Pasting is also iffy: it’ll make the screen jump to an odd location in the text.Īnd then there are bugs. Still, they only work on list elements, and only for a single level in either direction. For example, the outdent and indent buttons are on the same level as all other formatting controls. More often than not, you just want it in your clipboard. And speaking of exports, an on-screen view of the export would be much better than a file-based export. To get HTML output, you go to Save As, while getting MD or Docx requires going to File -> Export. There’s also the inconsistency of the UI. Not a big problem, but it can be distracting. This is especially true on larger bodies of text. There’s a lot of wasted real estate which could be better used to improve readability on wider screens:Īlso due to CKEditor, the browser’s spellchecker isn’t triggered immediately after a misspelling. Second, the full screen mode could be fuller. Having to switch is distracting and breaks the writing flow. A counter is very, very useful when writing articles that have a length range. First, the word counter is only visible in Edit mode, not in Write mode. Further, saving a file with Save As will actually not acknowledge the save, and will warn the user about unsaved changes.Īside from the lack of Markdown support, there are also minor UI/UX gripes. So saving a file as MD, or even trying to open one that is MD, simply isn’t available. The editor features a Save As option, and although it does let users save a file with any extension they desire, it will not open these files. Naturally, this is not so and can lead to confusion. Thus, it gives its (non technical) users the impression that links will open in new tabs when exported to MD. For example, MD doesn’t support the target attribute in links (i.e. A lot of other information gets lost in the export process, too. The editor does support export to MD, but without images and code, so there’s little point to it for my workflow. It’s a pity there’s no support for code snippets, either. There’s also no way to define custom export methods, despite the Hemingway website’s claims to being CMS-friendly: ![]() Opting for a custom “rich” format grounded the editor before it had a chance to take off. If it supported MD, this would be enabled by default. For me, that’s a must have in any writing environment today. However, we’re at the mercy of the exporter which, in this case, is entirely inflexible. This means we get inline formatting that can theoretically get exported into MD and/or HTML. Hemingway’s editor field is powered by CKEditor, and uses CK’s rich text functionality. Version 1 used to have it, but for some reason, it was removed. Right off the bat, no support for Markdown is a slap in the face. Unfortunately, that’s about it for the good parts. It did make me think about whether the last part is even necessary, though, so I removed it.įixing the paragraph reduced the text’s grade from 8 to 7. It’d be great if Hemingway told me exactly what it’s bothered by. What about the second monstrosity, though? The first red sentence uses the passive voice and is too complex. Wow, that paragraph lit up like a Christmas tree, huh? Let’s try to fix it. Here’s an example of a paragraph that needed rewriting: … but I definitely agree with avoiding the passive voice, so having that detected is fantastic: I’m not sure I would agree with the fierce negativity towards adverbs: A “preferred grade” setting would be useful for more scientific/technical texts. In all honesty, though, I do consider SitePoint’s audience to be above grade level reading. This forces a writer to think about linguistic constructs and rephrasing for wider appeal. Is this really too long a sentence? In most cases, it does slow the writer down in a good way: Sometimes it feels like it assumes the reader is too dumb: ![]() In version 2, I haven’t come across the display bug that seemed to plague the desktop app when it was first launched. Those only slightly too long are highlighted in yellow. The complicated, long sentences will glow red, drawing your attention first. Hemingway highlights the sentences it dislikes and makes you stop and think before continuing. Language analysis, and suggestions for fixes, stand at the core of Hemingway, and are its most useful feature by far.
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