I’ve been using Atlantis for over 3 years now and am generally very happy with it. I love its speed (what brought me to it in the first place), a number of its quirky features and the realistic option of suggesting/requesting a feature and it being implemented.
However, there are a number of little quirks that have bothered me to a greater or lesser extent over the years. Some I’ve already posted on this forum about, some I never got around to. I thought it might be worth collecting them together in one post in the hope some (all?) might be revisited even if they were rejected before. I would suggest that still yearning for these features after all this time lends them a little more weight than they might have appeared to have at the time.
Bear in mind I’ve already seen any workarounds suggested in my original posts but after trying them, would still prefer the features as I describe them below. So, despite having lived without them for several years, the features I’d love to have included in Atlantis are (in priority order)…
1 – Built-in Thesaurus. I’d love to have a (British English) Thesaurus built into Atlantis and function as it does in MS Word. I tried the WordWeb one and hated it as it’s not integrated into Atlantis and overwhelms the user with zillions of confusing, unordered (and often unrelated) words in a terrible interface. Just a dozen or so alternatives offered as Word does, with a right click, would be great.
2 – Clippy Bank. As I mentioned in this post, I’d love a ‘spare page’ to be associated with each document I write. So, it would work how ‘Clippy Bank’ (hate that name) works now except each doc had its own Clippy Bank so you could keep notes, clipping etc for that doc in its own ‘Clippy bank’. I found this functionality invaluable when I had it with other software (not a word processor). Personally, I’d suggest Atlantis create a new doc with the same name as its master doc but ending with a .clip extension (kept in the same directory) and use this as the documents clippy bank doc that gets switched between when you press F8 while editing that doc.
3 – Implement the ‘Hide White Space’ feature from MS Word. I use the ‘Print Layout’ view almost exclusively but screen space is precious to me so I find myself often wishing I could click on the gap between pages to remove the white space so text flowed between pages without interruption while still showing me how it will look when printed.
4 – I’d like the option to display the buttons/document names vertically on the Document Bar as discussed at length in this thread. I still use it every day and still wish I could read the titles of the documents I have open. I still say rotating the buttons 90 degrees clockwise (when on the RHS) in the Document Bar would be the best solution.
5 - Split view. It would be good to be able to easily split into two views on the same document so one section is visible while working on another part.
6 – I still like the idea of a ‘Segment Focus’ feature (as well as the WriteMonkey like distraction free, full screen view) as described here.
7 – Automatically number illustrations. For example, I add a picture and it's automatically captioned "Figure 1" (plus whatever text I add to the caption). I add a second picture and it's captioned "Figure 2". I then add a third picture between the originals and it's captioned "Figure 2" and the original second picture's caption automatically changes to "Figure 3".
8 – Button/Shortcut to change colour schemes. I’d like to be able to set a button on my toolbar and/or setup a hotkey to change to particular colour schemes. I’ve found a reasonable workaround by using PhraseExpress but would prefer the functionality built into Atlantis.
9 – I’d like the manual for Atlantis available in PDF (or RTF) format. This comment from admin in October 2007 “Regrettably we do not have such a manual. Possibly it will be created in a not too distant future.” Is this any closer 3 years later?
10 – Low priority for me but I occasionally need the odd table or two in my docs…
11 – Add to Writing time feature to estimate the time needed to write ‘X’ number of words based on current rate.
While writing this, I came up with a couple of new requests…
12 – I always have more than one doc open at a time. I’d like a way for the ‘Save Document’ icon to indicate an open doc other than the current one has not been saved since it was changed. I’d suggest the icon change to a dark grey when a doc other than the current one isn’t saved. Alternately, I supposed the document’s button on the Document Bar could be dark grey to indicate it needs saving?
13 – Is there a way to turn automatically produced numbered lists into normal text? i.e as if I’d manually typed ‘1’, ‘2’, ‘3’ etc at the start of the lines.
My mega wish list
First, thanks for your "mega wish list".
At this point, I cannot say which of your suggested features will be implemented in Atlantis, and when. I will comment on individual suggestions from your wish list as soon as we start working on the corresponding new features of Atlantis.
Anyway, regarding some of the suggestions:
1. I am sorry, but it is unlikely that Atlantis will ever have its own built-in thesaurus.
13. Currently there is no way to convert automatic list numbers into plain text.
At this point, I cannot say which of your suggested features will be implemented in Atlantis, and when. I will comment on individual suggestions from your wish list as soon as we start working on the corresponding new features of Atlantis.
Anyway, regarding some of the suggestions:
1. I am sorry, but it is unlikely that Atlantis will ever have its own built-in thesaurus.
13. Currently there is no way to convert automatic list numbers into plain text.
Thanks for the response.
Sorry to hear about the Thesaurus
If you do consider making any of these and need more detail (I have been thinking about how they might work) just let me know.
For what it's worth, I think the item that I would use most (as would others, I think) without being too difficult to implement (I assume) would be item 3, 'Hide White Space'. I can see me turning that on and off several times daily as I need it.
Sorry to hear about the Thesaurus
If you do consider making any of these and need more detail (I have been thinking about how they might work) just let me know.
For what it's worth, I think the item that I would use most (as would others, I think) without being too difficult to implement (I assume) would be item 3, 'Hide White Space'. I can see me turning that on and off several times daily as I need it.
Hi Andy,andygrunt wrote:Sorry to hear about the Thesaurus
I am talking about Word Web Pro (the paying version). I don’t know if this applies to the free version. Note that the Pro version is very reasonably priced.
Word Web Pro has an option to “Show WordWeb Basic English in bold”. It also has an option to “Show synonyms as root words”. If you combine these 2 options, you’ll get lists where the closest “synonyms” are in bold characters. Most of the time, there is only a handful.
HTH.
Cheers,
Robert
Hi Andy,
You might want to have a look at “TheSage” (http://www.sequencepublishing.com/thesage.html). Its “Similarity” tab shows only a very restricted number of synonyms. Beware, there are plenty of configuration options, and maybe also a learning curve. If you select a word in Atlantis, then press the default hot key (Ctrl+Shift+A), you get the corresponding definition in TheSage. If you then press the “Similarity” tab, you get a few synonyms.
HTH.
Cheers,
Robert
You might want to have a look at “TheSage” (http://www.sequencepublishing.com/thesage.html). Its “Similarity” tab shows only a very restricted number of synonyms. Beware, there are plenty of configuration options, and maybe also a learning curve. If you select a word in Atlantis, then press the default hot key (Ctrl+Shift+A), you get the corresponding definition in TheSage. If you then press the “Similarity” tab, you get a few synonyms.
HTH.
Cheers,
Robert
Hhhm... judging from the screenshots, the interface still looks pretty manic but I'll give a it a go when I get a chance - thanks.
I don't mind fiddling with settings and learning how to use a bit of software (kinda like it actually) but should it be necessary for thesaurus software? I can't help thinking it means it can't have been designed well. Software should remove work and complication from the user, not add it.
I don't mind fiddling with settings and learning how to use a bit of software (kinda like it actually) but should it be necessary for thesaurus software? I can't help thinking it means it can't have been designed well. Software should remove work and complication from the user, not add it.
You want a very limited number of synonyms. “TheSage” can give you that. But for a single look-up, it also can give you definition, examples, synonym, antonym, hypernym, hyponym, holonym, meronym, attribute, derived, category, region, usage, entailment, cause, similar. These are options that can be checked or unchecked. You can search for phonetic patterns, for anagrams, with or without wild cards. There is a speech tool, and some more goodies, or so it seems. I haven’t got round to all of them yet…
Maybe your browser is set to cache Web pages. You might need to clear your browser cache.
Here is from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-hard-refresh.htm:
Here is from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-hard-refresh.htm:
Also here are excerpts from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia: ... your_cache:If you visit a website frequently, your web browser stores elements of the web page in a cache so that they do not have to be downloaded again each time you visit, making your browsing faster. These elements might include photographs, pages you have already viewed, or style sheets. In some cases, when the website is changed, you may not be able to view the changes because you are actually viewing the cache. There are two ways to solve this problem: a hard refresh, which bypasses the cache and loads the actual page as it is stored on the server, and clearing your cache, which is something you should do periodically anyway.
To refresh a website normally, you hit the “refresh” button, or the F5 key, or press the command key for your operating system, such as the Apple key or the Control key, and the letter R. To hard refresh, the command or control key is held down while clicking on the refresh button or pressing F5. Alternatively, the user can hold down the shift key, the command/control key, and the letter R. A hard refresh will bypass any cached files and display the web page as it currently appears on the server.
A hard refresh can be useful to clear forms and ensure that you are viewing the web page as it currently appears. Usually, even if your web browser has a cached version of a web page, it will check with the server for any changes. Sometimes glitches confuse this communication, however, leaving the viewer with a web site that looks confusing. This is especially common when changes are made to style sheets, which sometimes cause a page to be rendered in an odd way.
If you are viewing a web page that looks odd or has glitches, a hard refresh may be necessary. This is common with websites that are constantly being updated, like e-mail and news sites. Occasionally, the rapid updates confuse the browser, which reverts to a cached version of the page. If a site looks funny to you, performing a hard refresh may help to clear up the problem. Hard refresh is also very useful for web designers who want to make sure that they are viewing the most recent version of their work.
In the options menu for your web browser, there is usually a tab for dealing with the cache. You can set the size of the cache and also clear it out. Clearing the cache will remove all of the older saved versions of websites you visit, which means that the entire page will have to be freshly downloaded when you visit it. Clearing the cache is more time consuming than doing a hard refresh, and only needs to be done periodically, but can be beneficial if you are having difficulty with your browser.
Wikipedia saves bandwidth by instructing your web browser to store many parts of the site in its local cache (normally on your hard drive), so that they are downloaded only once. This includes articles you've previously viewed, images previously displayed, style sheets, JavaScript, etc.
Sometimes, this has the undesired—and highly confusing—result that a recent change appears to be ignored. There may be other abnormalities, such as changes to the site's interface or changed user preferences having no effect.
When you encounter odd behaviour, please try instructing your browser to bypass the cache so that the whole page is reloaded even if there is a cached copy. Normally, revisiting the cached page, or clicking "Refresh" or "Reload", will cause the browser to ask the Web site if there is a newer version available, downloading only if there is; the instructions below explain how to over-ride this behaviour.
Do this before reporting the problem. If the problem persists, report it at Wikipedia:Village pump (technical).
In unusual circumstances, it may be worth clearing the entire cache, or—at the extreme—disable browser caching entirely. Clearing the cache might help the browser perform better if it has cached many items which are not likely to be viewed soon. Disabling the cache is not a long term desirable solution because it downloads everything from a Web site every time, even if you've just looked at them and they haven't changed. However, disabling the cache is a useful experiment to determine whether caching contributes to a problem.
Downloaded and using the new Beta and the new 'Hide White Space' feature is working perfectly and is already invaluable - thanks for doing that. Minor request (low priority) is to have different states between each open document so one doc can have it on while another has it turned off.
Erm... at the risk of sounding ungrateful, I happen to have done a bit of work recently that used an area of Atlantis I rarely venture into and found something I think would be improved with a few more options.
I rarely need to use more than one column (so this is low priority for me) but after just using two columns, I'd like a few more options regarding the 'Line Between'. The options that spring to mind are:
- Line thickness. I'd prefer 1 pixel thick but it appears thicker (2 or 3 pixels thick) when it's printed.
- Adjustable height. At the moment the line extends from the top to the bottom of the columns. I'd prefer the option to type in the percentage of the columns height the line covers (centred vertically). This would allow me to have a more subtle line extending, say, 25% of the height of the columns.
- Different styles. Although I doubt I'd use them myself, perhaps you could add the option for different line styles? dashed, dotted etc.
- Colour. Add the option to select a colour for the line. I can see myself using a mid grey to tone it down a bit.
- Lastly, when I press up from the top of column two (in a two column page), it moves the cursor to the bottom of column two in the previous page. Should it do that? I was expecting it to move to the bottom of column one on the same page i.e. to the line 'above' the one I started at. What's the correct behaviour?
By the way, Robert, I'm currently using Firefox which I rarely use so that may well be the cause of my having to refresh the Beta page when I wouldn't normally have to.
Erm... at the risk of sounding ungrateful, I happen to have done a bit of work recently that used an area of Atlantis I rarely venture into and found something I think would be improved with a few more options.
I rarely need to use more than one column (so this is low priority for me) but after just using two columns, I'd like a few more options regarding the 'Line Between'. The options that spring to mind are:
- Line thickness. I'd prefer 1 pixel thick but it appears thicker (2 or 3 pixels thick) when it's printed.
- Adjustable height. At the moment the line extends from the top to the bottom of the columns. I'd prefer the option to type in the percentage of the columns height the line covers (centred vertically). This would allow me to have a more subtle line extending, say, 25% of the height of the columns.
- Different styles. Although I doubt I'd use them myself, perhaps you could add the option for different line styles? dashed, dotted etc.
- Colour. Add the option to select a colour for the line. I can see myself using a mid grey to tone it down a bit.
- Lastly, when I press up from the top of column two (in a two column page), it moves the cursor to the bottom of column two in the previous page. Should it do that? I was expecting it to move to the bottom of column one on the same page i.e. to the line 'above' the one I started at. What's the correct behaviour?
By the way, Robert, I'm currently using Firefox which I rarely use so that may well be the cause of my having to refresh the Beta page when I wouldn't normally have to.
I am sorry, but we cannot add new formatting options incompatible with MS Word document formats (RTF, DOC, and DOCX). It would be impossible to save such "custom formatting" to a MS Word document.I'd like a few more options regarding the 'Line Between'
I am not sure that there is a behavior that would satisfy everyone's expectations. You are surprised that pressing the Up arrow key does not move to the "preceding paragraph". But if Atlantis worked in "your way", others might be surprised why pressing the Up arrow key does not actually move the insertion point UP.when I press up from the top of column two (in a two column page), it moves the cursor to the bottom of column two in the previous page. Should it do that? I was expecting it to move to the bottom of column one on the same page i.e. to the line 'above' the one I started at. What's the correct behaviour?
I agree that the current behavior is arguable. But at least it is compatible with MS Word.
By the way, you can always move to the preceding paragraph by pressing Ctrl+Up.
If you have more ideas/suggestions on how to improve Atlantis, please feel free to post them to the forum....at the risk of sounding ungrateful, I happen to have done a bit of work recently that used an area of Atlantis I rarely venture into and found something I think would be improved with a few more options
Did you try checking the "Tools | Options... > Privacy > Clear history when Firefox closes" option in Firefox, and then clicking the associated "Settings..." button, and checking the "Cache" box?I'm currently using Firefox which I rarely use so that may well be the cause of my having to refresh the Beta page when I wouldn't normally have to.
Last edited by admin on Mon Feb 18, 2019 10:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
I hadn't thought about the compatibility issue - fair enough. Surprised Word doesn't have those options - I have a dim memory of being able to adjust line length in some application and assumed it was Word. I just checked and see it doesn't have any more options for the line than Atlantis.admin wrote:I am sorry, but we cannot add new formatting options incompatible with MS Word document formats
Again, fair enough.admin wrote:I agree that the current behavior is arguable. But at least it is compatible with MS Word.
I will but it felt like it might seem very demanding and ungrateful to ask for new features right after you'd just added another I'd asked for.admin wrote:If you have more ideas/suggestions on how to improve Atlantis, please feel free to post them to the forum.
I didn't mean to trouble you for help with Firefox (just trying to offer a possible explanation for what I saw so your didn't think your website had a problem) but thanks for the tip anyway - that option is now ticked.admin wrote:Did you try checking the "Tools | Options... > Privacy > Clear history when Firefox closes" option in Firefox
A while back I suggested a feature to display multiple documents, one after the other, in the same window. So you could, for example, have 'scene1.rtf', 'scene2.rtf' and 'scene3.rtf' in one document window and view (and edit) them in context. The response to my request wasn't favourable 
I didn't even think to add it to my mega wish list.
Anyhoo... I notice that this very feature is available in an upcoming Windows release of a competing word processor. You can see it in action from the 7 minute mark in this video.
Having seen it in action, I wonder if it's now any more likely to make it into Atlantis?
EDIT: Oh and at the 8 minute mark you can see another requested feature for Atlantis (split view) in action.
I didn't even think to add it to my mega wish list.Anyhoo... I notice that this very feature is available in an upcoming Windows release of a competing word processor. You can see it in action from the 7 minute mark in this video.
Having seen it in action, I wonder if it's now any more likely to make it into Atlantis?
EDIT: Oh and at the 8 minute mark you can see another requested feature for Atlantis (split view) in action.