FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Here we have aggregated all questions from all web pages for your convenience. Just click ahead!

General Questions

How do I create a new document?
- There are several ways to create a new document.
  1. Command-N will create a new document.
  2. You can Ctrl-click on the empty space next to the tabs. A menu will appear from which you can select the "New Document" command.
  3. The toolbar has a "New Document" icon available. Ctrl-click on the toolbar, select "Customize Toolbar…", and drag the "New Document" icon to the desired position. Clicking on that icon will create a new document.
Ulysses crashed. Help me!
- First of all: Your data most likely is not lost. See Files, Formats, Backups to learn how to get back to your project's last state.
  Check the Console (Applications/Utilities/Console.app) to see what went wrong. To help us prevent crashes in the future, please contact us.

Importing your Work

Which file formats are supported for import?
- Ulysses supports .txt, .rtf, .html, .doc and probably others. However, since Ulysses is a plain text editor, only plain text information can be stripped from imported files. In other words: All formating will be lost during import, same with tables, pictures, movies, you-name-it.
Can I continue with older (pre-1.5) Ulysses projects?
- Older projects will simply open with the new version. Ulysses will convert the project to the new format and will even carry over most preferences to the new options — such as Styles and Markers.
  Please remember to always work on duplicates of sensible data though. We have gone to great length to ensure that everything works as expected; nevertheless, there's always the slight chance of data corruption somewhere along the line.
  It is advisable to work on a duplicate first, then thoroughly check the project in question and if everything looks alright, continue working on your Great Novel.

Editor, Note Pad and Document Info

How do I insert Paragraph Styles, Inline Styles or Markers to the text?
- Inserting Paragraph and Inline Styles can be easily done in three ways. The shortest way is to put the tag, for instance "$$", at the start of the paragraph. You can also select the paragraph, Ctrl-click to open the context menu, go to "Paragraph Styles", and select the style you want. Using Edit > Paragraph Styles and finally the style in the menu on the top works the same way.
  Assigning an Inline Style can be done in the same ways. Either enclose the text in start and stop tags, for example "++text with an Inline style++", or select the text and use the context menu or the style in the Edit > Inline Styles.
  Using Markers is a bit different: first select the text passage you want to highlight. Then either use the Marker's shortcut (you can find it in the Preferences), the context menu item "Markers" or the menu item in Edit > Markers to assign the Marker to the text.
  
  For details on Tags and Markers, see Semantic Text Editing.
How do I add new Styles or Markers to Ulysses?
- Go to Preferences and then choose either "Paragraph Styles", "Inline Styles" or "Markers". You can also set the shortcuts there.
How do I remove a Paragraph Style?
- To remove a Paragraph Style, do one of the following:
  1. Delete the characters that define the Paragraph Style.
  2. Re-apply the current Paragraph Style.
  Tip: You may not have defined a keyboard shortcut for the Paragraph Style you wish to remove. But since a paragraph can only have one style at any given time, you can simply apply a different style and then re-apply that style to effectively strip the paragraph of any style at all.
Why is the text inserted at the vertical middle of the Editor?
- If Typewriter Scrolling is active, the text insertion will always happen at the vertical middle of the Editor.
  To disable Typewriter Scrolling temporarily, Ctrl-click in the Editor and untick "Typewriter Scrolling" from the "Activate" menu.
  To permanently disable Typewriter Scrolling, go to Preferences > Standard Mode and untick the option there.
What is the Text Trash? (not available for Ulysses core)
- The Text Trash can store snippets you delete from the Editor. Normally, when using either Forward-Delete or Backspace, your text is inevitably lost. This is OK for standard corrections, but sometimes you'd rather save the deleted section for later.
  To delete text to the Text Trash, select it first and then press Shift-Backspace.
How does the Text Trash work?
- Select a text passage and hit Shift-Backspace. A new entry will be created in the Text Trash, holding the deleted passage.
  Every time you delete a text passage that way, a new entry will be created in the Text Trash. You can not manipulate these entries directly (e.g. apply formats or delete characters), but you can copy their contents anywhere you like.
  To delete an entry from the Text Trash, select it and click on the Minus-Button on top of the Notepad or use Shift-Backspace.
How do I collapse and expand Notes?
- Just click on the little arrow on the let of the Note to collapse it. To expand the Note, hit it again.
  The same goes for collapsing and expanding Text Trash items.
How do I drag around Notes?
- Hold the Command key while dragging the Note to its destination.
What are the numbers in the Document Info Panel for?
- The left numbers show the calculated amount of Characters, Lines etc. for the currently active document.
  The numbers to the right show the same values for the current selection in that document.
The word count in the Document Info Panel seems to take several seconds to update. What gives?
- Please check the "Document Info" tab in the Preferences. If you want the update to be instantaneous, set the update interval to 0 (zero) seconds.
What does the "auto" checkbox next to the Timestamp do?
- Ticking the "auto" checkbox makes the Timestamp update whenever you save the document.
Can I define my own Label and Status defaults?
- Yes. Go to Preferences > Document Defaults.
Can I hide elements from the Document Info Panel?
- You can hide certain elements of the Control Panel.
  To do so, go to Preferences > Document Info.
Can I hide the Control Panel?
- You can hide the Control Panel by clicking in the lower left corner of the Control Panel.
How do I show/hide the Split-View?
- To show the Split-View, click on the grey square button on the top right of the Editor. To hide it, simply click that button again.
Things you might not know about the Note Pad
- The Note Pad shows by default one single piece of RTF space. You can write directly into the Note Pad, you can drag'n'drop text snippets from pretty much everywhere into the Note Pad.
  To create multiple notes, simply click the little plus button on the top right end of the pad. A new note will be created, and the existing note will be rolled into a new view, so to say.
  
  First the obvious: By clicking on the triangle next to each note, you can collapse an entry, clicking the triangle again will expand the entry. Option-clicking on one triangle will collapse/expand all entries.
  To rearrange entries, hold the Command key and click into the triangle-area to drag'n'drop single entries. A black line will appear, indicating the desired position.
  
  If you've collapsed some or all note entries, you probably got a large chunk of white space sitting in the Note Pad. You can now drag'n'drop text snippets onto this white space, and Ulysses will automatically generate a new note entry, holding the dragged snippet.
  
  If you have accidentally deleted a note entry, hit Command-Z to undo that action.
  Since Ulysses utilizes separate undo-cycles for the various views, you can even 1) delete a note, 2) continue writing in the editor, 3) click into the note pad and undo the deletion of the note.
  
  Last tip: Since the Note Pad is RTF, it will keep all formats applied to the text you're pasting into it. This can lead to strange results, especially when copying links from Safari or such, but also with regards to your preferred notes font.
  In order to paste text into the Note Pad while keeping the current format (of the notes), try using Command-Shift-V, which equals the menu command "Paste and Match Style".
  To paste a link URL rather than a clickable, linked text snippet into the Note Pad, first paste the URL into the "Excerpt" field, then move it to the notes.
  
  Learned some?
  Great. :)

Document Browser

How do I add or remove a column from the browser?
- You can add or remove columns by Ctrl-clicking on the column headers. A list with all available columns will pop up. Currently visible columns will have a checkmark next to them.
How can I manually sort the documents in the browser?
- To manually sort the list (i.e. via drag'n'drop) first make sure that the Manual Sorting column is shown. You can then simply click on its header and rearrange the documents.
Some documents are bold. What gives?
- Documents you have open (i.e. shown in a tab) and modified will be shown as bold entries in the Document Browser. You can change this appearance by going to Fonts & Colors > Browser.
Some documents are greyed out. What gives?
- Check the Filter field above the Document Browser. Documents not matching the filter criteria will be greyed out and moved to the bottom of the list.
Why are the contents in the preview pane different from the contents of the open documents?
- The Preview will only show the contents of each document's saved state. Thus, if you preview a document which is open and modified, the Preview panes allow you to compare the current version's contents with these of the saved version.
How do I switch between the various Notes previews?
- To successively switch between the various Notes previews, click on the small "eye" icon in the top-left corner of the Notes preview. The view will cycle between Notes, Excerpt and Project Notes.
What are the numbers below the Preview pane for?
- The numbers below the Preview pane show the calculated amount of characters, words etc. for the currently selected documents in the browser.
Can I get a sum of all pages/characters/etc. in my project?
- To get a calculated sum of characters/pages/etc. of your project, select several (or all) documents in the browser, then check the numbers below the Preview panes.

Console Mode

How do I invoke Console Mode?
- You invoke the Console Mode by hitting Command-Shift-F on the keyboard or by clicking on the respective button in the toolbar.
How do I switch out of Console Mode?
- You switch out of Console Mode by hitting Escape on the keyboard.
How can I show my notes in Console Mode?
- Press Ctrl-I or select "Notes" from the View menu and a little HUD will pop up.
How can I create a new document in Console Mode?
- You create a new document in Console Mode just as you would in Standard Mode: Simply hit Command-N on your keyboard, and a new document will be created.
How can I switch between open documents in Console Mode?
- You can switch between open documents via keyboard shortcuts: Command-Option-Left Arrow and Command-Option-Right Arrow. An overlay will show the title of the document you've switched to.
How can I open a document from the Browser in Console Mode?
- You can't open documents when in Console Mode.
How can I view document information such as title and status?
- The Console Mode includes a HUD, which can display such information. By default, it is located at the bottom of the screen. Just move your mouse to the bottom and you'll see it. If you want to set the HUD to "Always on", want to change its location or its information, got to Preferences > HUD.
How can I rename a document in Console Mode?
- You can't rename a document in Console Mode. As a matter of fact, you can't manipulate any of the information of the Document Info Panel.
How can I change the status of a document in Console Mode?
- You can't change the status of a document in Console Mode. As a matter of fact, you can't manipulate any of the information of the Document Info Panel.
How can I change the label of a document in Console Mode?
- You can't change the label of a document in Console Mode. As a matter of fact, you can't manipulate any of the information of the Document Info Panel.
What if I don't see any text in the Console mode?
- Go to Preferences > Console Mode and check your settings for the option "Width". A width of 600 pixels should work well for most displays.

How can I disable anti-aliasing in Console Mode?

Open up the Terminal (/Applications/Utilities/Terminal) and type the following:

defaults write com.soulmen.ulysses EditorTextViewDisableAntialiasing -bool true

To enable it again, enter

defaults write com.soulmen.ulysses EditorTextViewDisableAntialiasing -bool false

Installation and Updates

What gets installed and where?
- Ulysses does not install any files besides some preferences (application and exporters) and a folder inside "Application Support", which holds backup-copies of your projects.
Can I manually update to a new version?
- You can manually update your installed version of Ulysses by downloading the current version from our web site.

Licenses and Registration

How do I register Ulysses?
- Select "Registration…" from the application menu, enter your registration information in the fields and hit the "Register" button.
How do I obtain a license?
- A license can be obtained by visiting our web site.
What are the test license limitations?
- There are no limitations in the test license. However, the license is only valid for 60 days, after which Ulysses will return to demo mode.
What are the demo limitations?
- In the demo, saving and export are disabled.
Will I lose my registration if I upgrade my hardware?
- No, you can update your hardware whenever you want.
How do you re-install Ulysses after a system update or a new system installation?
- If you upgrade your system, you should always make a back-up of all your data. If you do an upgrade without wiping your hard-drive, Ulysses will still be registered. If you upgrade by wiping your hard-drive and do a fresh install of the system, you will need to register Ulysses again.

Groups & Collections

How do I create a Collection, Filter or Group?
- The easiest way is probably to Ctrl-Click inside the Groups & Collections panel and select the appropriate entry. Alternatively, you can also Ctrl-Click the Filter Button. A little sheet will appear where you can enter the name for the Collection/Filter/Group and below the input field some checkboxes are shown. For instance, you can show the document counts in parentheses behind the name.
  If you create a Filter, you can also set the conditions, under which documents are filtered. Clicking on the plus-button reveals a new row to add another condition.
How do I add documents to a Collection?
- There are two principal ways to accomplish this:
  1. Make sure the Filter Button is pressed (i.e., the Filter View is visible). Select one or more documents in the browser. Drag the documents to the desired Collection in the Filter View.
  2. Select one or more documents in the Browser. Ctrl-Click on one of the selected documents. A menu will pop up, and one entry will read "Add to Collection". Select the desired Collection.
Can I add a document to multiple Collections?
- Yes, of course! A Collection is only a view of your documents. Adding a document to a Collection is like adding a link that points to the document.
How do I remove a document from a Collection?
- Just grab the document in the Browser and drag it out of it. It will resolve into little nice clouds – not being deleted (however, this will only work if the Cumulated View is disabled). Alternatively, you can Ctrl-click it and select "Move to Trash…".
What are the benefits of Groups/Filters over classical folders?
- All documents are nicely organized in your Ulysses project instead of being cluttered all over the folders.
  You can also keep documents in different Groups or Filters simultaneously.
What's up with that little arrow next to a Group?
- This little arrow is called the Focus Button. It allows you to switch your focus entirely into one group to concentrate on it with a single click. It will look like the group you’re currently in is the only one, helping you to focus and not be distracted by the other documents. However, getting back to the original view is as easy as clicking one button as well.
I can't find the Document Trash! Where is it?
- To enable the Document Trash, Ctrl-click into the Groups & Collections panel, then select "Show Document Trash". Or hold the Filter Button for a couple of seconds and select the same option.
  The Trash will only be visible if there's at least one document in it.
How do I move a document to the Trash?
- Ctrl-click it in the Document Browser, then select "Move to Trash…" or simply drag & drop it on the Document Trash. To "put it back" into your project, Ctrl-click it again in the Trash and select "Remove from Trash".
If I move a document into the Trash, will its relations be kept intact?
- Yes! If you select a document within a Collection and choose to trash it, you can restore it later. Either from within that Collection (see below) or from within the trash. You don’t have to remember which Collection the document was in – Ulysses knows and will put it back in place. This is true for multiple Collections also. And for Filters, of course.
How do I irreversibly delete a document?
- A document can only be irreversibly deleted (apart from your regularly created backups), if you empty the trash. This can be accomplished by Ctrl-Clicking the panel and selecting "Empty Document Trash…".

Search & Replace

How do I invoke Search & Replace?
- You can invoke Search & Replace in various ways.
  1. Select "Search and Replace…" from the "Project" menu.
  2. Hit Cmd-R on the keyboard.
  3. Select the corresponding icon from the toolbar.
How does Search & Replace for texts work?
- Short answer: Type a term into the search field. The list will get populated with occurrences of that term. Select an occurrence to view it in context. Double-click on an occurrence to open the document which contains the term; the first occurrence will be highlighted/selected.
  If you want to replace an occurrence with another term, tick the occurrence's checkbox, type the new term into the Replace field and hit the "Replace" button.
How does Search & Replace for Styles and Markers work?
- Click the magnifier next to the search field, select "Styles", then select the Style you want to search & replace using the drop-down boxes on the top. The list will now get populated with occurrences of the Style. Working with this list is pretty much the same as in Search & Replace for texts: Double-Clicking an occurrence will open the document containing the Style and its first occurrence will be highlighted/selected.
  To replace a Style, check the occurrence's checkbox of the Style first, select the new Style using the drop-down boxes on the bottom and click the "Replace" button.
  You can also remove Styles and Markers by selecting "Delete Style" from the "Replace with" drop-down menu. Even better, you can remove the text enclosed by a Style or Marker using "Delete Text".
How can I perform a Search & Replace action on the whole project?
- In order to perform a Search & Replace action on the whole project, either make sure to deactivate the Filter Button or select "All" within the Filter View.
I know that more documents contain the search term. Why aren't they shown in the results?
- Search & Replace works on the documents shown in the Browser. So if you have selected a Filter or Collection, Search & Replace will only work on the documents contained within these groups.
Some documents and/or occurrences can not be ticked. What gives?
- Modified documents can be searched, but Ulysses will not touch their contents via Search & Replace. You can either save them manually or use the option "Save edited documents before replacing", which can be found at the bottom of the Search & Replace panel.
How do I tick all occurrences? CTS, man...
- To tick all occurrences at once, Option-Click one checkbox. Be aware though, that this will really and truly replace every occurrence with the new term. Be careful. :)

Export

The "Save…" and the "Print…" buttons are grayed out! What gives?
- Before you can save or print your exported file, you need to select the Documents you want to export first. You can do that in the Documents Browser. If you want to export all documents, hold the Option key while clicking on a checkbox in the Browser.
How do I export Export templates?
- Depending on which Exporter you mean, just go to the folder ~/Library/Application Support/Ulysses/LaTeX or ~/Library/Application Support/Ulysses/FormattedText and copy the files you need to be exported.
Things you might not know about the Exporter
- There's an option to transform Markers into Start and stop tags in the "Marker styles" section of the Exporters. The option is called "Enclose in".
  What this does is it will strip the marker format and instead add the specified characters before and behind the marked text passage. This is especially useful when exporting to the Plain Text format, where markers would otherwise get lost (no formats in plain text, he).
  
  To define differing opening and closing character(s), simply put them together in the Character(s) column, but separate them by " - " (space dash space).
  Example: You have marked "this text passage".
  You want it enclosed in HTML- or LaTeX tags, which require explicit open- and close-tags, such as "<b>" and "</b>".
  To get this result, put both the start- and end-tag into the Character(s) column, separated by *space dash space*: <b> - </b>

Preferences

Can I turn this annoying splash screen off?
- Yes. Go to Preferences > Startup, disable the option "Hide application startup screen".
The font size of the editor is too small! How do I change it?
- Open "Fonts & Colors" from the application menu (or press Command-Option-,) and select "Standard Mode". There you can change everything related to the editor in Standard Mode. You can also press Cmd-+ in the Editor to increase the font size (Cmd-- to decrease it again).
Can I import settings from other Ulysses projects?
- Yes, of course! Hit the "Import…" button and you'll be presented with your recently opened projects. If you're looking for a different project than these, click "Other…" and select it. You can also import Fonts & Colors settings: use the drop-down menu on the top-left of the Fonts & Colors menu, select "From Project" and then the project.

Files, Formats and Backup

I want to move my project to another Mac. Which files do i have to transfer?
- You only have to transfer your project file (filename.ulys). Everything related to the project (documents, excerpts, notes, text trash, etc.) is stored in this package file.
How can I revert to an older version of my project?
- If you only want to go back to the version from previous to opening Ulysses, yo can just use "Revert to last Backup" from the Project menu.
  To revert to an older version than the last backup, you need to overwrite your project file with the appropriate backup copy. To find those backup copies, open Finder, go to your user directory and choose Library > Application Support > Ulysses. You might want to remove the ".bak?" suffix from the file name before copying the file to your Documents directory.