Zerowriter Core 1.1 Update

Now that Zerowriter Ink is finally out in the wild, I am happy to announce the first major update to Zerowriter Core.

This is a significant update and addresses a lot of shortcomings with the software that shipped on every first batch Zerowriter Ink. I recommend updating yours.

To update your Zerowriter Ink:

    Visit the Firmware Update Page. After performing the update once (to 1.1), your device will work with SD Card updates.

    Version 1.1:

    • Simple Folders: Working on a larger project, or managing a few different writing jobs at once? You can now work in up to 9 folders, labelled 1-9. This optional feature is enabled by pressing a number key while in the main menu. That will set that folder as the "active" folder.
    • 'Save As': You can now choose to save and work with files in whatever naming format you want. The default is still the Zerowriter system (automatic file naming and organizing) but at any time you can highlight a word and press CTRL+S to "save as" that selection as your file name. For example: type "cat", highlight it, press ctrl+s: your file is now saved as cat.txt.
    • External .TXTs: Your Zerowriter will load any external .txt files you drop on the SD card. They'll appear at the bottom of the file list.
    • Full Screen: You can choose to disable the menu bar entirely, giving you an extra line of workspace and fewer distractions.
    • Writing Session Mode: On a sprint? At any time, you can set a writing goal by typing a number, highlighting it, and pressing CTRL+G. You'll have started a writing goal session and your Zerowriter will let you know your writing stats.
    • Hotswap Files: If you find yourself switching back and forth between a few key files often, this one is for you. Assign any file to a hotswap slot with CTRL+ALT+(NUM 1-9). Activate the assigned slot with CTRL+NUM. No messing with menus, just quickly toggle between files. Your Zerowriter will even remember where you are inside hotswapped documents, meaning you can easily edit or merge files.

    Bug Fixes

    • Fixed line spacing to actually adjust line spacing (oops)
    • Fixed various bugs related to editor features, specifically related to handling shift-selected text edits
    • Fixed bugs related to diacritical/deadkey system
    • Fixed some issues with hotkey navigation tools (jump ahead by word, line, etc)
    • Fixed some issues with cursor-based navigation and movement
    • Tweaked the refresh speed settings and clarity for the display
    Back to blog

    3 comments

    HI Sebastien! I just added in markdown support, and I am working on some deeper integration there that might be able to support a “word processor-feeling” on-device italics, bold, etc.

    I think what you are describing is doable – by some creativity with how I handle markdown files. Icedquinn is right with the limitations we face, but there is sometimes some middle ground and creative problem solving that can get us /most/ of the way there.

    Adam @ Zerowriter

    Changing styles like bold and italic involve changing the underlying type face so it makes things… appreciably more complicated. It would no longer work with plain TXT files (there needs to be some way to store the format change) so you would need to store bold, italic, possibly bold-italic fonts on the machine, and add codes to change them, and a format to support it, which in turn requires a parser to support that, which represents a significant increase of storage and implementation complexity. Dana’s could do this—they were using PalmOS hardware—but they also saved to a funny format that needs external conversion.

    An interesting problem to think about. Fitting it on an ESP32 is probably possible but what opportunity cost it carries I’m not sure.

    While not a satisfying answer: in the meantime you can still write markdown on digital typewriters. They don’t get formatted onboard, but increasingly software has the ability to import markdown formatting. Or converters exist if you use a processor that still doesn’t (pandoc to opendocument, etc.)

    IcedQuinn

    Hey Adam,

    Any chance the Zerowriter will support bold and italic? I’m a novelist by trade, so I’m always writing fiction which frequently requires italics for inner monologue and emphasis. One of my biggest complaints with devices like the Freewrites I’ve used (other than not great hardware) is having to use markdown codes in place of italics. So, I’m wondering if Zerowriter might support italics?

    Congratulations on the success of the project, by the way.

    Best,

    Sebastien

    Sebastien de Castell

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