Novel Writer - A Flask-based Writing Application

A sleek, modern, lightweight web application for writers to create, organize, and export novels. Built with Flask, this application offers a distraction-free writing environment with just the right amount of features to enhance your writing process.

Key Features

Book Management

• Multiple Projects: Create and manage multiple books in a single interface
• Easy Navigation: Quickly switch between your writing projects
• Automatic Saving: Your work is saved automatically every 30 seconds

Chapter Organization

• Flexible Structure: Create, delete, rename, and reorder chapters
• Quick Access: Navigate between chapters with a single click
• Content Preservation: All formatting is maintained across sessions

Rich Text Editor

• Basic Formatting: Bold, italic, and underlined text
• List Support: Create bullet points and numbered lists
• Block Quotes: Format sections as block quotes
• Clean Formatting: One-click removal of all text formatting

Export Options

• JSON Format: Export your entire book structure for backup
• Plain Text: Export clean, formatted text that works anywhere
• HTML: Export beautifully formatted HTML with proper spacing

Customization

• Book Settings: Customize font size and line spacing for each book
• UI Preferences: Adjust the interface to your liking
• Theme Options: Choose between light and dark themes (via extensions)

Extension System

• Modular Design: Add new features through Python-based extensions
• Built-in Extensions: Dark mode, focus timer, and more
• Custom Extensions: Create your own extensions to enhance functionality

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.7 or higher
• pip (Python package manager)

Installation

1. Clone or download this repository:

git clone https://github.com/Luigichopper/SimpleWriter
cd simple-writer

2. Create and activate a virtual environment (recommended):

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv venv

# Activate on Windows
venv\Scripts\activate

# Activate on macOS/Linux
source venv/bin/activate

3. Install required dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Run the application:

python main.py

5. Access the application: Open your web browser and navigate to: http://127.0.0.1:5000

Alternate Application Running

start-app-batch.bat or start-app-shell.sh

Usage Guide

Creating Your First Book

1. From the home screen, click the "New Book" button
2. Enter a title for your book
3. Click "Create Book" to be taken to the editor

Managing Chapters

• View a chapter: Click on any chapter in the sidebar
• Add a chapter: Click the "Add Chapter" button at the bottom of the sidebar
• Rename a chapter: Click the pencil icon next to the chapter name
• Delete a chapter: Click the trash icon next to the chapter name

Formatting Your Text

Use the toolbar above the editor for formatting:

• B: Bold text
• I: Italic text
• U: Underline text
• •: Bullet points
• 1.: Numbered lists
• ": Block quotes
• T: Reset text formatting

Saving Your Work

• Your work is saved automatically every 30 seconds
• Click the "Save" button in the top bar to save manually

Exporting Your Book

1. Click the "Export" dropdown in the top menu
2. Choose your preferred format:
   • JSON: For backup and importing back into the application
   • Text: Plain text format with Markdown-style headings
   • HTML: Formatted HTML with proper spacing and styles

Customizing Book Settings

1. Click the "Settings" gear icon in the top menu
2. Adjust font size and line spacing
3. Click "Save Settings" to apply changes

Using Extensions

The application comes with two built-in extensions:

Dark Mode

• Automatically applies a dark theme to reduce eye strain
• Toggle between light and dark mode with a floating button

Focus Timer

• Pomodoro-style timer to help maintain writing focus
• Set 5, 15, or 25 minute focus sessions
• Get a notification when your session is complete

Creating Your Own Extensions

Extensions are Python files that enhance the functionality of the application. Here's how to create a basic extension:

Basic Extension Structure

def init_extension():
    """Return extension metadata."""
    return {
        "name": "My Extension",
        "version": "1.0.0",
        "description": "Description of what your extension does",
        "author": "Your Name"
    }

def on_load():
    """Called when the extension is loaded."""
    print("My extension loaded!")

def get_css():
    """Return CSS to be injected into the editor."""
    return """
    /* Your CSS here */
    """

def get_js():
    """Return JavaScript to be injected into the editor."""
    return """
    // Your JavaScript here
    """

def inject_editor(document):
    """
    Modify the editor HTML.
    document: BeautifulSoup document representing the editor
    return: Modified BeautifulSoup document
    """
    # Add CSS
    style_tag = document.new_tag('style')
    style_tag.string = get_css()
    document.head.append(style_tag)
    
    # Add JavaScript
    script_tag = document.new_tag('script')
    script_tag.string = get_js()
    document.body.append(script_tag)
    
    return document

Installing Your Extension

1. Save your extension file with a .py extension
2. Place it in the extensions folder of the application
3. Restart the application (or upload through the Extensions tab)
4. Activate your extension in the Extensions tab

Project Structure

novel-writer/
│
├── main.py                # Main application file
├── requirements.txt       # Python dependencies
├── README.md             # This documentation file
│
├── books/                # Directory for storing books
│   └── *.json            # Book data files
│
├── extensions/           # Extension modules
│   ├── dark_mode.py      # Dark mode extension
│   └── focus_timer.py    # Focus timer extension
│
├── templates/            # HTML templates
│   ├── index.html        # Home page template
│   └── edit.html         # Editor template
│
└── static/               # Static assets (if needed)
    ├── css/              # CSS files
    └── js/               # JavaScript files

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Template Not Found" Error

• Make sure your templates directory exists at the root of the project
• Check that index.html and edit.html are in the templates directory

Extensions Not Working

• Ensure you have beautifulsoup4 installed: pip install beautifulsoup4
• Check that your extension has an inject_editor function
• Restart the application after adding or modifying extensions

Chapter Creation Issues

• If creating a chapter doesn't immediately display, don't worry - it's being saved
• Click the "Save" button or refresh the page to see your new chapter

Future Enhancements

• Word Count: Track your writing progress with word and character counts
• Search: Find text within your book
• Images: Support for adding images to your book
• Offline Mode: Work without an internet connection
• Collaboration: Share and collaborate on books with other users

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Built with Flask, a lightweight Python web framework
• Uses modern web technologies for a responsive UI
• Inspired by distraction-free writing applications

---

Happy Writing!