Attach your manuscript folder
Colophon reads your book from the folder your chapter files live in. Attaching that folder is how a document finds your chapters.
Before you attach a folder, make sure your chapters are plain text files. See Prepare your chapter files.
Attach a folder
- Choose File ▸ Attach Manuscript Folder…. In a new document, you can also click Choose… beside Attach my manuscript folder.
- Select the folder that holds your chapter files, then click Open.
- Colophon reads the folder and shows what it found: how many files, chapters, scenes and words.
If those numbers match your book, click That's my book. If the chapter or scene count looks wrong, click Change how it reads… to choose a different format. See Choose how Colophon reads your files.
Now is the best time to get the format right — before you take your first baseline.
What you'll see next
The Manuscript screen lists every chapter Colophon found, with its scenes and words. Your next step is to take a baseline. See Take a baseline.
If you move your manuscript folder
If you move or rename the folder, Colophon asks you to reconnect it. Choose File ▸ Attach Manuscript Folder… and select the folder in its new place.
- If every chapter the document tracks is in the folder you chose, Colophon asks Same chapters, new location? Click Reconnect. Your baselines and revision history carry on as before.
- If some or none of the chapters are there, Colophon warns you that This is a different manuscript. Click Cancel unless you're sure.
If Colophon can't reach the folder
If Colophon doesn't have access to your manuscript folder, the Manuscript screen says so and offers a button to choose it again. See If Colophon asks for a folder or document again.