At the moment I use a whole system of levers and pulleys in order to copy-edit Word documents on the iPad. The programs I use are Pages, Keynote and Textastic. This gets me from a Word doc to XML, and enables me to cross-check references (by flicking between Pages and Keynote).
This is all to achieve the same things I do on a laptop or desktop within Word or OpenOffice, and if Pages had RegEx find and replace (that included formatting), and split screen editing (or even a simple one gesture way to switch between docs), I wouldn't need the same dance.
So why don't I just edit on a real computer? I do but there are so many other opportunities to get things done with an iPad, and I want to take advantage of this. This means that every time a new word processor is released for the iPad I look with anticipation at its specs.
The reason UX Write caught my eye is because it approaches the word processor from a publishing and structure based way of thinking. It puts styles first and has a roadmap that is to me like a dream come true, very nearly.
At the moment, I can see that handbooks and legal documents could leverage this app to best advantage; its cross-refencing appears ideal for that. But given all the items on the roadmap this app is showing signs of becoming something much bigger and more useful for the publisher.
First up is the import and export of .docx files to work with Word, alongside footnotes and find and replace, all essentials for publishing work. One of the things on the roadmap that is most exciting, however, is that down the line, since the app is built around HTML it will be a natural course to include EPUB export, and it should make a fine way to create EPUB documents, especially with its image insertion and captioning.
I have also heard from the creator that XML export might be incorporated at a later date. Again something that will make it attractive to publishers, and easier to fit into the day to day workflow.
Ultimately, buying this app at the moment I see as an investment in the future development of all the exciting features in the roadmap, and I hope that people will invest in this app, and that the developer realises all his aims and more because the iPad really would benefit from advances in the area of word processors.
This is all to achieve the same things I do on a laptop or desktop within Word or OpenOffice, and if Pages had RegEx find and replace (that included formatting), and split screen editing (or even a simple one gesture way to switch between docs), I wouldn't need the same dance.
So why don't I just edit on a real computer? I do but there are so many other opportunities to get things done with an iPad, and I want to take advantage of this. This means that every time a new word processor is released for the iPad I look with anticipation at its specs.
The reason UX Write caught my eye is because it approaches the word processor from a publishing and structure based way of thinking. It puts styles first and has a roadmap that is to me like a dream come true, very nearly.
At the moment, I can see that handbooks and legal documents could leverage this app to best advantage; its cross-refencing appears ideal for that. But given all the items on the roadmap this app is showing signs of becoming something much bigger and more useful for the publisher.
I have also heard from the creator that XML export might be incorporated at a later date. Again something that will make it attractive to publishers, and easier to fit into the day to day workflow.
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