The Nisus Files: Converting to the Nisus Writer word processor

By Kirk Hiner

August 30, 2001

Cripes, has it really been two months since I've updated the Nisus Files? I guess being a newlywed will do that to you. Well, being a newlywed and covering a Macworld Expo. I've been doing so much reviewing and reporting lately that you'd think I did this for a living.

Hey, wait a minute...

Anyway, Nisus Writer. The quick item before I begin is that version 6.0.2 was recently released and is available for download from the Nisus Software website. The updater from 6.0.x to 6.0.2 has been temporarily removed, however, so you'll have to download the full version if you're in a rush. You current serial number will work after the fresh installation, and your preferences will be retained. The complete list of new features and fixes in v6.0.2 can be found here. Unfortunately, a page magnification feature is not yet one of them.

Speaking of magnification, I've found that switching typefaces has been an adqueate substitute for the ability to magnify the page to 125% or 150%, my usual working percentages. After all, I never increase the page magnification in BBEdit or Claris Em@iler, so why must in the word processor, except that I can? The trick in Nisus Writer is to just use a typeface that looks good and reads clearly at the default window size; my trusty standby of Garamond doesn't cut it, so I'm currently using Century Schoolbook. Sans serif typefaces such as Monaco may be better, but for print purposes I'm old-school enough to believe that serif is the only way to go for long blocks of text. Either way, one can always convert the document to another typeface just before printing. Nisus Writer's long document features are supposed to facilitate such broad changes. Do they? We shall see soon enough.

Oh, and one other quick update to my previous articles. Having complained that the myriad buttons offer no text bubble to explain their functions, one helpful reader suggested I turn on Apple's balloon help. This worked, but brought with it the annoying side effect that bubbles appear over everything. I've since been informed by various readers and by the manual I picked up (write your congressmen, readers, this program needs a printed manual delivered in box) that holding the control key while over a button will pull up a bubble that describes that button's function. Simple as that, and without any smelly residue.

Let's talk a little more about buttons, shall we? Aside from the traditional menu bar, Nisus Writer offers a collection of floating tool bars comprising task-specific functions such as styling, long document, HTML, and so on. Turning on one or more of these opens the respective tool bar that can be placed anywhere on the screen. For my novel, I've found it best to keep the File Management, Text, Styling, Insert, and Long Document tool bars open, giving me instant access to over fifty buttons (many of which do not have keyboard shortcuts, which I prefer over buttons). I keep these tool bars to the right of the document, allowing more length for the page. So, maybe its a good thing I can't magnify the page; I wouldn't have room for my tool bars.

Of course, Nisus Writer isn't the first word processor to feature floating tool bars, but they may be the first to offer "educated" floating tool bars. The buttons within them know when they may be needed, and sit quietly when they're not. Take, for instance, the Lowercase button that automatically makes all selected letters lowercase. Obviously, you won't be using the feature if you have no text selected, so the button dims itself. Select a group of text and the button pops to life, letting you know it's ready for work. This may not seem like that big of deal, but when you've got five or more floating tool bars open, it's helpful to eliminate the tools that can't be used.

The only negative here is that the tool bars can't be customized without a good degree of effort. Unlike Word, where buttons can be dragged in and out of tool bars at will, Nisus doesn't allow for the creation of a custom tool bar without the use of the resource editor Resourcer®. I have no idea what that is, and I never will. I write dialogue and narrative, not code, but more adventurous writers may see things differently. Indeed, it doesn't seem difficult; the instructions for customizing the tool bar take up no more than four paragraphs. If you've set up your own tool bars, I'd like to know how it went for you.

Whether they're your own or the default Nisus Writer tool bars, perhaps their best feature is that they can remember who you are and what you're working on. This is done through another excellent feature...stationery.

Stationery is to Nisus Writer what Templates and Styles are to Microsoft Word, only useful. In their most basic form, stationery documents can be used to pre-define just about any element of a new document. You can create a template for text documents, faxes, newsletters, etc., and save that template as a stationery file. Then each time you launch the file, it transfers the contents to an untitled document ready for editing. This is pretty common in word processors, in one form another, but what isn't common is the amount of control the Nisus stationery files provide. They remember practically everything, including text window size, open tool bars, and screen placement for both in addition to the more common typeface choice and styles, header and footer presets, page margins, etc. This is a tremendous asset for those who do a lot of writing for different purposes.

I created separate stationery files for my novel, my Applelinks writing, general text documents, and my wife's cover letter, for example, and found Nisus Writer ready and waiting for me no matter which file I opened. The stationery files are easy to create, there's no mucking about with countless buttons and tabs as in Word. Just alter your settings as you normally would in the document, then save the file in Nisus stationery format in the specified folder. The set-up you most use can be set as a default by simply naming it "Nisus New File." And no need to worry, you don't have to dig deeply into your folders to find the stationery file you want. Just set the preferences to display the Catalog when launching a new document and a window will open at start-up allowing easy access to all your stationery files. You can also open this window at any time (or simply leave it open) to get access to stationery files and other documents while Nisus is already open.

But okay, it's time to go back to getting some writing done. Hopefully by my next entry I'll have furthered my skills with the tool bars and stationery files, but my main goal is to master the header and footer options...the banes of my Word experiences.

Oh, and a new complaint (what's a Nisus Files entry without one?) that hopefully the Nisus Writer community can help me solve. Over the past couple months, I've noticed that all functions, from opening windows (including Finder windows) to typing text, seem to drag a bit when Nisus Writer is the top application on my desktop. When it's in the background, no problem. I can't recall when this started, but I think it was sometime around the update to v6.0.1. Is anyone else having this problem? Any solutions? In exchange, I offer this tip for all writers; if your spouse is getting upset that you're spending perhaps too much time writing your novel and not enough working around the house, base a character on him/her. Immortality is a powerful bargaining tool.

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