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Search results for "Ulysses"

Ulysses 2.6→

Fantastic update to my iOS text editor of choice, Ulysses, released today on the App Store. Version 2.6 adds native WordPress publishing, support for external Dropbox folders, and typewriter/focus mode in the editor, among other features.

I haven’t had enough time to test the beta of Ulysses 2.6 (I’m busy working on a big project in Scrivener), but I want to point out that I’m not going to be switching to Dropbox sync again. Ulysses’ iCloud sync has been rock-solid – I haven’t run into a single data loss/conflict once – and it has the added benefit of supporting notes and images attached to sheets. Dropbox only works with text sheets, and I’ve been relying to the ability to save images inside my text documents for Club MacStories and other app reviews at MacStories. Having image attachments live alongside sheets is what sets Ulysses apart from text editors I’ve used before, and it’s only possible with iCloud.

I’m also going to consider Ulysses’ WordPress publishing instead of my workflow. I like how Ulysses lets me preview a post with custom CSS, and there’s even a way to create linked posts by setting the title at the top of a sheet to a link (it automatically applies a custom field under the hood). It’s incredibly clever, with just the right amount of options to check before publishing.

Ulysses 2.6 is available on the App Store.

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Workflow 1.5: App Store Automation, Trello and Ulysses Actions, Audio Metadata, Safari View Controller, and More

In seven years of MacStories, few iOS apps fundamentally changed how I get work done as much as Workflow. Pythonista, Editorial, and Tweetbot are in that list, but Workflow, with its ongoing improvements and deep iOS integrations, continuously makes me question how I can optimize my setup further.

Nearly two years (and an Apple Design Award) later, Workflow is reaching version 1.5 today, an important milestone towards the road to 2.0. Unsurprisingly for the Workflow team, this release adds over 20 new actions and dozens of improvements. Some of them are new app actions based on URL schemes, while others introduce brand new system integrations (such as iTunes Store, App Store, and Safari View Controller) and web actions for the popular Trello team collaboration service. Workflow 1.5 is a packed release that is going to save heavy Workflow users a lot of time.

After testing and playing with Workflow 1.5 for the past month, I’ve been able to streamline key aspects of writing for MacStories and managing Club MacStories. With a bigger team and more Club responsibilities, we’ve been thinking about how to improve our shared tasks and creative process; Workflow 1.5 has played an essential role in it.

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Answers to Ulysses Questions→

David Chartier:

When preparing my review of Ulysses 2.5 for MacStories, I asked my fine Twitter followers for any questions they’d like me to answer. I covered some of them in my review, but it occurred to me that I left quite a few on the table. Here is my attempt to clean up.

Lots of great answers here. In addition to our review, I also posted an in-depth note on how I’ve been using Ulysses as my text editor in the latest Monthly Log for Club MacStories members. I’m liking this app a lot.

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Review: Ulysses 2.5 for iPad and, now, iPhone

Ulysses 2.5 for iPad

Ulysses 2.5 for iPad

Maybe I’m biased because I’m a writer, but when it was announced in 2010, the iPad struck me as a device which could become a great tool for, amongst many things, my craft. A number of good writing apps (and accessories) have appeared in that time, but when I found Ulysses about a year ago, something clicked.

Made by an 11-person team in Germany called The Soulmen, Ulysses is pitched to authors, bloggers, students, and every writer in between. Much more than a typical ‘distraction-free’ Markdown editor that hooks up to Dropbox, I think of Ulysses as a writing environment. It has a full suite of tools including a post-Finder document system, the most thorough Markdown shortcut keyboard I’ve ever seen, the ability to split and merge documents, a unique approach to attachments, and so much more.

I’m writing this review because The Soulmen just released Ulysses 2.5 for iPad, Mac, and, for the first time, iPhone, though I’ll focus on the iOS version for this review. The company told me this is the largest iOS update it’s ever released, and having helped test the beta for the last couple of months and perusing the release notes, I believe it. Surprisingly, not only is this major upgrade that makes the iPad edition universal, it’s free to existing owners.

Ulysses arrives on the iPhone

Ulysses arrives on the iPhone

With the modern maturity of the App Store and no shortage of writing apps with myriad specialties, though, how does a premium app stand out from the crowd?

Let’s find out.

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Ulysses (and Other Apps) to Gain Medium Publishing Support→

Ulysses, The Soulmen’s excellent text editor for iOS and OS X, will soon gain a Medium publishing feature thanks to the company’s newly announced API. From their blog post:

You may wonder why we don’t allow you to really publish from Ulysses, as in “publish a story, not just a draft”. For one, Medium’s API has just been released, and we wanted to stay on the safe side. We don’t want you to accidentially publish something you didn’t intend to, or in a state you didn’t mean to make available to the public. Plus, some of Medium’s advanced options, such as pull quotes and fancy header images, are not available yet, so we figured you might love to tinker around a bit, before you really commit your piece.

Lastly… we all make mistakes, and right now there’s no way for us to allow updating your stories from within Ulysses. So again, we figured it would be best to do drafts, since you can have as many drafts as you like, mistakes and all. Plus, this will only get better in the future, so there’s room for anticipation and excitement at your end, too.

In addition, Byword and IA Writer will also receive updates to publish posts to Medium.

I’ve been keeping an eye on Medium, and though it’s not for me, they’ve managed to reignite interest in the idea of a blogging platform – and any respectable blogging platform needs an API. While I won’t move MacStories away from WordPress, it’s good to know that I have another solid option if I should ever decide to use another platform for another website. To me, Medium looks like a cool company that’s trying something new. And I think that’s more important than ever to empower as many potential writers as possible.

On that note, don’t miss Daniel Jalkut’s first look at the Medium API. Daniel has been developing MarsEdit for several years, and he’s the voice I trust when it comes to blogging APIs and native clients.

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Spotlight on Club MacStories+ and Club Premier App Discounts

When we launched Club MacStories+ and Club Premier in 2021, we offered members exclusive deals on around a dozen of our favorite apps and services. In the two years since expanding the Club, our discount program has grown substantially. Now, thanks to the generosity of the developer community, Club MacStories+ and Club Premier members enjoy discounts on 34 apps and services from 24 developers.

To put the Club deals into context, taking advantage of them all would save you more than the cost of two years of Club Premier, the highest Club tier. That’s before you even consider the many other perks Club MacStories and Club Premier members enjoy, including:

  • Weekly and monthly newsletters
  • A sophisticated web app with search and filtering tools to navigate eight years of content
  • Customizable RSS feeds
  • Bonus columns
  • An early and ad-free version of our Internet culture and media podcast, MacStories Unwind
  • A vibrant Discord community of smart app and automation fans who trade a wealth of tips and discoveries every day
  • Live Discord audio events after Apple events and at other times of the year

On top of all of that, Club Premier members get AppStories+, an extended, ad-free version of our flagship podcast that we deliver early every week in high-bitrate audio.

That’s a lot, but with Thanksgiving upon us here in the US, I wanted to take a moment to focus on just the discounts and thank the developers who work with us to bring Club members such great deals and spotlight each of them for all MacStories readers. Club MacStories+ and Club Premier members can access all Club deals by visiting club.macstories.net/discounts.

The lineup changes regularly, but here are all the deals that Club MacStories+ and Club Premier members can take advantage of now:

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Four Brand-New Deals for Club MacStories+ and Club Premier Members

One of the perks of a Club MacStories+ or Club Premier membership is discounts on a long list of great apps and services. Today, we’re pleased to add four new Mac apps to the growing catalog of deals available to members:

Lasso – 30% off

Lasso.

Lasso.

Lasso is a Mac window manager that lets you move and resize windows using only your mouse. The app uses a simple grid system and keyboard shortcuts, plus it supports custom layouts, multiple displays, layout exporting and importing, and more.

Mission Control Plus – 20% off

Mission Control Plus.

Mission Control Plus.

Mission Control Plus is a Mac app that puts the ‘control’ back in Mission Control by letting you manage your windows in Mission Control, adding keyboard navigation, shortcuts, and more.

Batteries – 20% off

Batteries.

Batteries.

Batteries for Mac allows you to track all your devices’ batteries from your Mac and will notify you when your iPhone, iPad, AirPods, Beats headphones, and Bluetooth peripherals need recharging.

Sleeve 2 – 25% off

Sleeve 2.

Sleeve 2.

Sleeve 2 is the ultimate music accessory for your Mac. Sleeve sits on the desktop, displaying and controlling the music you’re currently playing using Apple Music, Spotify, and Doppler. The app is highly customizable, supports themes, and integrates with Last.fm.

In addition to the discounts above, Club MacStories+ and Club Premier members enjoy discounts on top apps like CleanShot X, Keyboard Maestro, Lingon X, Clean Email, MarsEdit and other Red Sweater apps, TextSniper, Screens, Audio Hijack and other Rogue Amoeba apps, Ulysses, and Sensei. Whether or not you’re a Club member, you can browse our complete catalog of deals on our Club Discounts page.

But discounts are just part of what sets a Club MacStories+ and Club Premier membership apart from a standard Club MacStories membership.

Club MacStories+ adds to Club MacStories, with bonus content, a powerful web app to read Club articles on the web with advanced search and filtering, advanced RSS features, exclusive discounts, our Discord community, and ad-free, early access to MacStories Unwind, our fun weekly podcast that explores culture, media, and more.

Club Premier is the ultimate plan that includes all of Club MacStories, Club MacStories+, and the extended, ad-free AppStories+ podcast in a single package. It is the best value and the easiest way to access everything we do. It’s the MacStories all-access pass.

To learn more about each tier, visit plus.club.

Unlock Big App Savings with Club MacStories+ and Premier Memberships

A core perk of a Club MacStories+ or Club Premier membership is the wide variety of discounts on our favorite apps and services we offer in partnership with developers. Our app discount program brings Club members a long list of deals that regularly rotate, so there’s always something new to try. That makes it easy to save hundreds of dollars on some of the best apps out there when you sign up and to keep on saving month after month.

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Last Week, on Club MacStories: New Discounts, Mac Utilities, Time Tracking Tips, Automation April, and Slow Horses

Because Club MacStories now encompasses more than just newsletters, we’ve created a guide to the past week’s happenings:

MacStories Weekly: Issue 322

A cube is always the answer.

A cube is always the answer.

Club MacStories+ AV Club Town Hall, Slow Horses

This month, we were joined by Club member David to break down Seasons 1 and 2 of the Apple TV+ Britsh spy drama Slow Horses and compare it with the novels by Mick Herron.