Import and export
Your book is yours. It goes out in whatever shape you need and comes back in from most places you might have written it.
Importing#
Settings has an Import section. It reads:
| From | What FoxQuill does |
|---|---|
| Text or Markdown | Splits chapters on a level-one heading, scenes on a level-two heading, ***, or a bare # |
| Word (.docx) | Splits on Heading 1 and Heading 2 |
| EPUB | One chapter per content document, skipping the cover and the contents |
| Scrivener | Reads the binder from a zipped .scriv folder. A folder becomes a chapter, its documents become scenes, and a synopsis card becomes a scene summary |
| FoxQuill backup (.json) | Restores everything: drafts, cards, links, notes, sprints, statistics, and goals |
Nothing is written until you have seen the preview. FoxQuill shows every chapter it found, how many scenes are in it, how many words, and the first line, and waits.
You then choose whether it becomes a new book or is added to the end of the book you are in. Adding to a book only ever appends. Nothing already there is changed or removed.
Chapter break lets you split on your own line instead of a heading. Type CHAPTER and every line starting with that word begins a new chapter, with the rest of the line as its title.
Compiling the manuscript#
The Compile the manuscript button in Settings opens a dialog.
- Format: Word, PDF, EPUB, Markdown, or plain text.
- Chapters: check the ones you want.
- Scene separator: what gets printed between scenes.
***by default. Leave it empty for a blank line. - Include chapter titles: on by default.
- Include a title page: on by default.
- Standard manuscript (Word and PDF): 12 point serif, double spaced, first line indented, page numbers. It overrides the font choice.
- Font (Word and PDF): serif, sans serif, or typewriter.
Every format is built from the same pipeline, so the options mean the same thing whichever you pick.
Everything else that comes out#
Export holds only files you open somewhere else. It is in two groups.
The book
| Export | What it is |
|---|---|
| Whole book | One Markdown file. |
| Chapters and Library | A zip with one file per chapter and one per card. |
Notes and Library
| Export | What it is |
|---|---|
| Notes | A zip with one Markdown file per note, in folders by type. |
| Library cards (CSV) | One row per card. Your own fields become columns. |
| Library cards (JSON) | The same, with your fields kept nested. |
The full JSON copy of a book is not in Export any more. It is under Backup. See Backup and where your data lives.
The chapter menu in the sidebar also has Export this chapter, which sends one chapter straight out as a Word file.