Keep your materials beside the script

The binder holds the files that belong to a play. Use it for character notes, research, another draft, or a document you want open while you write.

Find a file or scene

The binder is the column on the left. If it is hidden, use the binder button in the toolbar or press ⌘⌥B.

Select the script to write. Expand it to see its scenes, then select a scene to jump there. Expand a folder to see its documents. Use the filter at the top when you know the name of the file you need.

Add a document

Select the folder where you want the new file, or leave the selection at the play’s top level.
Choose New at the bottom of the binder.
Choose Document, Character, Script or Folder.
Give the new item a name. A document opens for writing; a character sheet starts with the character’s name.

Choose Document for prose such as research or a submission synopsis. Choose Character for notes about a person in the play. Choose Script when you need another script file in the same play.

Write beside the script

Right-click a document and choose Open in New Pane. You can keep notes in view while working on the script.

To keep the Board, a character sheet or a dramaturg’s notes beside the script, choose Split Side by Side from the View menu. Split Top and Bottom stacks them instead.

Documents use Markdown, a plain text format for prose. Use the controls above the document for headings and emphasis; you do not need to write Markdown punctuation yourself.

Character sheets hold your working notes. The printed Characters page is edited separately in Cast and opening pages.

Move or rename a file

Right-click a binder row to find Rename, Move…, Duplicate, Reveal in Finder and Move to Trash. The changes happen to the actual files in the play’s folder.

With the keyboard, select the row and press Shift F10 to open its actions.

You can also drag a file into a folder or to another position in the binder. Use Move… when you prefer to choose a destination from a list.

Move to Trash sends a file to the Mac’s Trash. Check what you selected before using it. If you need the file back, look for the Undo action or recover it from Trash.

Scene rows point into the script; they are not separate files. Use the Board or Outline to change scene order.

Files added in Finder

Use Reveal in Finder to open a file’s location. Files you add to the play’s folder can appear in the binder, including research material that opens in another app.

A dot marks an item that arrived from outside Proscenium. A missing row means the app cannot currently find that file. Check the folder and your sync service before removing the row.

For a draft from another writing app, use Import a Draft. For edits made to your existing files elsewhere, see Saving, Versions and sync.