Using Comments to Create Linked Notes in the Sidebar

Comments are similar to annotations, but instead of being inline with the text, they’re tucked out of the way in the Comments & Footnotes pane, quickly accessible via a link within the text.

Just like annotations, comments are equally handy for making plot notes, marking passages for more research or revision, critiquing another’s work, and adding reminders to yourself.

To view existing comments in a document, click the Comments & Footnotes button at the bottom of the Inspector, or click a comment link in the Editor to open the Comments & Footnotes pane.

Adding a comment

To add a comment, follow these steps:

1. Click the spot within the text to which you want to link your comment.

Alternatively, select a portion of text if you want to associate the entire selection to a comment.

2. Choose Format⇒Comment.

The nearest word is underlined and highlighted in yellow (or the most recently used comment color), and the Comments & Footnotes pane opens, displaying a new Comment text box. The author name, date, and time that appear automatically are selected, so any typing you do overwrites them.

3. Type the desired comment, and then click outside the Comment text box to save it.

Alternatively, after you enter a comment, you can press the Esc key to save the comment and return to your place in the Editor.

Figure 10-5 shows a new comment and the corresponding link in the text. Both are the same color. The asterisk in the Comments & Footnotes button in the Inspector indicates the presence of a comment or footnote in the selected document.

Editing and deleting a comment

Need to change a comment? It’s as easy as double-clicking the comment within the Comments & Footnotes pane, and then making your changes.

To delete a comment, click the X button in the upper-right corner of the Comment text box.

To delete one or more comments, select the desired comments, and then click the Delete Selected Comments & Footnotes button (refer to Figure 10-5), or press the Delete key.

However you delete it, the comment and its link disappear.

Changing the comment color

Were you dismayed to see that new comments showed up yellow, even if you changed the annotation color? Never fear, comment colors are changeable, too, if you follow these steps:

1. In the Comments & Footnotes pane, select the comment(s) that you want to change.

2. Choose Format⇒Font⇒Show Colors.

The Colors window appears.

3. Select the desired color.

The selected comments change to the new color, as do their corresponding links in the text.

Any new comments appear in the new color until you change it.

4. Close the Colors window by clicking the red X button.

Using comments to navigate a document

When you’re ready to address a comment in your project, you can quickly jump to the corresponding location within a document by clicking the Comment box in the Comments & Footnotes pane.

When viewing multiple documents in the Editor (Scrivenings mode), the comments for all the documents appear in the Comments & Footnotes pane. Just click each comment in turn to navigate to the parts of your project that need more work.

Moving a comment

Need to get a comment out of the way for easier text editing? Or maybe you want to move it to another place in the document. You don’t have to delete the original comment and create a new one from scratch. You can simply move the one you already have to a different location.

To move a comment, follow these steps:

1. Select the new text to which you want to attach the comment.

2. In the Comments & Footnotes pane, right-click the comment that you want to move.

3. Choose Move to Selection from the contextual menu that appears.

For an even faster move, drag the desired comment from the Comments & Footnotes pane and drop it on the word in the Editor to which you want to apply it.

Converting a comment to an inline annotation

Are the comments too out of the way for your liking? Do you wish the comment was embedded in the text for quick, easy reading? Then convert your comments to inline annotations.

Follow these steps to make the change:

1. Select the document(s) in the Binder that you want to affect.

2. If you’re in Corkboard or Outline view, choose View⇒Scrivenings to display the Editor pane.

3. Click anywhere within the Editor pane to activate it.

This step makes the menu options available.

4. Choose Format⇒Convert⇒Inspector Comments to Inline Annotations.

The comments disappear from the Comments & Footnotes pane, and the links are removed. The comment text appears to the right of the original link in a colored bubble that matches the comment color.