![]() This works in reverse as well - anything you write in Slugline can be copied and pasted into any other text area on your Mac. When you open or copy/paste your writing into Slugline, the formatting will happen automatically. Jot down a scene in an email, in Notepad on Windows, or in the Notes app on your phone. Any text you type, anywhere, can become a screenplay. Just press the Full Screen button in the upper right corner of the window, or ⌃⌘F.īecause Slugline is powered by plain text, you can keep writing even when you don't have Slugline handy. Shut out all the distractions of Twitter and email for as long as you dare with Slugline's full-screen mode. To return to the normal-sized view, choose View → Actual Size ( ⌘0). Choose Bigger or Smaller, or use the keyboard shortcuts of ⌘ and ⌘. You can set the on-screen size of your screenplay using the View menu. There should be no empty lines between Character, Parenthetical, and Dialogue. There should be one, and only one, empty line between Scene Headings, Action, and Transitions. Slugline automatically helps you add the correct number of carriage returns at the end of each line you type. Slugline also notices if you’re typing a conversation, and prioritizes the suggestion of the second-to-most-recent speaker when you press Tab after some Dialogue. Typing E, for example, will suggest EXT, but also any complete Scene Headings you’ve used that begin with EXT - as well as any Characters whose names begin with E. Slugline will also show the Autocomplete pop-up when you start typing something that looks familiar. The Autocomplete pop-up becomes an easy way to begin any kind of repetitive screenplay element. ![]() It may surprise you to see Scene Headings mixed in with Transitions and Character names in this pop-up - but remember, Slugline doesn't know what you’re typing yet. You can type them yourself, or choose Format → Center ( ⌘\). In Fountain, centered text is bracketed by a greater-than > and a less-than < character. The option to center a line of text is also found in the Format menu. This will cycle through lowercase, UPPERCASE, and Sentence case. Just select it and choose Format → Uppercase, or press ⌘K. You can also easily change the capitalization of text. Select any text and press ⌘B to make it bold, ⌘I to italicize, or ⌘U to underline. Of course, all your usual keyboard shortcuts work too. To underline something, wrap it in _ underscores_.To create bold text, wrap in **double asterisks.**.To italicize, wrap the text in * asterisks.*.This is how Slugline’s plain text files can support any kind of text emphasis that a screenwriter is likely to use. If you’ve been using email for a while, chances are you've seen someone wrap a word with asterisks for *emphasis.* Slugline uses this convention as well. The Fountain site has more helpful resources, including a handy PDF cheat sheet you can print out. To create a Scene Heading that doesn't begin that way, simply add a single period to the start of a line. Slugline recognizes Scene Headings that start with INT, EXT, and other common prefixes. ![]() This is when you’ll help Slugline understand what you want with a few simple text-based cues. But sometimes you want to break from the norms. Slugline can infer the correct formatting from your typing in the majority of cases. There’s a growing list of apps and services that support Fountain. When you write in Fountain, you’re in good company. You'll see that there’s nothing more to the file than what you’ve typed. Try opening any Slugline document in a simple text editor, such as TextEdit. Since it’s just text, you never need to worry about whether you’ll still be able to open your screenplay ten - or a hundred - years from now.
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