A Study in Scarlet – little acorns

For a writer who publishes fiction only.

Has an idea what final form their notes will take.

Believes that they are gathering material for a single work.

A novel, say.

Suggestion

Post your notes under a single project title.

Agenda

In this case study you will:

1. Back up your records.
2. Search for a project using the advanced facility.
3. Change the name of a project.
4. Convert a beat into a chapter.
5. Convert a chapter into a beat.
6. Revert a chapter note to the project notes list.
7. Sync records from a back-up.
8. Sort notes.
9. Print a report on a project.
10. Copy a project to the clipboard.

Background

This case study references the work of Arthur Conan Doyle.

Conan Doyle was a writer of fiction, plays, poetry and non-fiction.

He is best known for his Sherlock Holmes short stories and novels.

Holmes first appeared in the 1854 novel A Study in Scarlet (originally titled A Tangled Skein).

It introduced elements that would define both the lead character and the detective fiction genre.

A fictional recreation of the book’s preparatory phase may highlight a range of features in Little Acorns.

Conceit

Imagine that Conan Doyle jotted down notes on A Tangled Skein’s disparate elements as and when they occurred to him.

But had no idea where they would feature in the final novel.

This freed him from restricting all that he inquired into – read about or observed first-hand – to a fixed sequence.

At some point, he devised a plot that would accommodate his interests.

And bent his various, varied notes towards the presentation of it.

Had information technology been available to him, Little Acorns may have helped him in this endeavour.

Demo Records

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The records used in this case study are drawn from the demonstration set.

If you did not install these records when you opened the application for the first time, do so now.

To install demo records:

1. Click the dashboard tab at the top of the layout.
2. On the >> summary layout, click the demo tab in the middle of the layout.
3. On the >> demo layout, click the button labelled install to the right of the layout.
4. Click the button labelled yes on the panel bearing the message would you like to install demo data?
5. After a moment, a panel bearing the message demo data installed will confirm that you have installed demo data.
6. Dismiss this panel by clicking the button labelled OK.

Process

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Little Acorns organises the notes that you post to it.

Notes that you copy and paste from another source/import from a document/type into it.

But where should you situate your notes within the application?

Under one of the two top-level heading types categories and projects.

Each heading may be accessed by clicking its corresponding tab.

You will find these tabs at the top of each layout.

Think of each tab as a key that unlocks a separate cabinet in which you may file your notes.

Each of these cabinets holds a slightly different kind of note.

At a different stage in its development.

Categories

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If you are unsure which form is suited to the presentation of the ideas touched on in your notes –

short story, novel, play, screenplay, poem, lyric, comedy routine, essay, article, blog post, dissertation, et cetera –

store them under the categories heading.

Under category titles that you create.

Titles that sum up their leading concerns.

So, for instance, your note

Due to a shoulder injury sustained at the Battle of Maiwand, he has been forced to leave the armed services.

might be stored under the category title

Doctor Hero

Over time, you may add more notes to the category Doctor Hero.

And/or you may add notes to the application under different category titles.

For instance, you might decide to invent a consulting detective.

So, you create a category title

Detective

And add the note

Poe’s Dupin, only more so.

to it.

Later, you add the note

Gaboriau’s Monsieur Lecoq or Joseph Bell?

To the category Detective.

Formerly, you believed that the notes under these related but distinct category titles would form the basis for separate works.

Individual short stories, perhaps.

Now, you decide that they will constitute a single work.

A novel.

So, you convert your categories into a project.

This will enable you to organise the notes under the former category to a greater degree.

By sub-dividing them into beats, chapters and characters.

Rest assured, wherever you decide to post a note in Little Acorns –

under the heading categories or the heading projects

or under one of the projects sub-headings beats, chapters and characters –

you will be able to find it again by performing a simple keyword search across the application.

Via the top-level heading notes.

(Its access tab will appear at the top of each layout after you have added a single note to the application.)

Projects

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If you know from the start what type of work your notes will be incorporated in –

that they are intended to support the creation of a series of essays, say –

you may store them under the projects heading without passing through the categories phase.

Under a project title that you create.

The title of your novel, perhaps.

So, if you knew that your notes regarding a doctor hero and a detective were intended for a novel, you may have proceeded directly to the projects list layout.

Created a new project –

called, say, A Tangled Skein –

and added your first note to it.

Over time you would have added more notes to this project.

And posted them under the project sub-headings beats, chapters and characters.

Backing Up Records

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Before making major changes to your records, it is wise to back up your data.

That way, should you make alterations that you later regret, you may restore a previous version of your records.

To back up your records:

1. Click the dashboard tab at the top left of the layout you are on.
2. Click the backup tab in the middle of the >> summary layout.
3. On the >> backup layout, click the button labelled backup on the far right of the layout.
4. After you see the message would you like to backup your records?, click the button labelled yes.
5. On the Browse For Folder panel, select a valid directory to receive your backup (e.g. your \Documents directory).
6. On the Browse For Folder panel, click the button labelled OK.
7. After a moment, a panel labelled Save A Copy will pop up. Along with the message Saving Little Acorns_DDMMYYYY_HHMMSS.fmpur (where DDMMYYYY is the current date, and HHMMSS the current time. So, for example, a backup file created on 1 January 2030 at nine o’clock in the morning will be labelled Little Acorns_01012030_090000.fmpur).

Searching For A Project

You may search for records in the application using either of two principal methods:

1. Entering text in the field that bears the placeholder text enter search string here at the top left of all list layouts.
2. Entering text in the fields available under the advanced facility.

Searching For A Project Using The Advanced Facility

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To search for the project A Tangled Skein using the advanced facility:

1. Click the projects tab at the top of the layout you are on.
2. On the >> projects list layout, click the button labelled advanced to the right of the field bearing the placeholder text enter search string here.
3. On the >> project advanced search layout, click into the field labelled form.
4. Select the value Novel from the range of existing forms in the drop-down list.
5. On the >> project advanced search layout, click into the field labelled status.
6. Select the value New from the range of existing status in the drop-down list.
7. Click the button labelled find on the far right of the layout, above the search fields.
8. On the >> projects list layout, you should see the following project only: A Tangled Skein

Next, you will change the name of this project.

Changing The Name Of A Project

To change the name of the project A Tangled Skein to A Study In Scarlet:

1. Click the projects tab at the top of the layout you are on.
2. On the >> projects list layout, click the button bearing the arrowhead icon on the far left of the record called A Tangled Skein.
3. On the >> project details layout for A Tangled Skein, click the button labelled edit on the far right of the layout.
4. On the >> project edit layout, click into the field labelled project.
5. In the field labelled project, delete the following text: A Tangled Skein
6. Copy/paste the following text into the field labelled project: A Study In Scarlet
7. If you are happy with the name that you have entered, click the button labelled save on the far right of the layout.

Next, you will convert a beat into a chapter.

Converting A Beat Into A Chapter

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You decide that the beat Part I: The Reminiscences of Watson should be a chapter.

You may convert the beat Part I: The Reminiscences of Watson into a chapter bearing the same name, and transfer the beat’s notes to the chapter in the process, as follows:

1. Click the projects tab at the top of the layout you are on.
2. On the >> projects list layout, click the button bearing the arrowhead icon on the far left of the record A Study In Scarlet.
3. On the >> project details layout for A Study In Scarlet, click the beats tab in the middle of the layout.
4. On the >> beats list layout for A Study In Scarlet, click the button labelled convert on the far right of the beat Part I: The Reminiscences of Watson.
5. When you see the message convert this beat into a chapter, and transfer its notes to the new chapter?, click the button labelled yes.
6. After a moment, a panel labelled convert will confirm that you have converted the beat Part I: The Reminiscences of Watson into a chapter. This chapter contains all of the former beat’s notes.
7. Dismiss this panel by clicking the button labelled OK.

Next, you will convert a chapter into a beat.

Converting A Chapter Into A Beat

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You decide that the chapter CHAPTER II. THE SCIENCE OF DEDUCTION Part I: The Reminiscences of Watson should be a beat.

You may convert the chapter CHAPTER II. THE SCIENCE OF DEDUCTION into a beat bearing the same name, and transfer the chapter’s notes to the beat in the process, as follows:

1. Click the projects tab at the top of the layout you are on.
2. On the >> projects list layout, click the button bearing the arrowhead icon on the far left of the record A Study In Scarlet.
3. On the >> project details layout for A Study In Scarlet, click the chapters tab in the middle of the layout.
4. On the >> chapters list layout for A Study In Scarlet, click the button labelled convert on the far right of the chapter CHAPTER II. THE SCIENCE OF DEDUCTION.
5. When you see the message convert this chapter into a beat, and transfer its notes to the new beat?, click the button labelled yes.
6. After a moment, a panel labelled convert will confirm that you have converted the chapter Part I: The Reminiscences of Watson into a beat. This beat contains all of the former chapter’s notes.
7. Dismiss this panel by clicking the button labelled OK.

Next, you will revert a chapter note to the project notes list.

Reverting A Chapter Note To The Project Notes List

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You decide that the note Watson gives first-person narrative under the chapter CHAPTER I. MR. SHERRINFORD HOLMES applies to the entire novel rather than a specific chapter.

So, it should appear under the projects notes list.

You may revert it to the project notes list as follows:

1. Click the projects tab at the top of the layout you are on.
2. On the >> projects list layout, click the button bearing the arrowhead icon on the far left of the record A Study In Scarlet.
3. On the >> project details layout for A Study In Scarlet, click the chapters tab in the middle of the layout.
4. On the >> chapters list layout for A Study In Scarlet, click the button bearing the arrowhead icon on the far left of the record CHAPTER I. MR. SHERRINFORD HOLMES.
5. On the >> chapter details layout for CHAPTER I. MR. SHERRINFORD HOLMES, click the notes tab in the middle of the layout.
6. On the >> notes list layout for the chapter CHAPTER I. MR. SHERRINFORD HOLMES, click the button labelled revert on the far right of the note Watson gives first-person narrative.
7. When you see the message revert these notes to the project?, click the button labelled yes.
8. After a moment, a panel labelled revert will confirm that you have reverted the note Watson gives first-person narrative. to the projects notes list.
9. Dismiss this panel by clicking the button labelled OK.

Next, you will return the records to the state they were in when you performed the last back up.

Syncing Records

You decide that you are unhappy with the changes made to the project A Study In Scarlet since you changed its name.

You would like to revert the project to the state it was in just after you converted the title to A Study In Scarlet.

There are several ways to do this.

The following method uses the sync facility.

This facility is intended to ensure that different copies of the application –

installed on your various devices (e.g. your Mac, iPad, etc) –

draw on the same set of records.

However, it may be used to roll back particular records to a previous version as follows:

1. Delete a particular project’s records from the application.
2. Restore records to the application using the sync facility.

Deleting A Particular Project’s Records From The Application

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To delete all of the project A Study In Scarlet’s records from the application:

1. Click the projects tab at the top of the layout you are on.
2. On the >> projects list layout, click the button bearing the dustbin icon on the far left of the record A Study In Scarlet.
3. This will delete all of the records contained within the project A Study In Scarlet. That is: All notes under its details notes list. Plus all of its Beats, Chapters, Characters and Campaigns. Plus all their accompanying notes.
4. When you see the message are you sure you want to delete this record?, click the button labelled yes.

After a moment, a panel labelled delete will pop up, confirming that you have deleted a record from the application.

1. Dismiss this panel by clicking the button labelled OK.

Next, you will restore records to the application using the sync facility.

Restoring Records To The Application Using The Sync Facility

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To restore records from the backup you saved earlier using the sync facility:

1. Click the dashboard tab at the top left of the layout you are on.
2. Click the sync tab in the middle of the >> summary layout.
3. On the >> sync layout, click the button labelled sync on the far right of the layout.
4. On the select a source for your synchronisation panel, select the backup file that you created earlier. It may be in your \Documents directory. It will be called Little Acorns_DDMMYYYY_HHMMSS.fmpur (where DDMMYYYY is the current date, and HHMMSS the current time. So, for example, a backup file created on 1 January 2030 at nine o’clock in the morning will be labelled Little Acorns_01012030_090000.fmpur).
5. Click the button labelled open on the select a source for your synchronisation panel.
6. After a moment, the field labelled sync on the >> sync layout will list details of the synchronisation performed. That is, the date, time, and name of the source file.

Next, you will sort notes under one of the chapters in a project.

Sorting A List of Records Permanently

You may fix the sort order of Notes, Beats and Chapters permanently using the sort facility.

The facility offers two different methods for sorting records:

1. Pop-up: select record position numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.) from a pop-up list.
2. Drag-and-drop: drag-and-drop records into a preferred sequence.

Next, you will sort notes using the pop-up button.

Sorting A List of Records Permanently Using The Pop-up Button

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To sort a list of notes permanently under the A Study In Scarlet character profile for John Watson using the Pop-up button:

1. Click the projects tab at the top of the layout you are on.
2. On the >> projects list layout, click the button bearing the arrowhead icon on the far left of the record A Tangled Skein.
3. On the >> project details layout for A Tangled Skein, click the characters tab in the middle of the layout.
4. On the >> characters list layout for A Tangled Skein, click the button bearing the arrowhead icon on the far left of the record John Watson.
5. On the >> character details layout for John Watson, click the notes tab in the middle of the layout.
6. On the >> character notes list layout for John Watson, click the button labelled sort on the far left.
7. On the >> sort layout, click the button labelled pop-up on the far left. This method of applying sort order numbers requires you to select order numbers (1,2, 3, etc.) from a drop-down list in the field labelled order.
8. On the >> sort layout, click into field labelled order on the left of the note Due to a shoulder injury sustained at the Battle of Maiwand, he has been forced to leave the armed services..
9. Select the number 1 from the list of numbers.
10. Select sort order positions for the remaining 3 notes on the >> sort layout.
11. After the number you select from the drop-down list is transferred to the order field it disappears from the drop-down list. (NB. this function is only available on record sets numbering less than 500, because it would be impracticable to select from a drop-down list containing more values).
12. Click the button labelled set on the far left of the layout to fix the sort order.
13. Click the button labelled save on the far right of the layout to save the sort order applied and return to the >> character notes layout.

Next, you will sort notes using the drag-and-drop button.

Sorting A List of Records Permanently Using The Drag-And-Drop Button

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To sort a list of notes permanently under the A Tangled Skein character profile for John Watson using the drag-and-drop button:

1. Click the projects tab at the top of the layout you are on.
2. On the >> projects list layout, click the button bearing the arrowhead icon on the far left of the record A Tangled Skein.
3. On the >> project details layout for A Tangled Skein, click the characters tab in the middle of the layout.
4. On the >> characters list layout for A Tangled Skein, click the button bearing the arrowhead icon on the far left of the record John Watson.
5. On the >> character details layout for John Watson, click the notes tab in the middle of the layout.
6. On the >> character notes list layout for John Watson, click the button labelled sort on the far left.
7. On the >> sort layout, click the button labelled drag-and-drop on the left.

The records in the list will be given a temporary sort order that you may amend.

This method of applying sort order numbers to records involves dragging and dropping records into a particular order.

The application will then renumber them to reflect the new order.

Drag a record to the top of another record to insert it before that record.

Drag a record to the bottom of another record to insert it after that record.

1. On the >> sort layout, click into the note

Due to a shoulder injury sustained at the Battle of Maiwand, he has been forced to leave the armed services.

1. Click and hold down your left mouse button on this note.
2. Drag your cursor to the bottom of the list of notes in the list.
3. Release your mouse button.

Notice that the notes in the list have been given new order numbers.

That the note

Due to a shoulder injury sustained at the Battle of Maiwand, he has been forced to leave the armed services.

is now record number 4, the last item on the list.

1. Reorder the other 3 notes on the >> sort layout by dragging and dropping them into new positions in the list.
2. Click the button labelled save on the far right of the layout to save the sort order applied and return to the >> character notes layout.

Next, you will print a report of the project A Tangled Skein for review.

Printing A Report Of A Project

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Having accumulated and sorted notes for a project, you wish to review what you have to determine whether it is time to copy the project to your word-processing package for full development.

To print a report for the project A Tangled Skein:

1. Click the projects tab at the top of the layout you are on.
2. On the >> projects list layout, click the button bearing the arrowhead icon on the far left of the record A Tangled Skein.
3. On the >> project details layout for A Tangled Skein, click the button bearing the printer icon on the far left of the layout, above the detail fields.
4. This will bring up a message offering 2 options:

this record only

This will print a report of the project A Tangled Skein showing the details listed on the current layout only.

this record plus

This will print a report of the project A Tangled Skein showing the details listed on the current layout, plus the project’s beats, chapters, characters, campaigns, and all related notes.

1. Click the button labelled this record plus.
2. After a moment, a panel labelled Print will pop up.
3. Select your printer from the list that drops down after you click into the field labelled Printer – Name:.
4. On the Print panel, click the button labelled OK.

After a moment, a report will be sent to your selected printer.

It will list the following records:

Details for the project A Tangled Skein, plus notes from the project notes listing, in the sort order you set for them.

Details for beats listed under the project A Tangled Skein, plus notes from the beats notes listings, in the sort order you set for them.

Details for chapters listed under the project A Tangled Skein, plus notes from the chapters notes listings, in the sort order you set for them.

Details for characters listed under the project A Tangled Skein, plus notes from the characters notes listings, in the sort order you set for them.

Details for campaigns listed under the project A Tangled Skein, plus notes from the campaigns notes listings, in the sort order you set for them.

Next, you will copy an entire project to the clipboard for pasting into a word-processing document.

Copying A Project To The Clipboard

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Having reviewed a report on a project, you decide that it is time to copy the project to your word-processing package for full development.

To copy all records for the project A Tangled Skein to your word-processing package:

1. Click the projects tab at the top of the layout you are on.
2. On the >> projects list layout, click the button bearing the arrowhead icon on the far left of the record A Tangled Skein.
3. On the >> project details layout for A Tangled Skein, click the button labelled copy on the far left of the layout, above the detail fields.
4. This will cue a message offering 2 options:

this record only

This will copy the details of the project A Tangled Skein listed on the current layout only to your clipboard.

this record plus

This will copy the details of the project A Tangled Skein listed on the current layout to your clipboard, plus the project’s beats, chapters, characters, campaigns, and all related notes.

1. Click the button labelled this record plus.

After a moment, a panel labelled copy will pop up.

It will list the following records:

Details for the project A Tangled Skein, plus notes from the project notes listing, in the sort order you set for them.

Details for beats listed under the project A Tangled Skein, plus notes from the beats notes listings, in the sort order you set for them.

Details for chapters listed under the project A Tangled Skein, plus notes from the chapters notes listings, in the sort order you set for them.

Details for characters listed under the project A Tangled Skein, plus notes from the characters notes listings, in the sort order you set for them.

Details for campaigns listed under the project A Tangled Skein, plus notes from the campaigns notes listings, in the sort order you set for them.

1. Click the button labelled copy to send these records to your clipboard.
2. After a moment, a panel labelled copy will pop up, confirming that your records have been copied to your clipboard.
3. Dismiss this panel by clicking the button labelled OK.
4. Open your word-processing package (e.g. Microsoft Word).
5. Create a new document.
6. Right-click anywhere on this document.
7. Select the option Paste Special from the menu that dropped down after you right-clicked.
8. Select the option Unformatted Text from the options menu for Paste Special.
9. Your records for the project A Tangled Skein have been copied to your new word-processing document.
10. Save your new word-processing document.
11. Return to Little Acorns.
12. Close the copy panel by clicking the X icon at the top right of the panel.

Conclusion

In this case study you have:

1. Backed up your records.
2. Searched for a project using the advanced facility.
3. Changed the name of a project.
4. Converted a beat into a chapter.
5. Converted a chapter into a beat.
6. Reverted a chapter note to the project notes list.
7. Synced records from a back-up.
8. Sorted notes.
9. Printed a report of a project.
10. Copied a project to the clipboard.