4947 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4946 For those keeping track at home, a few things added over the weekend: I added a number of "buttons" with key-combination analogs to support things like emboldening, italicizing, indenting/un-indenting, annotating, and linking. I added a toggle to disable the "live preview" functionality (as at times it can be distracting, particularly if you're not interested in formatting for your current writing session). I have another feature I want to add that will enable "quick jumping" between files, based on similar functionality in SublimeText. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Indiscernible from Magic Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:31:30 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4946 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4937 Yeah, per Dave's request, I sort of uber-fixed the backspacing to where it was disabled completely (not just when you're outside of a text element and trying to keep the using from losing work). I dialed that back, though... I sort of like the idea: don't look back, just write. Maybe a future UI mod. :) As for git, it's nice to have some familiarity with it, but it isn't absolutely required. If you just considered it the versioning database behind Giterary, you'd be 99% accurate. That it lets you do synchronization to and from the application using external tools is a killer feature (not done particularly well in Mediawiki and others), but not a required one. I'll put some more links and things to explain git. For the unwieldy, monolithic document enthusiasts, and for those that don't particularly care for formatting, there are two nice things: Markdown syntax lets you write in pure text, and most of the "syntax" required is both readable as text but also renders appropriately as nice-looking HTML. All of my documentation is written in Markdown, and you can see the source code like so. I've written a few short things in it, among them fiction as well as technical writing, and I enjoy it quite a bit. The hardest bits are maybe the URLs and the Wikilink syntax I've added, but those both have "buttons" on the interface to help out with them. Giterary's partitioning (requires the test/test login) lets you take a single large document and break it down into component parts on paragraph boundaries. This way, if you are the "all-at-once" type writing into Giterary, or you "all-at-onced" into another document, you can easily copy-paste your stuff in and partition it later without having to do the manual file splicing. You don't "lose" anything by doing it, though, the original document remains, as well as a "collection" document is created kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Indiscernible from Magic Thu, 31 Jan 2013 02:25:34 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4937 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4935 Well, first of all, when I was playing around trying to edit a text field I couldn't delete text but could space over it and I got confused and gave up. Also, I don't know what Git is. I mean, I read about it, so now I do, but just barely. Also, I am literally that guy who writes an entire novel in one uninterrupted open office document, so maybe this isn't meant for me anyway. But I'm also not concerned with formatting when I write. That's what an editor is for. But if you repackage this as a self-publishing tool for friends and peers and editors and groups to write and edit work, and make a UI that is a little more friendly, then I can see this being a marketable tool for people at large. Wilber@idkfa.com (Wilber) Indiscernible from Magic Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:44:43 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4935 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4934 I appreciate your honesty, but I'll have to ask: what pieces aren't immediately apparent? If I can't communicate the basic function of the application through a few blurbs or intuiting it from the interface, I have a major failing. If nothing else, please let me know what documents you read or what steps you performed that left you confused. The target demographic (if there was one I was aiming for) is the one for creative writers who don't like their current toolset and its constraints, who don't particularly care for an email-distributed editing process, or understand services like Github or Bitbucket for version control but don't care for their generic nature or social nature. It's... probably a pretty small demographic. And that demographic is happy enough already paying $20 for Scrivener or whatever it costs for a Microsoft Office license P(or just downloading OpenOffice/LibreOffice). Paying for another, untrusted tool is hard to justify. However, as is, Giterary is a pain in the ass to set up and host. Having people pay me a monthly fee to configure and host for them wouldn't be unreasonable. Eh, I've got work to do. More later, maybe. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Indiscernible from Magic Tue, 29 Jan 2013 12:31:00 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4934 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4933 First of all, this is brilliant. Like, truly. Second, I don't understand it at all. I like to think that I am generally computer savvy, and I write from time to time, and I don't understand what the hell this is, nor how to use it. I can tell there is a powerful tool here, but I don't know if a target demographic exists for this. Writers are, by and large, stupid, and computer people are, by and large, not concerned with literary aims. I can see this being a tool for editors, but as it exists currently it requires substantial technological knowledge on the part of the writer too, and the odds of both parties having this knowledge seem slim. Despite this, I'll also challenge another of your assumptions; I think the right person would pay handsomely for this technology. Just because all the pieces are pre-existing and open source doesn't make the stitching together of them any less valuable. I propose one of two approaches: 1) Develop a user-friendly interface which makes this accessible to a much wider segment of the population. 2) Specifically tailor and market this to a narrow niche that would appreciate it. Have you read The 4-Hour Work Week? Tim Ferriss? Worth the read anyway, but this is your "muse," as he calls it. A potentially self-sustaining and automated cash flow which allows you to pursue other interests with less concern about how you are going to fund those pursuits. Although I guess keeping it free and open source is a part of the whole mission for you. Whatever. Anyway, I don't get it, but good job! Wilber@idkfa.com (Wilber) Indiscernible from Magic Tue, 29 Jan 2013 03:36:07 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4933 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4932 Backspacing is fixed. Doesn't stop you from hitting the back button, however. In that case, better hope the draft timer saved your work. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Indiscernible from Magic Tue, 29 Jan 2013 00:13:39 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4932 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4931 Haha, understood. Potentially, you could have a back-and-forth between author and editor, but I suppose that could easily be handled with the comments field rather than the annotations. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Indiscernible from Magic Mon, 28 Jan 2013 20:09:48 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4931 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4930 I mean, I can't think of a reason for good writing that requires annotating an annotation, I'm just noting performance as I found it. Like, HAY, I CAN SELECT AND ANNOTATE THAT AND OOOOOH I CAN SELECT AND ANNOTATE IT AGAIN AND THE CODE POPS UP WHEE LOOK WHAT I DONE DID kitacek@idkfa.com (kitacek) Indiscernible from Magic Mon, 28 Jan 2013 20:06:07 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4930 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4929 Actually, your first response answered my question. I had annotated something, and went back to the reading page to try and find it. I didn't expect to be able to annotate from the reading screen. kitacek@idkfa.com (kitacek) Indiscernible from Magic Mon, 28 Jan 2013 19:52:52 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4929 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4928 And to answer your question: annotation can only be done from the edit screen currently (couldn't ever figure out how to do it any other way that wasn't insane, or broke shit). kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Indiscernible from Magic Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:52:27 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4928 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4927 Hehe, right-o. I'll consider what it'd take to make the annotation feature infinitely-Matroshka out, provided you can keep your mouse steady. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Indiscernible from Magic Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:57:19 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4927 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4926 2. It's probably rhetorical. remember, you wanted a new user to try new user things. I went in with the intention of hitting EVERY BUTTON. I HIT EVERY BUTTON and it was good. It was good. kitacek@idkfa.com (kitacek) Indiscernible from Magic Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:52:30 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4926 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4925 Haha. Good point. I'm surprised I didn't catch that earlier, I've had to fix that at work before. I'll see to it. Is this... rhetorical? Markdown does *something* and **something** for something and something. Asterisks have to match, otherwise it assumes you're doing something crazypills. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Indiscernible from Magic Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:50:20 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4925 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4924 For annotations, you have to select the "Decorations" checkbox at top. This is so when you're just reading a document you don't have shit highlighted all to hell. Selecting that box and then rolling over should do it. kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Indiscernible from Magic Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:48:01 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4924 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4923 is the "annotate selected text" only supposed to show in the edit screens? the annotated notes didn't show or rollover on the "reading" page. running win7 updated chrome updated. kitacek@idkfa.com (kitacek) Indiscernible from Magic Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:42:42 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4923 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4922 two things i broke while trying to be ridiculous with Costco the Musical 1. I accidentally clicked outside the edit box and clicked delete (i intended to delete text) and went backwards a page, as one does. I lost the edits I had made because I hadn't clicked through the "preview-commit&edit" process. Since I was writing ridiculousness, no skin off my teeth, but I imagine if you lost actual important things, there would be much gnashing of teeth. 2. annotate text doesn't recursivize, but why would it need to? 3. I tried a bunch of different qualifiers to try to italicize or bold or otherwise format text. It could be because I didn't spend enough time trying to learn, since I was only trying to break. kitacek@idkfa.com (kitacek) Indiscernible from Magic Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:40:48 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4922 http://www.idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4921 SPDCA: I have a new project. It's called Giterary. It's nearing completion. I've been coding for about the last 6 months on it. I need to hear your thoughts on it. It is a novel writing tool that makes use of the cool programming tools I use to keep track of my programming projects, both personally and professionally. It puts them in a wiki web application that helps to get the content for your novel into a good place, and tries to help along the way. It has piqued my interest for this long partly because I want to write a book someday, and partly because the tools that exist right now suck due to the following: They fail to let one maintain a reasonable workflow for working on a novel between 1 or more people (including editors). They suck at tracking file changes in a sane, distributed manner (that doesn't involve emailing Word documents back and forth). They tend to not let you maintain and organize background information (in a way that's as easy as Wikipedia) They force you to use their interfaces, and often, their file formatting, limiting you to how well you can use their tool, not how well you can use your favorite tools. You usually have to pay for them. The main site is here: http://giterary.com The demo/example site is here: http://giterary.com/playground I have about 17K words worth of documentation between the user manual, install guide, and other assorted documents, so I won't go into too much more detail here. What I will ask, though, is for your time, if you happen to have it. Very few people have viewed the application, but the few times that I have demoed it the feedback was pretty valuable (if soul-crushing at times). I'm getting ready to release Giterary "into the wild," so to speak, and fairly soon, publishing it as a free open source application that anybody can download (because honestly nobody would pay for it). The thing is, I've kaiden@idkfa.com (kaiden) Indiscernible from Magic Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:55:24 -0900 http://idkfa.com/v3/v_thread.php?thread_id=4921&msg_id=4921