![]() However, it feels like nobody has put a really large document in there and thought “is this usable?” Given it is specifically targeted at writers, I am not sure how they imagined it would be used, or maybe did not think through the use-cases beyond somebody writing fiction linearly. This comes up a lot because you have to put references in the bottom of the document, so I am constantly scrolling down to the bottom, adding a reference, then trying to find where I was writing so that I can insert the appropriate footnote marker and continue working. iA Writer does not do this, so the only way to navigate around a large document is to remember all of your headings and use the text search to locate them again. Google Docs automatically generates a navigation bar on the left, based on all of your chapter titles and sub-headings. You cannot see what you are working on, and if you scroll to that point in the preview panel, you lose your place where you are writing. Therefore the text and preview panel are always out of sync. As I scroll down one, the other one scrolls, but at a slightly different speed. This is one of the most annoying features: the text panel and the preview panel are not properly synced. The only way to do it is to upload it to the web, or use a full file path, such as file:///Users/me/Documents/Book/images/example.jpg. ![]() So I could just drop an image into the directory and say image 5 is “example.jpg”. The application allows you to export Markdown files to HTML, PDF, and Microsoft Word file format using custom. Considered to be a gold standard Markdown editor, iA Writer is available for devices running macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android operating systems. Markdown requires this, but I would have expected URI support. iA Writer is one of the most established and widely-acclaimed Markdown editors. You can embed images in your articles, but you have to give them a URL. ![]() You can enable typewriter mode so the current line is always centred on the screen, though this feels a bit like a gimmick so far. You get a simple interface that you can take full screen to remove all distractions, and the layout and style are well thought out. iA writer is a simple writing app with the sole purpose of providing a distraction-free environment so you can focus only on your words and the quality of. The idea behind iA Writer is to allow you to concentrate on the words. IA Writer handles these large files fine, but the rest is a mixed bag. Google Docs works great, but as you start getting up to 50,000+ plus it starts to really struggle. The big advantage for me, over Google Docs, is that it can handle large files. It uses the Markdown syntax, so instead of a WYSIWYG editor, you get text on one side, that you have to use markup in, and a preview pane on the other. IA Writer is very different in that it is a pure text editor. It has all the features you would expect from a word processor and automatically generates a navigation structure on the left hand side so you can quickly jump around the document. Previously I would use Google Docs, which has been very good. That’s iA Writer for me.Recently I trialled using iA Writer as my word processor of choice for writing. Occasionally, though, the mood calls for an elegant champagne flute. BBEdit and MarsEdit are like pint glasses or coffee mugs. The best way I can put it is that iA Writer is a classy app. But they pull it off - all three of iA Writer’s typefaces are very good (I’m a Duo man myself). iA Writer is even so presumptuous as to only use its own custom typefaces: Mono, Duo, and Quattro. ![]() To me it’s the gold standard for Markdown syntax styling - great colors, real italic and bold styling for *italic* and **bold** spans, and, my very favorite touch, outdented #’s for headings. So while I’d never consider using a Mac writing app that wasn’t richly scriptable and customizable, it’s not an issue for me on iPad. I don’t use any of iA Writer’s actual “focus mode” stuff, I just find iPadOS naturally better for focusing on a single task. The right words for each sentence, sentences that snap together into paragraphs, paragraphs ordered properly into sections, sections that together form a complete piece. The truth is I don’t do much of my writing on my iPad (and almost none on my iPhone) but when I am writing on my iPad, it’s generally something long, and I’m trying to focus. Jason Snell has it on his aforelinked shortlist, but dings it for its lack of extensibility. Me, my favorite iOS app for writing in Markdown, without question, is iA Writer.
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