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Set Aside

Chapter vs {chapter}

They refer to the same thing: a file in a book, the smallest cohesive unit of a book (they might also be referred to as "unit" in other part of the documentation).

The reason for the difference boils down to what the focus is on. When chapter is used like a normal word, it means it's referring to the entity itself. When it's written {chapter} it brings in the idea that this is a renamable unit and "chapter" is merely the default convention.

Set Aside means "taken out of the way, still entirely here, one press from coming back".

Set aside is both an action and a view. To set a chapter, a book or a passage aside is to move it away from the primary view so it is only accessible if the set-aside view is toggled.

TBD: toggle off while in view's element

What happens when you toggle the view off when inside an element that requires it? Does it:

  • prevents you from toggling
  • toggle off but leave you where you are
  • toggle off and moves you elsewhere

There are actually two set-aside views — toggling one will not affect the other:

  • on the bookshelf,
  • and in the writing space.

Set-Asides belong to two distinct categories:

  • Trash replacement (sort of) (for books and chapters)
  • Outtakes

Chapters and Books

Replaces the concept of "Trash".

Books

For a book, it pretty much is a trash.

Marked aside in the app state and drawn greyed out on the shelf.

Chapters

Moves from the active manuscript list to the aside list. Loses its outline number but keeps its positional index so it can be restored exactly where it was.

It's not necessary to protect a chapter from the trash as the git versioning already protects them thoroughly. But sometimes you need something right next to you.

I don't actually like saying that it replaces the trash because it's meant to be used in ways a trash isn't, and the files aren't even sent to the bin, they're still right there. Set aside.

A chapter set aside keeps the name it had when set aside.

TBD: untitled chapter's name

In Stuck, an untitled {chapter} is automatically titled {chapter} <number>.

That's not really a name we can keep for a set-aside chapter as such, since any chapter created in that position would automatically take that name. It's not a problem for the app, because a chapter isn't identified by its title, but it's inconvenient for the user.

I suppose it could do something like "Chapter 3 (0)".

Setting aside untitled chapters

This also brings up the fact that a chapter's titled is resolved when set aside.
That means it loses the ability to dynamically update (as untitled chapters normally do).
So if the user changes {chapter} to {part}, it will stay a chapter. Even if restored.

Outtakes

Explicitly selected and set aside.

Stored in a separate file. If the file it was taken from is either still there or set aside (so: still there), the file outtakes appear in looks like a branch under that chapter.

TBD: deleted files' outtakes

I have actually been struggling to make a decision on this. Here are the options I've considered when it comes to dealing with outtakes from a chapter that doesn't exist at all in the app anymore:

  • Put them all in a single file "orphaned outtakes"
  • Put them all under a "ghost-chapter" (chapter-like in appearance but not actually clickable) called "Orphaned" and give them the name of the chapter they came from. My favourite for now.
  • Do the same but where each stays under a ghost of the chapter they came from
  • Put them all directly in the list of chapter (different look) with the names of the chapter they came from appearing somewhere.

They are fully editable documents, not read-only exhibits. The cut joins the undo stack (cutting to outtakes can be undone immediately to restore the text).