Ulysses distinguishes between writing the text in the editor and formatting it during export. This guide explains how to customize the editor to create the perfect writing environment.
Mac
General Editor Settings
Let's assume you need less space between the lines, or you find that they are too far apart. In that case, you might want to change the line height. Or you may want to adjust the indent of the first line to signal the start of a new paragraph clearly. On Mac, go to Ulysses › Settings… › General:
There, you can adjust all of the following editor settings:
- Font
- Line Height
- Paragraph Spacing
- First Line Indent
- Line Width
- Image Preview
- Insertion Point style
Apply a Different Markup
By default, Ulysses uses its own markup language called Markdown XL. However, under Ulysses › Settings… › Markup, you can also create a new markup or adjust an existing one. To apply another markup, you have to:
- Select one or multiple sheets in the sheet list.
- Go to Edit › Convert Markup.
- Choose one of the other markups from the list.
All sheets you have selected, and all new sheets created from now on will use the selected markup.
Visual Styling
Under the menu item View, you can make further settings to customize your writing environment in Ulysses.
Zoom to Adjust the Font Size
To adjust the font size of the text in the editor, select Zoom In or Zoom Out. You can also reset it to the Default Size. Alternatively, you can use the shortcuts ⌘+ (command-plus) to increase, ⌘- (command-minus) to decrease and ⌘0 (command-0) to set the font size back to the default size.
Focus on Your Writing
Ulysses offers the essential tools for a distraction-free working environment. The following features aim to help keep you in the flow.
If you select Enter Full Screen, Ulysses will take over your entire screen, so other apps can’t distract you. To fully concentrate on your text, try also to hide the library and the sheet list (⌘3).
Hide Interface allows you to only focus on your writing by hiding even the window control buttons.
Hide Toolbar makes the toolbar fade out. When needed, you can toggle the library, sheet list and dashboard as overlays via the familiar shortcuts (⌘1, ⌘2, ⌘3, ⌘4).
Show Line Marker puts a light grey tint under your current line.
Highlight can be set to either your current line, sentence, or paragraph. If enabled, the rest of the text is still readable but fades into the background.
Fixed Scrolling fixes the current line vertically on one spot while you’re typing. You can choose this spot to be on the top, in the middle, or at the bottom of the screen, or opt for variable. You can freely move your cursor with the mouse or arrow keys when using the latter. Only after you start typing will the current line remain fixed.
Under Appearance, you can choose between Light Mode or Dark Mode. Of course, you can also match the system settings. Always Use Light Theme allows you to always keep a light appearance for the editor even when the library and sheet list are in dark mode. Select Show Page Background to put a page-like frame around your text for a less virtual appeal.
You can also set the visibility of the Markup Bar. Show or Hide— the choice is yours.
Editor Theme
Under Theme you can select your preferred theme to define the colors used in the editor for background, font, and markup tags. Each of them has a light and a dark version, so you can quickly switch between them.
On our Styles & Themes website, you can download even more editor themes. For example, if you prefer minimal tag visibility, we recommend the theme Barely There. Or you can create your own theme by following these instructions.
And More …
Under Sheet List, you can set the sheet preview and determine whether the date should be displayed.
Select Show Paragraph Numbers if you want to see how many paragraphs you have written.
Split the editor in two by selecting the option Second Editor.
If you enable Show Counter, a counter will appear at the top right of the editor. Clicking on it will allow you to change the parameter.
Navigating Ulysses
There are navigation arrows in the top-left corner of the editor that let you quickly jump between the current and previous sheets. Keep in mind, you’ll need to make a sheet active by clicking inside it to use the arrows—just selecting it in the sheet list isn’t enough. When Hide Toolbar is enabled, the arrows disappear along with the toolbar.
iPad/iPhone
On your iPad or iPhone, open the editor in Ulysses, tap the ellipsis, and select Customize Editor. Here, you can configure the editor to create your perfect writing environment.
Choose an Editor Theme
Tap Theme to select your preferred editor theme. To download more themes, please visit our Styles and Themes website. If you own a Mac, you can also create your own theme.
Appearance of the Editor
You can easily switch the look in Ulysses between light and dark modes. Tap Appearance to either adopt your device's appearance settings or set an app-specific mode.
Extra tip: If you prefer to write in dark mode but want your export preview to be bright, turn on the light! On iPad/iPhone, tap the sun icon at the top right of the export preview.
View Options
Select View Options to tweak the size of image previews to anything between three and eight lines. You can also choose to show them in full color instead of black and white, which is the default. If you don't want to see image previews in the editor, you can turn them off completely. Images in the text will then be indicated with an IMG tag.
On iPad, there are even more settings. You can activate/deactivate the options:
- Hide Shortcut Bar to enable/disable the shortcut bar when using a hardware keyboard,
- Show Counter to enable/disable the floating metric counter in the editor,
-
Show Back/Forward to enable/disable the back and forward buttons at the top left in the editor.
Adjust the Layout Settings
The default writing font is the iOS system font, San Francisco. However, if you tap Typography, you can browse and choose another Font.
Can't find the right font? No problem. You can also upload your own font:
- Transfer a font file (.ttf or .oft) to your iOS device, e.g., by saving it to your iCloud Drive, sending yourself a message, or downloading it from the web.
- Tap it, select the Share button at the bottom left, and choose Ulysses.
- You will be redirected to Ulysses, where your new font is now installed.
Under Typography, you can also make various other settings such as Text Zoom, Line Height, Paragraph Spacing and First Line Indent.
On iPad, you can even keep the keyboard open when switching between sheets by enabling the option “Keep Editor Active.” Additionally, you have the option to adjust the Line Length:
Typewriter Mode
As soon as you activate the setting, you have the same setting options as on a Mac:
- Highlight can be set to either your current line, sentence, or paragraph. If enabled, the rest of the text is still readable but fades into the background.
- Fixed Scrolling fixes the current line vertically on one spot while you’re typing. You can choose to position this spot at the top, middle, or bottom of the screen, or opt for variable positioning. You can freely move your cursor with the mouse or the arrow keys when using the latter. Only after you start typing will the current line remain fixed.
- Mark Current Line puts a light grey tint under your current line.
Some More Settings …
- To apply a different markup on iPad/iPhone, tap Markup and select another markup from the list. This will prompt a dialog box, which you have to confirm by tapping Convert. All new sheets created from now on will use this new markup.
A multi-selection of sheets to convert the markup is currently only available on the Mac.
- Select Substitutions to define app-specific spelling and grammar settings as well as text automatic text replacements such as Smart Lists and Smart Tags.
- Toggle Text Check to enable or disable Ulysses' Grammar and Style Check.
Please note that changes in the editor have no effect on the exported document. If you would like to make changes to the exported document, please take a look at the guide Customize an Export Style.