Navigate
In iA Writer for Mac, you manage your files mostly from the File List of the Library.
Files Location
In the Library, the File List will show you all the folders and files stored in the selected Location from the Organizer (iCloud for example down below).
Documents can be moved to, from, and within the Library by dragging them. This can be done with multiple iA Writer windows and the Finder too.
If ⌥ is pressed while dragging, the selected file will be duplicated instead of moved.
Use ⌘ or ⇧ to select multiple files/folders.
Open a document from the File List:
- with a single click, in the same window
- with a double click in a new window
Right-clicking a document in the File List opens a context menu to rename, duplicate, or delete it, and more:
Sort By & Filter
You can turn ON or OFF a Sort Bar (shown above the File List) and a Filter Bar (shown below the File List) from Menu → View → Show Sort Bar/ Filter Bar
- the Sort Bar sorts files and folders by Name, Date Modified, Date Created, or Extension.
- the Filter Bar will display documents in the current folder which include terms starting with your search string. Advanced search syntax is also supported as with Smart Folders.
In Settings → Library, you can also choose Tree or List navigation, pin folders to the top of the list, and turn off text excerpts for a more compact list. Favorite files are marked with a star. Learn more about Settings.
Navigating Files
Buttons in the title bar allow navigating forward and backward in the File List.
💡 Click and hold a button to show a list of recently opened documents.
You can also trigger these using keyboard shortcuts:
Back
⌃⌘←
Forward
⌃⌘→
Quick Search finds files in your Library. Starting in iA Writer 8, Quick Search includes the Document Outline: type to jump to any heading, file name, or text match. To open Quick Search:
- from Menu → Go → Quick Search
- shortcut ⇧⌘O
Finally, another powerful way to navigate from a document to another one is by using the wikilinks, you can learn more in this dedicated article: Wikilinks
Learn more about the Library’s possibilities on this video:
Library
Organize
Folders, favorites, hashtags and more: discover all the ways to organize your documents in iA Writer.
Wikilinks
Connect, browse, and rediscover your writing.
Cloud Storage
Having access to your documents on multiple devices makes life easier.
Content Blocks
Include images, comma separated tables, text files and code as blocks of content in your documents.
Outline
Navigate long documents by their headings: the Document Outline on Mac, iPhone and iPad, and the Dynamic Outline and Folding on Windows.
