Other than Ulysses groups, you can access external folders via Finder, and, depending on the file format, open the contents with third-party apps. The following (incomplete) list should give you an impression how external folders can be used in a variety of ways. You can:
If you tap “From Dropbox…”, you will be able to link your Dropbox account (keep your login details at hand!) and browse for the folders you wish to add. If you want to use Dropbox as an alternative to iCloud to sync between Mac and iOS devices, make sure to have a look at our Dropbox tutorial.
“From Files…” will let you add folders from other providers that support folder sharing from Apple’s Files app, e.g., iCloud Drive, Working Copy, or Secure ShellFish.
When working in External Folders, Ulysses lets you choose between two file formats – Markdown and Ulysses’ file format. By default, Markdown is selected to ensure the highest-possible cross-app compatibility. However, if you store your sheets as Markdown files there are a few constraints you should know about:
You can choose from different file extensions, e.g., .md or .txt. Alternatively, you can save new texts as TextBundle or TextPack files. Since a TextBundle is not just a file, but a bundle, it can contain additional files such as images. TextPack is similar to TextBundle but it additionally compresses the contents into one file. On the TextBundle website, you’ll find a list of applications that support the formats.
There are two more settings for geeks and Markdown pros: For one, you can tell Ulysses to always write out code blocks as GitHub-style fenced code blocks. And you can let Ulysses create an index file for the Markdown previewing app Marked, should you be a user.