Zettlr for Mac
One-stop publication workbench — from idea to publication in one app.
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Zettlr overview
Zettlr is a reliable companion for writing scientific texts and taking notes. It is made for academics in the humanities and arts and is intended to keep your content apart from your design, but close to the notes you take. To reach this goal, Zettlr incorporates several important features:
- File-agnostic editing. Zettlr does not store any information about your files, except in your files. This way you can always switch to and from Zettlr. Every file you see inside the preview pane corresponds to a file on your disk. With no special additions that might render the use of your files difficult for other editors.
- Zettelkasten-Methods implemented directly into the app. With Zettlr, you can link files and searches using "Wiki-Links" in the format
[[your search text|@ID:ID]], give IDs by typing@ID:Your-ID-Hereand tag your files using Twitter-like hashtags:#hashtag. Holding down theAlt-key and clicking on links will try to open exact-match files and also initiate searches, while Alt-clicks on tags will simply initiate searches. More features are likely to come. - A directory list. This list contains all open directories and files. You can open new directories by pressing
Cmd/Ctrl+O. New files can be opened simply by double clicking them in your file browser or by dragging them onto the app. Every time you start the app, all previously opened paths will be re-loaded. - A preview pane that lists all the files that are inside the currently selected directory and separates them by their subdirectory. Just click on a file to open it in …
- … the editor, which takes the most space and is the crucial component that actually makes Zettlr an editor. You are able to write
Markdown-files in the area, a slim text format that keeps formatting to a bare minimum. - Exporting options. Using the open source software
pandocandLaTeX, Zettlr enables you to export all files on the fly in a variety of formats; currently HTML, DOCX, ODT and PDF. Just open a file and pressCmd/Ctrl+E. - Searching. Zettlr enables you to quickly search through your files to find what you are looking for in a fraction of the time you'd need if you store all your information in several word documents that you'd have to open and search.
- A toolbar containing all functions in handy button-form.
Note: While the software is classified as free, it is actually donationware. Please consider making a donation to help support development.
What’s new in version 3.6.0
Text Transformations
- Zettlr now features a set of several text transformation commands in the editor
- Using these commands, you can transform various pieces of text in the editor using several strategies aimed at working with both regular text and corrupted text
- In total, Zettlr now ships with 13 such transform commands
- To utilize these transformations, simply select the text you wish to transform, open the context menu on it, and select the corresponding transformation from the context menu
Available Transforms
- Zap gremlins: Removes unwanted control characters (such as form feeds, vertical tabs, and others), which sometimes end up in recognized PDF text
- Strip duplicate spaces: Removes any superfluous spaces
- Italics to quotes: Turns italic markers (e.g., *text*) into quotes ("text")
- Quotes to italics: Turns quotation marks (e.g., "text") into italic markers (*text*)
- Remove line breaks: Removes superfluous linebreaks while retaining any paragraphs (separated by two consecutive linebreaks)
- Straighten quotes: Turns smart, or "magic quotes" into regular quotes
- Ensure double quotes: Turns any type of quotation (which includes backticks) into regular double quotes
- Double quotes to single: Turns any straight double quotes to single quotes
- Single quotes to double: Turns single quotes into double quotes
- Emdash — Add spaces around: Ensures that all em-dashes (—) in the text are surrounded by spaces
- Emdash — Remove spaces around: Ensures that no em-dashes (—) in the text are surrounded by spaces
- To sentence case: Turns the selected text to sentence case
- To title case: Turns The Selected Text To Title Case
GUI and Functionality
- Zettlr now has text transformations. With these, you can change selected pieces of text using a quick access command menu
- Zettlr will no longer parse Markdown-like files that exceed ca. 10 MB in size. Note that this only affects the caching of certain pieces of metadata, such as title, heading level 1, and ID. You will still be able to open and edit the file
- Fixed a bug that would prevent the creation of new directories via the shortcut
- Fixed a bug that prevented retention of user-determined dark-mode setting on platforms other than macOS during application restarts
- Fixed the list of related files disappearing when switching sidebar tabs
- Windows will now receive black as their background color on Windows and Linux if dark mode is active, preventing white flicker during window opening before the UI is ready
Under the Hood
- Bump Pandoc to version 3.7.0.2
- Bump Electron to version 37.2.0
- The primary app service container can now be retrieved using the factory method getAppServiceContainer
Zettlr for Mac
Free
In English
Version 3.6.0
Write a detailed review about Zettlr
(4 Reviews of Zettlr)
Comments
User Ratings
Dec 27 2021
Version: 2.0.3
V 2.1 still crashes on 10.13. They've isolated the problem with the Electron framework. Sadly, I've supported other electron-based projects that were orphaned by them. So this is a hard-pass for me. Luckily FSNotes works great on MacOS. Don't need android, Linux, or Windows for now.
Jul 26 2019
Version: 1.3.0
Zettlr is incredibly powerful : you can create files and write them in GFM markdown (that means table of content and footnote, tables), plus extras, like folding text (really useful when you write long papers).
It uses Latex and Pandoc parser to export in a huge range of format (including .docx or .odt, of course PDF, ePub and other text format), and academics can use Zotero to manage bibliography.
You can manage extra folders without moving them (excellent: you store your files and folders wherever you want, just drag and drop them to Zettlr), and transform folder to project, meaning you can export a project as an only one merged file).
I just miss the preview feature, which is not fully implemented, but I asked the dev and I'm sure it will come soon.
This app is a gem, the dev is open and responsive, it's just an incredible free and open source app, as powetful as Ulysses, but you're not trapped in a subscription model, and the arrogance of the devs.
I recommand it to any one who want to manage a big writing project, like a paper, a novel, a bunch of short stories, a book (scientific books are welcome, as it can deal with latex and mathjax syntax).
It uses Latex and Pandoc parser to export in a huge range of format (including .docx or .odt, of course PDF, ePub and other text format), and academics can use Zotero to manage bibliography.
You can manage extra folders without moving them (excellent: you store your files and folders wherever you want, just drag and drop them to Zettlr), and transform folder to project, meaning you can export a project as an only one merged file).
I just miss the preview feature, which is not fully implemented, but I asked the dev and I'm sure it will come soon.
This app is a gem, the dev is open and responsive, it's just an incredible free and open source app, as powetful as Ulysses, but you're not trapped in a subscription model, and the arrogance of the devs.
I recommand it to any one who want to manage a big writing project, like a paper, a novel, a bunch of short stories, a book (scientific books are welcome, as it can deal with latex and mathjax syntax).
