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https://github.com/stevenjaycohen/fountain4vim

Fountain Syntax & Exporter for Vim
https://github.com/stevenjaycohen/fountain4vim

exporter fountain libreoffice screenwriter screenwriting syntax-highlighting vim vim-plugin vimscript

Last synced: 2 months ago
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Fountain Syntax & Exporter for Vim

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# Fountain 4 Vim



Two wonderful [Fountain](https://fountain.io) Plugins for Vim have been unmaintained for a while now:

* [Fountain](https://github.com/vim-scripts/fountain.vim)

  (A Syntax Highlighter for Fountain Files)

* [Fountain Flow](https://github.com/vim-scripts/fountainflow.vim)

  (A Fountain Exporter written in VimScript)



This project seeks to combine their functionality and extend where possible.



The changes so far, include:



### Added Transitions



* Ends with " OUT." – `FADE OUT.` `IRIS OUT.`

* Ends with " IN." – `FADE IN.` `IRIS IN.`

* Starts with "CUT TO " – `CUT TO BLACK.`

* `END CREDITS:`

* `FREEZE FRAME:`

* `INTERCUT WITH:`

* `OPENING CREDITS:`

* `SPLIT SCREEN:`

* `STOCK SHOT:`

* `TIME CUT:`

* `TITLE OVER:`

* Any single ALL-CAPS _word_ with no spaces ending with a colon – `WIPE:` `PRE-LAP:` `DISSOLVE:`



### Added File Navigation



* `]]` / `[[` – Jump Between Scene Headings & Notes

* `[]` / `][` – Jump Between Sections & Notes



I included `[[Notes]]` in those navigation since they tend to be used to mark places that need to be revisited.



### Auto-Correct



* Using an abbreviations file for character names allows you to type `george` and have it correct to `GEORGE`, saving you needing to capitalize recuring character names

* Like a standard abbreviations file, adding common misspellings to this file works as well



## Background



### What is Fountain?



> [Fountain](https://fountain.io/) allows you to write screenplays in any text editor on any device. Because it’s just text, it’s portable and future-proof. It is a simple markup syntax for writing, editing and sharing screenplays in plain, human-readable text. Fountain allows you to work on your screenplay anywhere, on any computer or tablet, using any software that edits text files.

> 

> Taking its cues from [Markdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown), Fountain files are eminently readable. When special syntax is required, it is straightforward and intuitive.



--[The Fountain Team](https://fountain.io/)



### Why Write in Vim?



I like distraction free writing. And, a terminal is about as distraction free as you can get. Writing in plain text not only keeps me from playing with fonts, etc, but it also means that what I write is easily portable to any new program/systems/etc.



For more information, see [writingVim](https://github.com/phantomdiorama/writingvim).



The code below (from my `.vimrc`) allows me to toggle easily between Coding and Writing:



~~~vimrc

"Toggle Writing/Code

map  :call ToggleWriteCode()

function! ToggleWriteCode()

  if &foldcolumn=='0'

    :call WriteMode()

  else

    :call CodeMode()

  endif

endfunction

"Hide line numbers, activate spellcheck, increase left margin

function! WriteMode()

  exec('set nonumber')

  exec('set spell spelllang=en')

  exec('map j gj') 

  exec('map k gk')

  exec('set foldcolumn=1')

  exec('set linespace=11')

endfunction

"Show line numbers, deactivate spellcheck, reduce left margin

function! CodeMode()

  exec('set number')

  exec('set nospell')

  exec('map j j') 

  exec('map k k')

  exec('set foldcolumn=0')

  exec('set linespace=0')

endfunction

~~~



### Why use LibreOffice?



Exporting to an editable format allows me to review the content graphically before _signing off_ on the final PDF.



And, the LibreOffice PDF Export Tool has all of the options that I would ever need.



Also, I already do a similar thing with Markdown files using `cmark` to translate those files:



~~~vimrc

"eXport Markdown (LibreOffice)

map xm :!cmark % > /tmp/%:r.html:!libreoffice -o /tmp/%:r.html

~~~



## Installation



Mostly, this is a typical Vim plugin:



~~~

doc/

  fountain.txt

ftdetect/

  fountain.vim

ftplugin/

  fountain.vim

plugin/

  fountain.vim

syntax/

  fountain.vim

~~~



Remember to open vim and `:helptags ALL` to generate the new documentation.



You will need to add this to your `.vimrc` if you move the `fountain` folder.



~~~vimrc

let g:flow_directory = $HOME.'/path/to/fountain/'

~~~



To Import the LibreOffice Templates:



1. Open LibreOffice Writer

2. Open File > Templates > Manage Templates

3. In the Templates Window, find the Manage Dropdown and choose Import



## Usage



### Writing with Fountain in Vim



The plugin will automatically identify any file ending with .fountain and highlight all of the elements (Scene Headings, Actions, Characters, Dialogue, Parentheticals, Lyrics, Transitions, etc).



Right now, the Syntax Highlighter recognizes every Standard Transition that I could find. I will be working on adding that functionality to the export function. So, if your Transition does not render in the output, follow the Fountain Standard of using a `>` (example: >MYTRANSITION) until I can add it to the code.



### Exporting to LibreOffice



I added the following to my `.vimrc`:



~~~vimrc

"eXport Fountain (LibreOffice)

map xf :FountainFlow:LibreOffice

~~~



The two functions are `:FountainFlow` and `:LibreOffice`. Instead of calling these separately, I have connected the two with a single command.



`FountainFlow` parses the current file and fills the current buffer with an HTML version of the file.



`LibreOffice` opens the current file in LibreOffice (Writer in this case).



You can press `DELETE` to delete the HTML fie and return to your original document in Vim.



Back in LibreOffice:



1. find the Menu Item marked `Styles` > `Load Styles from Template`

1. Check the boxes for `Paragraph and Character`, `List`, `Page`, and `Overwrite`

1. Choose one of the two templates that you imported earlier

1. Then click `OK`