Wishlist for version 2.7

Feature requests, and in-depth discussions of features and the way Mellel works

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nicka
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Wishlist for version 2.7

Post by nicka »

With the release of the excellent version 2.6 of Mellel, it seems to be time to start posting our wishlists for features to make it into version 2.7.

To get things started, here are some popular features from past wishlists, not yet implemented (in no particular order):
  • Indexing
  • Marginalia
  • End of chapter endnotes
  • End of chapter bibliographies
  • Undo that persists through save and -especially- auto-save
  • Export to pdf of table of contents
  • Proper support for multi-lingual documents (i.e. by marking text by language, and having spell-checking, hyphenation etc. all respect that)
  • Export of style names to Word or rtf documents
  • Import of style names from Word or rtf documents
  • Floating images and tables
  • Text frames
  • Vertical text for CJK scripts
  • Ruby/furigana type glosses, also for CJK scripts
  • Line numbering
  • Columns of different widths in one section
  • Mellel to generate content of academic papers and research proposals (to a user-specified standard, up to Nobel-prize-winning)...
  • ... and brew tea.
Edited to add two popular requests I forgot about.
Last edited by nicka on Mon Jan 26, 2009 4:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
simifilm
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Re: Wishlist for version 2.7

Post by simifilm »

After having written for the first time a paper with plenty of illustrations, I must say that I consider "Floating images and tables" to be one of the most important areas ATM. Here, Mellel is truly lacking. A LaTeX-like approach (as has already been discussed) which allows top/bottom of the page placing would be swell as well.

Apart from that multiple bibliographies and proper support for multi-lingual documents are my favorites.
rpcameron
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Re: Wishlist for version 2.7

Post by rpcameron »

Another request in relation to tables: Table cells that automatically overflow onto the next page, as well as table styles.

Also, in regards to font support and orientation: Support for Devanagari conjuncts, OpenType glyph alternates; vertical text not only for CJK (which goes RTL in vertical form), but also for Latin scripts (with choice of text rotated 90° or not), as well as permitting vertical text to flow LTR (such as Mongolian does). Once vertical text is implemented, though, I doubt the RTL vs. LTR issue will be a problem, since Mellel has superior BiDi support.

But, I would like to reiterate the two most glaring font omissions are Devanagari support and alternate glyph support.
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Timotheus
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Re: Wishlist for version 2.7

Post by Timotheus »

Oh no, not again!! The "wishlist for version 2.6" offers an excellent and detailed survey of the major features the Mellel community wants to be added in future versions. Only a minimal part of these features have been implemented in version 2.6; which means that the old thread is still perfectly valid.

All we need is some information from Ori about what we can expect in the near future: which features will be implemented rather soon, and which features will have to wait. I hope he will be ready to do so.
aechallu
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Re: Wishlist for version 2.7

Post by aechallu »

I agree with Timotheus.
macsailor
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Re: Wishlist for version 2.7

Post by macsailor »

aechallu wrote:I agree with Timotheus.
Same here. Otherwise we will once again end up in an unmanageable thread that no one (i.e. that’s me) have the time to read.
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nicka
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Re: Wishlist for version 2.7

Post by nicka »

I take the point, but what if someone has a new request? The wishlist for 2.6 is not obviously the right place to post it now.
DylanMuir
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Re: Wishlist for version 2.7

Post by DylanMuir »

Perhaps we can do this in an incremental way. Perhaps someone should go through the old thread and provide an ordered summary of the most-requested items from there, to kick off a new thread. Then we can add requests, without losing the already-given preferences.
macsailor
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Re: Wishlist for version 2.7

Post by macsailor »

DylanMuir wrote:Perhaps we can do this in an incremental way. Perhaps someone should go through the old thread and provide an ordered summary of the most-requested items from there, to kick off a new thread. Then we can add requests, without losing the already-given preferences.
A good suggestion. Any volunteers? (Please count me out. My time schedule are to tight for this kind of work.)
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Mart°n
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Re: Wishlist for version 2.7

Post by Mart°n »

It may be a good idea to name the new thread simply “Wishlist” so the story wouldn’t repeat for every Mellel update.
frankodwyer
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Re: Wishlist for version 2.7

Post by frankodwyer »

If I can make a suggestion to the developers, there are a few sites now which provide a good way to manage feature requests and bug reports, allowing things like voting on features and so on, as well as feedback to users as to whether the feature they want was implemented (or will be or never will be) :-)

For example there is uservoice.com and getsatisfaction.com, and probably others. I came across uservoice.com from stackoverflow (stackoverflow.com), where it seems to work pretty well. Sites like these usually offer some kind of free plan as well.
kcwookie
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Real Full Screen editing.

Post by kcwookie »

My biggest wish is better full screen editing. I would like to have full screen editing like CopyWrite or MacJournal. The current method is of little use as all it does is block out the desktop. I like Mellel and don't want to have to write somewhere else so that I can bring it to Mellel for formatting. To me, that is a waste.
Bulow
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Re: Wishlist for version 2.7

Post by Bulow »

This was on my wish-list for all previous versions, so I repeat it here:
  • Export of style names to Word or rtf documents
    Import of style names from Word or rtf documents
    Foot-notes set to appear at bottom of page should not appear at the end of the section, but - at the bottom of the page.
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nicka
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Re: Wishlist for version 2.7

Post by nicka »

My biggest wish is better full screen editing. I would like to have full screen editing like CopyWrite or MacJournal.
Could you be more specific? What does Mellel's full-screen mode lack that you find useful in CopyWrite or MacJournal?

I haven't used those applications, but I use the full-screen mode in Scrivener, and I think the pop-up HUD at the bottom of the screen with a live word count and control over various parameters -- page width, background opacity, page position and text scale -- is a very good feature that Mellel could usefully emulate.

It's also useful that in Scrivener you have access to the menus in full screen mode: the menu bar is hidden but pops up if the mouse pointer goes to the top of the screen.
eeptman
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Re: Wishlist for version 2.7

Post by eeptman »

• Rewrite Mellel's interface, make it more friendly.
• Support CJK Characters seamlessly.
• Rewrite Mellel's Tutorial.
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