More Flexibility with Extensions
Posted: Sep 29, 2010 4:28 pm
My suggestions for MMS 7 relate to several problems that I have had with extensions in MMS 2000 (perhaps these problems do not exist in MMS 6).
1. Suggestion: Include the ability for the user to assign a particular key to activate/represent an extension, i.e., for the user to be able to assign this manually.
Example: the problem I have been experiencing happens when two extensions share the same first letter. The examples I have been dealing with are 'O.S.' and 'O.O.V.' (the latter is an extension sometimes used in the U.K., which represents 'Out Of View').
When I type a right bracket (i.e. a "(" ) in order to bring up the User List for the new extension I want to insert, the only way I can insert the extension (O.O.V.) is to scroll down to it in the user list and hit 'enter' because - 'O.O.V.' appears in the User List because I have used it previously in my screenplay).
If I type the letter' 'O', then 'O.S.' is the extension that is automatically inserted in the text.
So, I would like to be able to assign a letter, or symbol or number to represent 'O.O.V.', so that it is automatically inserted in the text in the way that 'O.S.' is inserted when I type the letter 'O'.
I hope that this is clear.
2. Suggestion: Create the ability for the user to be able to assign a formatting choice (e.g., bold) to the extension which is different from the formatting assigned to the character name that the extension follows.
Example: again, an example from a British T.V. sitcom format: the character name is bolded, but when an extension is used, the extension is not bolded
3. Suggestion: Create the ability for the user to control/add punctuation after a character name.
Example: Once again, the U.K. sitcom format that I have been using adds a colon after the bolded character name; I do not think that MMS currently has the flexibility to add punctuation marks (or any other symbols) after a character name.
I realize that all one has to do is to add a colon after the character name the first time that one uses the name, but one still has to remember to do that every time one introduces a new character. It would be nice to have a 'BBC Taped Sitcom' format that included this, and to have the ability to control MMS 7 at this level under one of the 'Edit Script Formats' windows.
1. Suggestion: Include the ability for the user to assign a particular key to activate/represent an extension, i.e., for the user to be able to assign this manually.
Example: the problem I have been experiencing happens when two extensions share the same first letter. The examples I have been dealing with are 'O.S.' and 'O.O.V.' (the latter is an extension sometimes used in the U.K., which represents 'Out Of View').
When I type a right bracket (i.e. a "(" ) in order to bring up the User List for the new extension I want to insert, the only way I can insert the extension (O.O.V.) is to scroll down to it in the user list and hit 'enter' because - 'O.O.V.' appears in the User List because I have used it previously in my screenplay).
If I type the letter' 'O', then 'O.S.' is the extension that is automatically inserted in the text.
So, I would like to be able to assign a letter, or symbol or number to represent 'O.O.V.', so that it is automatically inserted in the text in the way that 'O.S.' is inserted when I type the letter 'O'.
I hope that this is clear.
2. Suggestion: Create the ability for the user to be able to assign a formatting choice (e.g., bold) to the extension which is different from the formatting assigned to the character name that the extension follows.
Example: again, an example from a British T.V. sitcom format: the character name is bolded, but when an extension is used, the extension is not bolded
3. Suggestion: Create the ability for the user to control/add punctuation after a character name.
Example: Once again, the U.K. sitcom format that I have been using adds a colon after the bolded character name; I do not think that MMS currently has the flexibility to add punctuation marks (or any other symbols) after a character name.
I realize that all one has to do is to add a colon after the character name the first time that one uses the name, but one still has to remember to do that every time one introduces a new character. It would be nice to have a 'BBC Taped Sitcom' format that included this, and to have the ability to control MMS 7 at this level under one of the 'Edit Script Formats' windows.