What is WriteNow?

 

WriteNow has long had its enthusiastic supporters. The tidy word processor boasts speed, modest memory requirements, strict WYSIWYG display of pages, and a relatively uncomplicated interface. But a few missing features — the ability to insert and customize tables and to easily import, size, and crop graphics files, chief among them — have kept WriteNow out of the big leagues. With this release, both longtime users and those interested in switching to a more memory-efficient word processor are in luck.

Tables are the splashiest new feature. Creating a table is easy. You choose Insert Table from the Format menu, and a dialog box displaying eight predefined table types appears. Choose a style, enter the number of rows and columns you need, and voila, the table appears in your current document at the point you last left your cursor. A narrow, vertical Table Tool palette makes it easy to add or delete rows or columns; divide or merge adjacent cells; and define single-, bold-, or double-line borders.

Additionally, creating a table from imported tab-data couldn’t be easier. You simply import the file in tab-delimited format, select the appropriate range of data, and then choose Text to Table from the Format menu.

The new table features are well designed. Cells expand to accommodate text or graphics. Selections are limited to rectangular arrays of cells, but the process is straightforward: hold down the shift key and click on the first and last cells in your selection; you can also click and drag to select cells.

Formatting is a cinch. An inserted table automatically expands to fit within the margins of the document. To change individual column, row, and cell widths, you select an array of cells and drag a corner or an edge to the desired position. Customizing font display is as easy as changing or creating Table Styles. And you can use WriteNow’s expanded palette of 88 colors to enliven table fonts, borders, and cell backgrounds.

The biggest drawback to WriteNow’s implementation of tables is that they can be no larger than a single page. You can’t split a table across pages without physically creating another table. This option is most inconvenient if you need to change styles and layout midstream. The fact that WriteNow can import Microsoft Word tables is wonderful — unless the table is larger than a page, of course. In this case, you simply lose any data beyond the first page.

WriteNow 4.0.1 offers improved handling of graphics. Besides importing EPS, PICT, and MacPaint graphics, you can now size, crop, and reposition them for better display within a document. Once again, though, graphics files are constrained to the size of your page.

One serious problem with the handling of EPS files is that PostScript fonts included in a file are not downloaded and so do not print correctly. Sophisticated users may think to include an invisible character in each needed font in a text line preceding the graphic; this ensures that the font is downloaded, but it’s an awkward workaround.

The new version greatly simplifies the creation of merge documents. You first generate a data document that lists the fields you want to include in your template document. Then, while you’re working on the template document, the Merge Helper window offers two pop-up menus. The first lists merge commands (IF, IF ELSE, ASK, and NEXT, for instance). To generate the list in the second pop-up menu, WriteNow scans your data document and offers field choices. When you choose options from Merge Helper menus, WriteNow inserts them into the template document with the appropriate cue markers.

PowerBook users will find several useful new features. A memory-optimization scheme reduces the number of times WriteNow must go to the hard disk. A Battery Indicator extension keeps you posted on the status of your battery. And perhaps most important for those using passive matrix screens, the Large Text Cursor option fattens the oftenhard-to-find I-beam.

Those who upgraded early to version 4.0 faced several bugs. WriteNow icons, both application and document, sometimes switched to generic icons. Lines of type flickered in a most annoying manner. Using the WriteNow-to-RTF filter sometimes caused crashes. And users employing system enablers such as Connectix Mode 32 had printing problems. Version 4.0.1 neatly wipes out the bugs. Plus, it adds the ability to save 4.0 documents in version 2.2 format, a necessary workaround for QuarkXPress users.

There are still a few features that users may be pointing to on their wish lists. WriteNow includes no outlining, glossary, or annotation capabilities. To create outlines, you must tediously apply the Move Margin Right (or Left) to Tab commands. Many users may want a separate user dictionary. Some formatting niceties, such as keeping lines together on a page or defining spaces before and after paragraphs, are still missing. A feature that would allow users to move text using a simple drag-and-drop option would be a blessing. And some users would like the option, say, when scrolling, to forgo the strict WYSIWYG display that shows headers and footers for each page. Finally, the sale of WriteNow to giant WordStar International means that users often wait endlessly for someone to answer the technical-support lines.

Still, WriteNow is more than adequate for many word processing needs; and as more and more users find themselves hauling around laptops, WriteNow’s conservative use of memory (the application fits into a dainty 600K partition) and graceful interface will continue to win it enthusiastic fans.

Stefanac, Suzanne. (June 1994). WriteNow 4.0.1. Macworld. (pg. 65).

Download WriteNow for Mac

Architecture

Motorola 68K

System Requirements

From Mac OS 1.0 up to Mac OS 9.2

Compatibility notes

Architecture: 68K

Mac OS 1.x - Mac OS 9.2.2

 

Minimum Requirements

• Macintosh 512Ke

Emulating this? It could probably run under: Mini vMac