+34

text and word document uploading support

Talon Vurixen 8 years ago updated by SalemAldous 8 years ago 10 1 duplicate

Would it be possible to allow writers to directly upload their stories in .txt, .doc, docx, .pdf formats? I ask because the current format for submitting written works leaves me worrying that certain formatting settings I have will not be preserved if I copy/paste the content from its original file into the text submission area. For text submissions spanning over 2500 words, it can become a hassle to worry about rebuilding paragraph indentations and making sure bold/italic/underlined words remain as such accurately.

Duplicates 1
+5

A vote for this, because as I mentioned before to the staff, I want authors to stop getting the shit end of the stick from communities and actually have better tools to work with. Let's see if we can get you some more attention so we can get this done. :)

+1

Given all the features and widgets FN gives you over competing sites such as Weazyl and FA I'm surprised they never implemented a text editor like what SF has. In fact, it's a bit mind boggling why the site devs would use a simple HTML based text editor for these comment sections, but force the use of markdown for the writing submission. It's backwards really.


For this reason and greater support to community writers I'm giving this feature request and upvote.

+1

I'm a bit of an idiot. The FN devs don't control how the layout and submissions work on this, UserEcho does. Disregard the line about the HTML editor, I suck cocks.

+1

this would be a awesome feature as for one i cant see uploading jpg's or png's as a story unless its cover art.


and since i have numerous chapters i can upload (lots of work on fanfiction.net) if the allowance of uploading txt, etc... formats it would make things so much easier instead of copy pasting into the site

+1

It's nice to let writers upload word processing documents, but if the site goes on just treat them like attachments, making prospective readers download them, it sharply cuts back on the number of people who are actually going to bother. (I've been in the web development business for a very long time, and there's a lot of research about this.) The advantage that FN and SoFurry have now is that they display our stories immediately to users.


Having said that, there are ways to improve over what we have now. A WordPress-like ability to switch between a WYSIWYG editor and a plain text/Markdown editor, for instance, could go a long way, especially if the WYSIWYG editor is reasonably good at preserving basic formatting like bold and italics when rich text is copied-and-pasted from word processors. And, it might be possible to upload some file types, convert them and then present them to the user for proofing/editing. (Pandoc can transparently convert DOCX and ODT, although it can't do RTF or the original DOC. I'd imagine it could be pretty easily handed off to a system process by Node.)


+1

I agree with this 100%. though i also would not mind having the additional option of being able to add a downloadable file that someone can save afterwards. Whether because theyd rather download the file so they can read it offline or on a tablet or something with better formatting, or just people that would like to 'save' a story.


Personally I've taken many stories ive enjoyed and had to manually download or even just copy and paste them so i can make them PDFs and load them onto my tablet so i can read them on the go without an internet connection.


But yes. priority list i agree should totally be


1: better word processing capability for the website integrated story posting


2: THUMBNAILS FOR STORIES so we can upload thumbnails or cover art


3: Ability to upload a file for the story as an option to download.

-1

PDF, please. I really don't think writers need to explain this one, sorry.

-1

Not sure why, but nobody's mentioned how PDFs allow the writer to maintain their composition for their creative works.

Upvoted so hard, the current text editor is just godawful, no formatting at all, no indents, and I had to go back and separate all of my paragraphs manually because for some reason it didn't register the empty lines between paragraphs when I copy-pasted it from a text file. Please please please do this, or there will be sad fennecs.

This would be really good to let writers from other sites migrate easily. Though I have but a handful of literary pieces I don't want to have to copy pasta them into the editor and then submit if I can just attach a file that already exists and I probably have the directory open for.