26 votes

KeenWrite 3.4.7

11 comments

  1. [5]
    mild_takes
    Link
    Why should I use this (or who should be), why is it better than what I'm using currently, what does it look like, whats your goal. The website needs to cover these questions.

    Also, if you have any feedback on the website, I'd be glad to read your thoughts.

    Why should I use this (or who should be), why is it better than what I'm using currently, what does it look like, whats your goal. The website needs to cover these questions.

    22 votes
    1. [5]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. [3]
        ADwS
        Link Parent
        As someone who has never heard of KeenWrite until just now, this was my personal experience with learning about it: Open gitlab release page: sees changelog, and am unsure if it’s a notepad++...
        • Exemplary

        As someone who has never heard of KeenWrite until just now, this was my personal experience with learning about it:

        Open gitlab release page: sees changelog, and am unsure if it’s a notepad++ style text editor, an obsidian style text editor, a visual studio style IDE, or a Scrivener style writing software.

        Open the KeenWrite.com: sees downloads, but no features, pictures, or explanation page.

        Clicks documentation: sees all the markdown files listed, realizes it’s a text editor for R?

        Clicks tutorials: sees it’s a YouTube link. (I was expecting a written tutorial.)

        Realize I don’t have more time to figure out what it is, and have decided to come back to it this evening if I remember.

        To quickly summarize: I couldn’t find a quick/easy way to figure out what KeenWrite is or what it does. Watching a YouTube video can be useful for after I’ve decided to install it, but I never even got to that point because I couldn’t pinpoint what it even was. Keep in mind, I did this on my phone, and that did affect my navigation on GitLab a bit (by making it a general pain to get around).

        I would heavily suggest including one screenshot on that main site, and a short couple of sentences saying what it does, just for people like me who stumble upon it by accident. Of course, I still don’t know what it is (I’m assuming a code editor that is heavily targeted for R based on the random conclusions I came to), so if you’re targeting a specific market that will know right off the bat if KeenWrite is for them, then ignore what I said.

        I just figured hearing the experience of a “possible” user’s first time coming across KeenWrite might help gain a perspective you hadn’t thought of or expected.

        44 votes
        1. [2]
          DaveJarvis
          Link Parent
          That's incredible feedback, thank you. I've updated the description and added screenshots. Depends on the filename extension. You can edit either plain Markdown (.md) files or R Markdown (.Rmd)...

          I just figured hearing the experience of a “possible” user’s first time coming across KeenWrite might help gain a perspective you hadn’t thought of or expected.

          That's incredible feedback, thank you. I've updated the description and added screenshots.

          it’s a text editor for R?

          Depends on the filename extension. You can edit either plain Markdown (.md) files or R Markdown (.Rmd) files.

          Mostly, I developed the editor to use interpolated variables inside of documents so that I wouldn't have to remember character attributes when writing a novel. The attributes include things like full names, locations, expressions, synesthetic maps, parental honorifics, birth date, event timelines, etc.

          10 votes
          1. ADwS
            Link Parent
            Wow! This honestly looks really promising and like something I’d actually be interested in haha! I’ll have to do some more digging and try it out. I’m happy I could offer any form of help! The...

            Wow! This honestly looks really promising and like something I’d actually be interested in haha! I’ll have to do some more digging and try it out.

            I’m happy I could offer any form of help! The screenshots and explanations paint a great picture of what to expect.

            5 votes
      2. mild_takes
        Link Parent
        Sort of but no. Because this is Tildes I did take the time to watch some of the tutorial and I think I get you're going for with this, but for anyone else I wouldn't have taken the time. On your...

        Sort of but no.

        Because this is Tildes I did take the time to watch some of the tutorial and I think I get you're going for with this, but for anyone else I wouldn't have taken the time.

        On your GitLab page is says:

        A free, open-source, cross-platform desktop Markdown editor that can produce beautifully typeset PDFs.

        Your webpage should say at least that, hopefully more.

        9 votes
  2. [2]
    DaveJarvis
    Link
    Thanks for all the comments and support these last three years. Over the last five months, there have been some significant changes, including: Published https://keenwrite.com/ Produced MacOS...

    Thanks for all the comments and support these last three years. Over the last five months, there have been some significant changes, including:

    • Published https://keenwrite.com/
    • Produced MacOS version
    • Migrated to Java 21
    • Moved repository to GitLab
    • Streamlined typesetter installation on Windows

    I haven't tested the MacOS version because I don't have MacOS, and setting up VirtualBox to run MacOS on Linux is not trivial. If anyone is running MacOS on x86 hardware, I'd greatly appreciate knowing whether the application runs.

    Also, if you have any feedback on the website, I'd be glad to read your thoughts.

    11 votes
    1. mild_takes
      Link Parent
      I forgot about this for a while. I briefly ran it on my wife's x86 Mac. It runs but I needed to run chmod +x for it to run.

      I forgot about this for a while. I briefly ran it on my wife's x86 Mac. It runs but I needed to run chmod +x for it to run.

      3 votes
  3. JoshuaJ
    Link
    Could you explain how you integrate the R code I see in the repo? There’s no current easy way to generate a run time for R as far as I know. My use case is a data tool in python that sub processes...

    Could you explain how you integrate the R code I see in the repo?

    There’s no current easy way to generate a run time for R as far as I know.

    My use case is a data tool in python that sub processes some R files, but I would like to make this portable.

    3 votes
  4. [2]
    m1k3
    Link
    This looks great! A couple of questions: Is there a way to search for files? I'm not seeing anything looking in all of the menus. Is there a way to hide the command prompt window in Windows?

    This looks great! A couple of questions:

    • Is there a way to search for files? I'm not seeing anything looking in all of the menus.
    • Is there a way to hide the command prompt window in Windows?
    1 vote
    1. DaveJarvis
      Link Parent
      Thanks! Windows Explorer? I use Linux, a terminal, and locate or find. Also, I tend to work on one project at a time, and each project has its own directory. Click the command prompt. Press...

      Thanks!

      Is there a way to search for files? I'm not seeing anything looking in all of the menus.

      Windows Explorer? I use Linux, a terminal, and locate or find. Also, I tend to work on one project at a time, and each project has its own directory.

      Is there a way to hide the command prompt window in Windows?

      1. Click the command prompt.
      2. Press Alt+Space to bring up the menu.
      3. Press n to select minimize.

      If you'd like to submit a PR, there appear to be ways to start the command prompt minimized. You'd need to change the install script around line 198.

      You could also try launching java in the background using start /b.

      Another possibility is to update the batch file with:

      if not "%minimized%"=="" goto :minimized
      set minimized=true
      start /min cmd /C "%~dpnx0"
      goto :EOF
      :minimized
      rem Run minimized:
      "%SCRIPT_DIR%\\${ARG_JAVA_DIR}\\bin\\java" ...
      

      I haven't tried any of these methods, so you'd have to do some legwork to figure it out.