On Thursday 03 January 2008 04:56, Abdelrazak Younes wrote:
> Steve Litt wrote:
> > Body text that wraps (headlines don't wrap)
>
That's very acceptable in an outline mode of bookwriting software, because you
have body text in normal mode.
> In LyX the body text doesn't show of course in the dock, only headlines.
>
> > Checkboxes with percentage completion
>
> Sounds interesting.
Yes, you could check a subtree when it's complete, and when you come to work
in the morning you know what areas still need work.
>
> > Interoutline linking
>
> I don't understand that one...
Unnecessary in a bookwriter software, but just for fun I'll explain what it
means. In VO, I have one outline called master.otl. It has links
_tag_bicycles, _tag_clarinets, tag_family_tasks, and many more. Each has
another outline
(i.e. /data/otl/bicycles.otl, /data/music/instruments/clarinets.otl and the
like). When the cursor is on a link, if you press Ctrl+K, you go right into
the outline of the link. From there, pressing Ctrl+N gets you back to where
you came from.
This feature can be used to build an "outline of outlines". So on my computer,
my /data/otl/master.otl is the root of what I call a "single knowledge tree".
Every outline can be navigated to from master.otl.
The only trouble with this single knowledge tree is it works only with
outlines. But wait, there's more...
>
> > Executable lines -- any content can be viewed/executed from an outline
>
> Neither this one...
Remember my single knowledge tree, and how all outlines are in the tree, but
unfortunately only outlines? I lied, you can place any content in the tree,
using executable lines.
Let's say you want to have carpicture.jpg in your outline. You'd put the
following executable line in your outline:
Car picture _exe_kuickshow /data/cars/images/carpicture.jpg. With your cursor
on that line, you press the key sequence ,,e and shazam, you're in kuickshow
viewing your car. I've had videos in my outlines. I can run LyX on the book
from my outline.
In other words, between interoutline linking and executable lines, you can
have a single tree of knowledge for every piece of knowledge on your
computer. You'd start at the top and drill down to what you needed.
>
> > Lightning quick interface for the touch typist
>
> This is missing.
Until LyX had this, I wouldn't dream of building the outline from scratch in
LyX -- it would slow me down.
A second reason I might continue to use VO to outline lyx-destined books is
that VO is so darned familiar to me. I use VO hundreds of times a day. All my
books. My todo list. The menu layout for my computer (I use UMENU instead of
the start menu that comes with Mandriva 2007). My shopping list. My phone
lists. When you're that familiar with a computer program, it often makes
sense to use it even when, with equal experience in another program, the
other program might make more sense.
>
> OK, thanks for sharing your thought. Maybe some developer will be
> interested in the challenge :-)
Good luck on that. Vim is a modal editor, LyX is not (thank goodness), and
therefore I don't think you could ever get as good a keyboard interface with
LyX.
HTH
SteveT
Steve Litt
Books written in LyX:
Troubleshooting Techniques of the Successful Technologist
Twenty Eight Tales of Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting: Just the Facts
