Outline Mode

Create Sequences and leave customized outline information to help organize your story. View these outline lines in Page View, Cards Widget, Cards View, and Mind Map

Learn more about ways to outline your script.

In This Article


Outline Mode 

Outline Mode can be used in Page View, Cards Widget & Mode, and Mind Map to help you organize your content and plan your vision for the document. This organization is created using Sequence and Outline lines. These lines will not export to PDF, so they will not affect the final product. Add as much or as little as you need and then hide it from view when it's not needed. 

To include Sequence and Outline lines in a PDF export, select  Include notes from PDF Options when exporting.

Enable/Disable in Page View

Sequence and Outline lines can be shown or hidden in Page View. They will only export in a PDF with notes if they are shown at the time of the export and Include notes is selected under PDF Options.
This does not affect what is seen on cards. 

  1. Select Options from the editor menu just above the main editing area
  2. Check or uncheck the box for Show Outline


Enable/Disable in Cards Widget & Mode and Mind Map

Outline lines are hidden by default. Using Outline Mode will filter the card's content to just the Scene Heading (slugline) and the Outline line. This does not affect what is seen in Page view.

  1. Select Options from the editor menu just above the main editing area
  2. Check or uncheck the box for Use outline mode



Create Sequences

Sequence lines can be used in your document to group scenes into meaningful beats. Sequences can then be used in Page View and Cards View to label, rearrange, or collapse that group of scenes as a single unit. Since these lines do not export to PDF by default, this can be very helpful for outlining or managing your script during the writing process without affecting the final product. 

Sequences are created with Sequence lines. All content (scenes, action, dialogue, etc.) that follows a Sequence line will belong to that Sequence until the next Sequence line appears.

In Page View

  1. Place the cursor in the desired location
  2. From the Line Types widget (or Format > Line Type), select Sequence
  3. Name the Sequence
    1. From a Sequence line, press Tab to go straight to an Outline line

In Cards View

  1. Select Group By from the editor options above the cards
  2. Select Sequences
  3. Select + New Sequence located below the cards
  4. Name the Sequence
    1. Double-click to edit the name of a Sequence



Add Outline Lines

While Sequences can help you organize your script, Outline lines can be used to plan out potential sequences or scenes or add additional context to help you keep track of your vision. Just like Sequence lines, they will not export to PDF by default and will not affect the final product. 

  1. Place the cursor in the desired location
  2. Change the line type to Outline
    1. Press Ctrl/Cmd + 
      1. If you are working from a Sequence, press Tab to go straight to an Outline line
      2. From an Outline line, press Shift + Tab to go to a Sequence line
    2. From the Line Types widget (or Format > Line Type) and select Outline 
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