Frequently Asked Questions

HOW DO I GET STORY LITE?

Get Story Turbo now, it is the new version with images too and enhancements. Visit Story Turbo download >

Story Lite application software will run as a stand-alone program after installation. There is a choice of a Windows or Apple Mac.

WHAT IS STORY LITE / STORY TURBO SOFTWARE?

• A way to expand your creativity when writing or planning
• All texts, notes and images displayed right next to your main editor
• Totally flexible
• Easy to use
• Export and Publish
• Can be used as a format in its own right – competitions soon
• Free!

Story Turbo Additions are:

Image import

Grouping – use Ctrl key to add selections, and Ctrl/Drag to move.

Transparent text box backs – use right click to get to Text Box Formats.

Z level – in Formats – 0 is base, 1 is higher etc. Use this to layer boxes.

Snap to grid – line up boxes

Publish button on toolbar – for rtf (word processor), accurate web html export

images export, export to blog, social media etc.

Zoom 2% to 400% with shortcuts.

Many more improvements and shortcuts.

A desktop application with a background canvas containing multiple, open, editing boxes which are text editors. Story Turbo has images and many image features like scale, crop, rotate flip etc

STORY SOFTWARE is a zoomable user interface – ZUI adapted as a creativity tool.

These can be zoomed into and out of to provide editing (box level) and overall view of all boxes on the canvas layout (zoomed out).

Boxes are editable at all zoom levels but better at 100%. Zoom levels are 2% to 400%.

Exports box data as rtf, images and web (html) format. We are adding exports to blogs, social media and content management systems CMS.

The whole system is saved under one name, with all parts (boxes, zoom levels etc).

WHAT IS IT FOR?

It allows writers, bloggers, artists, business people working on ideas, presentations, educators, etc, any user of word processors, to have multiple documents open at the same time for comparison and editing.

IS FOR CREATING NEW WORKS?

Yes, you can create new works in it, with many texts and layout, and in the Story Turbo version, images too.

However it is mainly used as an editor and for creating the early stages of new works.

IS IT A WORD PROCESSOR?

More than: it is a portable desktop that contains as many word and image editors, open at the same time, in a layout, as you need for a project or set of projects.

When you save the Story system, you save the whole system, multiple editing boxes, positions, colors, scaling etc. This means you can have a working environment that is easy to use, contains all your work, notes, ideas etc, and is truly portable.

The next version will have a spell checker and pagination for any text editor boxes, which means you can do all your ideas, notes and final word processing within Story Software.

IS IT A MEMORY AID?

Yes, as any note or idea, or image, however large or small, can be added to a main text, without messing up the main text – say, a novel – and these additional notes or ideas, in their own boxes, can be positioned wherever you want, in any color or size.

See the many examples in the Fiction examples and Web, Business and Education examples.

HOW DOES IT SAVE ALL THIS?

You can install it on your desktop, laptop, netbook, etc, and then open your work anywhere.

A new web app is due out February 2013.

There is a file format .sto which is an XML file. Sometimes the computer tries to open an XML editor, please tell it to open Story Lite.

Preferences

The Preferences file is stored in:

[name-user-account]/Story Software/Story lite/

HOW DOES IT WORK? WHAT ARE THE FUNCTIONS?

Open new application

Add boxes (editors);
delete boxes;
resize boxes.

Add content – text/image – paste/write.
Load image from computer.

Drag boxes around background to enable useful and expressive positioning.

Zoom whole background to edit boxes or inspect.
Zoom out to view whole arrangement.

Change colors of canvas, or individual box background color.

Can also set transparent box back, which means you can layer text. There is also a Z Level control for the layering (Z is height above canvas).

Save/Open/Save As.

Export in common formats for publication (rtf at the moment).

MANY BOXES – HOW TO ARRANGE?

Physical arrangement – layout.

The 2D flat layout is used to see what relates to what.
The 3D space (zoom in/out) allows you to have much more material to hand.

Group boxes using the Ctrl key (Ctrl/click to multiple select).
Use Ctrl/drag to move the selection, which can also be cloned.

Canvas color can be used to identify the overall file (you might use red for novels, blue for short stories).
Or just set it to whatever you prefer.

Box border color can identify groups of items.

Boxes can have color borders, set at 1 pixel. This can be used for a visual reminder or grouping method.

WHAT ARE THE VERSIONS?

Versions:
Story Softwareis the name of the overall system.
Story Lite was initially freeware, is now low cost (app pricing), much upgraded with many new features.
Story Turbo is the images version, and has image import with many controls.

WHERE CAN I GET THE SOFTWARE APART FROM HERE?

PAD files

Software description PAD xml are being updated no