the scratchpad

Written By Lee deLacy

The Scrivener Scratchpad

Open this two ways:

1. Use the Menu command Windows > Scratchpad

2. Keyboard (Alt+Shift+Enter/Return)

Scratchpad Facts:

The keyboard shortcut is universal, meaning you can use it to toggle the window even while working in other programs, so long as Scrivener is running in the background.

The Scratchpad floats above Scrivener as long as the program remains open (and you have checked this behavior in the options panel)

It is not tied to any specific project and does not disappear if a project is deleted.

The Scratchpad is a simple tool for jotting down notes from anywhere on your computer and these notes could be for anything. It is a useful inbox for ideas, a note-taking tool while doing research in other software or simply as a place to jot down a to do list in a pinch.

Inspector Document Notes and the Scratchpad notes share the same font which is set in the options panel. (Options > Editing > Formatting Look at the Notes section.)

The Scratchpad Panel

A.)-The top half of the window contains a list of all the notes you currently have stored in the Scratchpad. [Rename notes by double-clicking on the name of the note in the list.]

Add a new note by clicking the + button in the lower left footer bar or simply press the Enter/Return key.

Double clicking a name will allow you to edit the current note’s name.

B.)-Click on any note in the list in the top half of the panel to open it in the lower half of the panel (B). Now clicking inside the note’s text allows you to edit it.

[Using the keyboard, notes can be selected with the ↑ and ↓ keys, and you can switch from the list of notes (A) to the text area (B) with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Tab.]

C.)-New notes can be created by clicking the + button in footer bar, or by pressing the Enter key (if cursor in the top half of the Scratchpad.) Old notes can be deleted with the adjacent - button.

D.)-The Camera button (bottom right will look inactive but is clickable) if clicked, you will do a full screen shot or use the mouse to capture just a part of the screen. This captured image will be inserted into the currently selected Scratchpad note. [Essentially, a snipit tool.]

When you use the camera icon you will see various options as below. You may need to expand the Scratchpad screen to see this.

E.)-The Send to Project button allows copying notes into projects when that project is open. Once open, then Use the Send to Project… button (MUST click button to highlight then hover on note name and will see two options .)

When you click this will show list of currently open projects when you choose an either the Append to Text, or Import as Subdocument options. After choosing a project, then clicking on one will allow you to maneuver to a specific file where you can use either method below to add the information in your selected note.

Two methods of bringing Scratchpad notes into a Scrivener project:

1. Append Text To:

The contents of the selected note will be appended AFTER any existing text of the document you select in the project submenu. A list of your binder will be arranged so you can easily select any text item. Research files cannot be selected since they cannot have text appended to them.

The text will then be added to selected file at the bottom of the document and separated from the rest of the note. The text added will have the current Scratchpad font. The text to be added will be previewed in lower half of Scratchpad.

2. Import as Subdocument of :

A new document will be created beneath the selected document. This submenu operates in a similar fashion to the above, though it will allow you to select any of the items in the binder (including those in the research section) since all documents can contain children. The name of the Scratchpad note will be used to populate the title field for the new document.

NOTE: The scratchpad is not part of any project and is NOT automatically backed up and should not be used as a long term option for storing information.

Scratchpad Options

File>Options>General>Scratchpad

1. You can choose any location for your scratchpad files, but the default is in the user’s documents.

2. You can save notes as RTF or plain text files.

3. The pad can have a horizontal or vertical split orientation.

4. Click this option to have it float above Scrivener (and all other programs on the computer as well). This does require you to restart the Scratchpad.

Remember, Inspector Document Notes and the Scratchpad notes share the same font which is set in the options panel. (File > Options > Editing > Formatting)

Adding or editing Scratchpad files.

If you add an outside file in the current format being used (RTF or Text), then that file will now appear in your note list the next time you open the Scratchpad. Any edits made in these files will be reflected in Scratchpad the next time it is opened. Any files added can be either RTF, Text files or both.

You cannot directly drag an RTF file into the Scratchpad, but you can copy and paste a file into an existing Scratchpad note to save the information. You can copy and paste from a word docx file as well directly into a Scratchpad note.

Note: RTF files work between Windows and Mac computers when sharing a project.

TXT files are the safe choice if using the Scrivener mobile apps.

Sharing Scratchpad between computers.

The files storage location is set in File >Options >General >Scratchpad. If want to share save these RTF/text files in a cloud folder, then you change the location to a cloud folder both machines can access. This will require a Scrivener restart when you apply the changes. (Remember to change the settings on the other machine as well.) The easiest thing is to go to the original Scratchpad notes location and copy the files there and paste them into the new folder location, restart and your notes will be restored and usable for both machines.

Overview:

  • The Scratchpad is a simple tool for jotting down notes from anywhere on your computer. It is not tied to any specific project and floats above all other windows, even other applications, so it never gets lost.

  • Use it to jot down goals to accomplish today when writing or editing, or notes to remind you to include certain points.

  • It has a camera button and can function as a simple snipit tool.

  • Scrivener's Scratchpad is unique, but is only available when Scrivener is running.

  • You can check an option so it floats above all your Scrivener projects or other programs on your computer.

  • This can remain open while surfing the net, to make notes as you do research, or drag in web addresses to create clickable links. You can right click on these to edit them as well.

  • You can copy and paste information from the web browser into the Scratchpad as well.

Possible Uses:

  • It is useful as an inbox for ideas, a note-taking tool while doing research in other software or simply as a place to jot down your grocery list in a pinch.

  • Or you could have notes for each POV character, locations, foreshadowing, and red herrings. As you write, then details could be added and checked for consitency while writing. I personally tend to use Scapple to do this as you can work over a larger interface.







Lee deLacy