Hi.

The author of PageFour also write an interesting free tool (still free - there will soon be a commercial Pro edition): SmartEdit scans your text, creates a list of used words, counts the frequency of words and shows duplicate words, (user-defineable) phrases, clichés, etc.

http://www.smart-edit.com/

That's a feature I've been missing in all my word processors. If I am not mistaken, only PageFour and Apple Pages have it.

Franz

Franz Grieser wrote:

The author of PageFour also write an interesting free tool (still free - there
will soon be a commercial Pro edition): SmartEdit scans your text, creates a list of
used words, counts the frequency of words and shows duplicate words,
(user-defineable) phrases, clichés,
etc.
http://www.smart-edit.com/

Cool! Thanks for that!

Franz, thank you.

The six checks run by the Pro version look as if they will be particularly useful. There's a strand of thinking that says that software like this isn't necessary, is no substitute for the human eye and brain, is almost cheating. I don't agree. At the very least it's easy when you're writing fast, up against a deadline and tired to overuse particular words and phrases. Actually, there' one of mine: "particular". And another: "actually".

IME hitherto the best in the field, apart from heavy-duty academic text-analysis programmes, has been Textanz: http://www.cro-code.com but I think that only runs checks on overused words and phrases, not the additional screens that the new software applies.

Unfortunately, I don't know of anything equivalent for the Mac platform, and that's a little odd given the alleged writing bias of the Mac-user community. (Textanz claims to work on a Mac, but I haven't been able to get it to do so.)

Hugh.

Actually, I have a license for Textanz, too, which I do use when writing copy for my customers or for my websites.
If found its creator very helpful when I had to install Textanz an my new PC and didn't find the license info - he instantly sent a copy of the registred version.

But I hadn't seen that Textanz runs on the Mac now.

What I like about Smart-Edit is the "Ignored phrases" and "Cliches" feature.

Franz

Franz Grieser wrote:

Hugh.

Actually, I have a license for Textanz, too, which I do use when writing copy
for my customers or for my websites.
If found its creator very helpful when I had to
install Textanz an my new PC and didn't find the license info - he instantly sent a copy
of the registred version.

But I hadn't seen that Textanz runs on the Mac now.

What I
like about Smart-Edit is the "Ignored phrases" and "Cliches" feature.

Franz

I just tested SmartEdit, briefly, with 60 pages of current work. So far, so easy and good (the software, that is, not the 60 pages...). I like the "ignored phrases" and "cliches" features too. I also like the naming and shaming of adverbs. Five minutes ago I was proud of what I thought was my record of shunning adverbs. No longer.

H

Hugh wrote:

Unfortunately, I don't know of anything equivalent for the Mac platform,
and that's a little odd given the alleged writing bias of the Mac-user community.
(Textanz claims to work on a Mac, but I haven't been able to get it to do so.)

I just installed a trial of Textanz on my Mac and it starts, at least (more testing to be done).

The hurdle to overcome is downloading the "zip" version of Textanz and the editing the "gui.sh"
and then saving it with line endings set to "LF" and not "CRLF" (that is the pitfall!).

Now "./gui.sh" does start the GUI.

Hope it helps.

The hurdle to overcome is downloading the "zip" version of
Textanz and the editing the "gui.sh"
and then saving it with line endings set to "LF"
and not "CRLF" (that is the pitfall!).

Now "./gui.sh" does start the GUI.

Additionally you should edit the line "TEXTANZ_HOME=/Applications/Textanz" to
" export TEXTANZ_HOME=/Applications/Textanz".

There are still some errors here:

java[4743] : CGContextGetCTM: invalid context 0x0
java[4743] : CGContextSetBaseCTM: invalid context 0x0
java[4743] : CGContextGetCTM: invalid context 0x0
java[4743] : CGContextSetBaseCTM: invalid context 0x0

but Textanz seems to work.

Hugh wrote:

I just tested SmartEdit,
briefly, with 60 pages of current work. So far, so easy and good (the software, that is,
not the 60 pages...). I like the "ignored phrases" and "cliches" features too. I also
like the naming and shaming of adverbs. Five minutes ago I was proud of what I thought
was my record of shunning adverbs. No longer.

H

What I like to see in a pro version would be multiple "sets" of lists that could be activated depending on the language or the subject area I work in.

Bernhard wrote:

>The hurdle to overcome is downloading the "zip" version of
>Textanz and the
editing the "gui.sh"
> and then saving it with line endings set to "LF"
>and not
"CRLF" (that is the pitfall!).
>
>Now "./gui.sh" does start the
GUI.


Additionally you should edit the line
"TEXTANZ_HOME=/Applications/Textanz" to
" export
TEXTANZ_HOME=/Applications/Textanz".

There are still some errors
here:

java[4743] : CGContextGetCTM: invalid context 0x0
java[4743]
: CGContextSetBaseCTM: invalid context 0x0
java[4743] :
CGContextGetCTM: invalid context 0x0
java[4743] : CGContextSetBaseCTM:
invalid context 0x0

but Textanz seems to work.

Thanks Bernhard!

Franz Grieser wrote:

The author of PageFour also write an interesting free tool (still free -
there will soon be a commercial Pro edition): SmartEdit scans your text,
creates a list of used words, counts the frequency of words and shows
duplicate words, (user-defineable) phrases, clichés, etc.

http://www.smart-edit.com/

There is a new version of the beta available: Updated November 2nd, 2012

Looks like Smart-Edit paid-for version has been released this month. It has a "Special Introductory Price Until December 31st" at USD69.95, which seems pretty steep for an introductory price... I wonder what the full price is going to be...

"Though minor upgrades are free to licensed users, the software is sold ‘as is’, for what it does today, not for what it might do in the future. "

The free version has been also updated to 1.1.0.2.

http://www.smart-edit.com/

The new version (3) of Smart Edit is out; find it at the link above. Significant feature improvements have been made apparently. Among others, the software can now edit directly Word and Open Office documents.

Full price is now $59.95 and there appears to be no free version. PageFour license owners like myself should have received an offer to purchase at 25% off within a week.

The software is aimed at 'creative' writers; I assume this means fiction. I find non-fictional reality quite complex as it is, and not planning to start a novel anytime soon (then again, neither did people like Jeffrey Archer...). Nevertheless, it seems to me that Smart Edit's developer has done his homework, putting together a tool which is straightforward to use and which could provide useful insights to writers beyond his core target group.