I would really appreciate it if the description showed the word count of the story in addition to the other information such as update date, score, etc.
I would really appreciate it if the description showed the word count of the story in addition to the other information such as update date, score, etc.
That's a task for the author, as there is no direct correlation between story size in bytes and words. While the author can easily get it from the program they use to write the story it's not possible for Lazeez to get it from the files sent to him.
Many authors lodge their stories at a word processing document, while many others lodge them in some sort of mark up language which includes the various format commands. In the stories I lodge in html if I did a word count on html file it would count the html code entries as extra words that have nothing to do with the story and don't show in the displayed story.
Take my story Life is Change the word processing file shows 49,050 words while the html file shows 52,883 words. And the files I upload to Sol are as cleaned out as possible with no excess code in them, while some other files by other authors will have lots of excess code in them.
Lazeez could theoretically set something up to generate a word count for each story. I don't know if there is enough interest in doing so.
He set it up as size because way back when there were still people on dial-up connections or other metered access so more people would have been concerned about how much they were downloading rather than word count.
Not sure how much effort it would be to generate a true word count or how interested Lazeez would be in doing it.
Lazeez could theoretically set something up to generate a word count for each story.
The current system simply reads the post submission wizard file size as it saves it to the database.
Considering the variation you get between a word process submission, the different types of html submissions, the other markup text submissions, and the tagged text submission, there's no way he can set it up to give a reasonable count without spending an excessive amount of time to write it and to process it. It would be nothing for the authors to include the word count in their story description blurb.
It would be nothing for the authors to include the word count in their story description blurb
Which we do on Bookapy. But even then there are differences. Some authors give the word count to the word. Some round it up. Some round it down. Some round to the thousand. Some to the hundred.
And what's a word? I use a *** as a scene break. MS Word counts that as a word. I used to use * * * which is counted as 3 words.
If I write "long sleeve shirt" it's 3 words, but "long-sleeve shirt" is 2 words.
I actually think word count is the best measurement. When people talk about size, I always talk in terms of word count. But I wouldn't expect Lazeez to spend any resources calculating it. And if it's a field the author fills in, he would have to keep incrementing the word count as he adds new chapters as he posts them. I wouldn't want to do that.
I can see it on Bookapy, but not on SOL.
And if it's a field the author fills in, he would have to keep incrementing the word count as he adds new chapters as he posts them.
Or leave it blank until the final chapter is submitted.
Or leave it blank until the final chapter is submitted.
When I published "High School Massacre" on Bookapy it was a single docx so Word gave me the word count. Easy peasy.
But to post it on SOL, I have 45 separate docx files (chapters). If I wrote it only for SOL, that means I would have to check the word count for all 45 files and add them up.
Is it a big deal? I'd rather spend the time writing.
But to post it on SOL, I have 45 separate docx files (chapters). If I wrote it only for SOL, that means I would have to check the word count for all 45 files and add them up.
√ Book 4 % wc -w *
327 AWLL3_B04_00CoverPage.txt
6074 AWLL3_B04_Chapter001.txt
6103 AWLL3_B04_Chapter002.txt
6072 AWLL3_B04_Chapter003.txt
4008 AWLL3_B04_Chapter004.txt
22584 total
I put that total in a spreadsheet when I finish a book to get a running total.
When I write a novel, it's one file so I have Word's word count on the bottom. If I post that novel on SOL, then I break the single docx file into one for each chapter so therefore have the word count for each chapter.
I was addressing writing a multi-chapter story to post on SOL. I would have to add the number of words for the newest chapter posted to what had been posted before to get the new total. It seemed like extra work for the author.
But it's a moot point because Lazeez implemented a work count.
btw, I have no idea what 'wc -w *' is.
When I write a novel, it's one file so I have Word's word count on the bottom. If I post that novel on SOL, then I break the single docx file into one for each chapter so therefore have the word count for each chapter.
You're doing unnecessary work. Both MSWord and LibreOffice have the option to create a Master Document with SubDocuments. Makes life so much easier. Create a (sub)document for each chapter and a master document to collect them into a 'single' document. The master document acts exactly like it's a single file/document but you don't have to split it anymore. You can still work on a chapter document as a normal document. The master document automatically reads each subdocument when you open it. This also has the advantage that if your document gets corrupted it's most likely just one chapter and not the complete novel.
A long, long time ago I was forced to use this because the document I was working on got too big for what the computer at that time was able to handle.
@Lazeez: I didn't know I wanted this until you gave it to me. Thank you!
btw, I have no idea what 'wc -w *' is.
"wc" is the Unix word count program, which takes either input from stdin or a list of files on the command line, counts as words runs of non-whitespace characters separated by whitespace, and prints (by default) the number of lines, words, and characters in the input.
"-w" overrides the default behavior and has it print only number of words, not lines or characters.
"*" is a wildcard character, and in this context would tell it to feed to wc every file in the current working directory where the filename does not begin with '.'. (Unix treats files where the filename begins with '.' as "hidden files", and by default excludes them from "all files".)
So taken all together, "wc -w *" is a Unix command to print word counts for all non-hidden files in the current working directory.
I have a script on my writing machines that wraps wc in a series of filters that strip HTML tags from the input, which I use to get word counts for my writing that doesn't include all the markup.
Basic formatting doesn't actually add words, usually, because I don't normally put whitespace between the actual text and, say, a P or EM tag, but all the HTML header boilerplate, horizontal rules, any HTML attributes within tags (which can include significant amounts of stuff, like ABBR expansions or popup translations of foreign-language text), and editorial or continuity notes that I put in HTML comments can all add significant amounts of non-story-word stuff to the word count. So I strip it all when I do the word count.
So taken all together, "wc -w *" is a Unix command
This is what I meant by not knowing what it is. What would I do with a Unix command on my Mac? Where do I type it?
This is what I meant by not knowing what it is. What would I do with a Unix command on my Mac? Where do I type it?
In the Applications folder there is a folder called 'Utilities'. Inside 'Utilities' you can find Terminal.app. That gives you access to the command line interface of the mac's underlying Unix system.
the wc command that Michael mentioned won't work on Word files, but will work on .txt files.
To go to a folder containing your '.txt' files, in the Terminal.app, type cd (for change directory) followed by a space and from the finder drag the folder to the terminal and it will show its path next to the cd+space.
Hit enter in the terminal and you've changed the working directory to that folder.
you can do 'ls' to list what files are in the folder. 'ls -l' will give you more details.
Thanks, but too technical for me. I'll leave scripts and Unix commands to you guys who know what you're doing.
Modern Macs are Unix machines underneath all the shiny plastic. The Terminal app will give you a Unix command line (bash shell, the same as Linux typically uses). You'll have to use cd (change directory) to move to the folder where you keep the story files. Note that in order for that wc command to work correctly, they need to be text format, and there needs to be nothing else in the folder.
Don't ask me where to find Terminal... I haven't touched a Mac in years. But it should be there in Launchpad or somewhere.
When I write a novel, it's one file so I have Word's word count on the bottom. If I post that novel on SOL, then I break the single docx file into one for each chapter so therefore have the word count for each chapter.
Why break up the file to post it to SoL? All you need to do is to have the word Chapter lead off the chapter title or to insert the command { p } Chapter xx and the Submission Wizard will split the file at that point.
and the Submission Wizard will split the file at that point.
I want to control when each chapter is posted. And sometimes I post more than one at a time. It's how I feel at the time.
I want to control when each chapter is posted.
That was resolved by Lazeez last year or the year before. I'm copying 2 lots of code below, the first is for how to set the chapters and the second is how to have the chapters appear on set dates.
1. copied from
https://storiesonline.net/doc/Text_Formatting_Information_Guide
Story Sections
This is useful for long multi-chapter stories. It allows you to group your chapters into books or subsections in the story's index page (cover).
To insert a section header in the index page, use the {t} tag.
For example, to insert 'Book' separators:
{t}Book 1
Chapter 1: Chapter 1's title
Text for chapter 1....
Chapter 2: Chapter 2's title
text for chapter 2....
{t}Book 2 (or part 2 or whatever division you want to use)
Chapter 3: Chapter 3's title
text for chapter 3....
etc...
....................
2. this is copied from my personal file on this subject but it was first copied from a post by Lazeez I can't find again.
So you can submit a serial story and have chapters posted at defined dates in one shot.
there is now a {date} tag for chapters or relative date {date:+3a} for 8AM release after three days, or {date:+5p} for 8PM release after 5 days. How to use it:
Under the chapter title put the tag like so:
{p}Chapter xx
{date:2019-10-20a} or {date:+1a}
That makes the chapter appears on the site on the 20th of October, 2019 at 8am.
{date:2019-11-10p} or {date:+2a}
That makes the chapter appears on the site on the 10th of November, 2019 at 8pm.
You can schedule multiple chapters to show up at the same time, but each scheduled chapter must contain a tag.
Limitations:
1 - Works only on whole story submissions. The timing script will mark a story completed when it runs out of scheduled chapters.
2 - First chapter can't be scheduled. You schedule the first posting with the wizard's current scheduler.
3 - Format is rigid. No spaces inside tag. Any syntax error makes the system ignore tag and chapter end up on the site on the initial posting and the tag remains in the text.
4 - Dates earlier than processing time are ignored. If you schedule your story to post on the 20th of October and chapter 2's schedule is for the 18th, the tag is removed and the chapter is posted with chapter 1.
The number of days in the tag is the number of days after the previous post. So:
chapter 1
chapter 2
{date:+3a}
chapter 3
{date:+3a}
Chapter 3 posts 6 days after chapter 1.
........
By adding this code into the single file uploaded you can have the identified chapters post a you wish. It works as I used it on the last couple of new stories I posted.
to have the chapters appear on set dates.
That's the key. I don't have set dates for chapters. I post them when I feel like posting them, keeping them a week or less apart.
That's the key. I don't have set dates for chapters. I post them when I feel like posting them, keeping them a week or less apart.
Once the story is finished (if you use that system) it's easy to post the whole lot with a number of days between the chapters set in the code so you can then forget about having to post a new chapter as the system does it for you. That's how I now do it.
If you post while still working on the story, then you need to have the latest chapter ready for posting as a different file. For that I suggest copying the material from the master file into a new file just to post it.
You can do this (use 'wc' and similar tools) on Windows, too, using either WSL/WSL2 (Windows Services for Linux - running real Linux under Windows, essentially - not a VM, but within the main system, including filesystem access) or Cygwin (recompiled Linux and other open source programs in a Linux compatibility environment).
I'm a long-time Linux/Unix guy; I use both heavily. I don't really use them for writing, though, partly because I never have anything in .txt files.
My primary writing tool is Scrivener (on Windows; it has a Mac version as well, but not a supported Linux version, though there are some unsupported workarounds), which offers several ways of ways of getting word count for scenes, chapters, and the full document. I use less than 50% of the features, but the ones I do use make it much more productive for me. Word count is one of those.
My primary writing tool is Scrivener
I use Scrivener for making my digital books, but do all my writing in BBEdit. I only create UTF-8 text files. The beautiful thing about BBEdit is that it has a global search function which is nearly instantaneous across the 12,000,000 words in about 2000 files. Even better is that it has a 'grep' option, so one of my proofreaders can send me corrections like this:
missing comma after 'hey':
([^A-Za-z][Hh]ey) ([A-Za-z])(?!o[^a-z]|yes|ow|ourself, |here|appen|er)
Replace with:
\1, \2
I get a headache about 2/3 of the way through that regex, but I completely understand the allure.
Even better is that it has a 'grep' option, so one of my proofreaders can send me corrections like this:
That's a very unique situation where 1) the author understands and knows how to use the indicated mistake and 2) has an editor/proofreader who knows how to create the regex command in the first place. My guess is that the number of editors/proofreaders who can and want to do this approaches zero ;) It also is not an option for other remarks/suggestions like flow changes, errors in continuity, etc.
Text editors (usually) don't have the options that word processors like LibreOffice and MSWord offer for keeping track of changes that the author can review and accept/decline. But a simple chapter 12, bla and blur > bla, and blur is readable and understandable for both author and editor.
And if that is "too much work" there's always the diff option. Diff the original text file with the file received back from the editor and you have a nice list of the differences, i.e. the changes the editor suggests. Easy to automate too.
It also is not an option for other remarks/suggestions like flow changes, errors in continuity, etc.
And if that is "too much work" there's always the diff option. Diff the original text file with the file received back from the editor and you have a nice list of the differences, i.e. the changes the editor suggests. Easy to automate too.
BBEdit has a built-in visual 'diff', which can also be started from the command line. And it allows easy changes of either of the displayed files.
If you do any coding at all on a Mac, BBEdit is an amazing tool, which recognizes nearly every programming language and provides syntax highlights, code folding, etc. Best of all, the free version has many of the most important features.
If you do any coding at all on a Mac, BBEdit is an amazing tool, which recognizes nearly every programming language and provides syntax highlights, code folding, etc. Best of all, the free version has many of the most important features.
I don't know anything about Macs but it seems like BBEdit is much more than 'just a text editor' :D Sounds like a great tool.
I don't know anything about Macs but it seems like BBEdit is much more than 'just a text editor' :D Sounds like a great tool.
Comparing 'Notepad' on windows to BBEdit on the Mac is like comparing a kite to the Space Shuttle.
The Space Shuttle was a half-assed compromise design that tried to do everything, but didn't do any of it well, and 40% of them exploded, killing everyone aboard.
Comparing 'Notepad' on windows to BBEdit on the Mac is like comparing a kite to the Space Shuttle.
Yep, I understood that from what Michael explained. Sounds to me BBEdit is a kind of "Word for text files". A bit like LYX maybe.
Sounds to me BBEdit is a kind of "Word for text files". A bit like LYX maybe.
It's more like emacs. It's a very versatile and programmable text editor. You can create scripts for it in AppleScript and it has built in terminal functionality so that you can run shell scripts inside it.
It never handles any formatting, unless it's like html where you're writing the formatting as text itself.
I know a couple of people who bought Macs to use BBEdit.
like vim...
You got to watch their formula. John Jacob Bradberton stole most of them for Nuka-Cola variations.
Comparing 'Notepad' on windows to BBEdit on the Mac is like comparing a kite to the Space Shuttle.
Correction: comparing Charlie Brown's kite to...
Comparing 'Notepad' on windows to BBEdit on the Mac is like comparing a kite to the Space Shuttle.
If you wanted a Windows comparison, it's much more something like Notepad++. Notepad isn't even a good text editor. It's fine for very, very simple text files, but even 'vi' (plan, old, original 'vi') runs rings around it.
I can see the BBEdit / Emacs comparison. I used to be good at Emacs, but that was 30 years ago. Now? Not so much.
I can see the BBEdit / Emacs comparison. I used to be good at Emacs, but that was 30 years ago. Now? Not so much.
You don't need to know anything about emacs to use BBEdit.
I got started on emacs on Prime 50 series. I had used vi (the original) on a PDP 11/45 before that, running Unix v7, an upgrade from 'ed'. :-)
Sorry, I was going in two directions at once. I wasn't intending to imply that knowing one related to knowing the others. Just that I used to use Emacs heavily (PDP's and VAX systems early on, then a whole mishmash of others).
I used to use BBEdit, too, but never got to be a power user. I do have a couple Macs around, but do most everything on Windows now. Having cygwin and WSL makes Windows far more useful, at least for Unix types.
It would be nothing for the authors to include the word count in their story description blurb.
The blurb is finite, so it would reduce the space available for more descriptive content. It would be better if he added a separate field for an author supplied word count.
You can get a rough estimate of the word count by dividing the size by 5.5 or 6 (average word size about 5 characters, plus space between words). This falls down with either high or low reading age stuff, as the average word size is shorter for juvenile stuff, and longer for techie. I doubt a word count will be added anytime soon as it would involve a change to the database tables to store it, and it would involve too much database access to calculate it on the fly.
ETA: EB's caveats also apply.
Thanks for the responses. Ernest you make some good points about the formatting differences. I think if it was going to happen and work well it would have to process the file to some extent to generate the word count and I understand that it's not as simple as adding the field. One thing that prompted the post is I have noticed when downloading epubs of stories, it has an approximate word count although I'm not sure how that number is generated. Switch you make a good point and that's why I think if it was going to be added it would have to be done generating a count based on a consistent formula for counting. I do use the size to guesstimate the length of the story but I have always preferred word count for identifying story lengths.
Are there any stories that can't be downloaded in text format? From there, it shouldn't be too hard for a clever person to get a wordcount.
I support the sentiment that wordcount would be more informative than size,
AJ
If the stories on the site were full of pictures, illustrations etc, then a word count would probably be of some benefit.
But as they are pretty much text only, the size of the story gives you a good idea of how long it is so i don't really see any need for a word count in addition to the exiting information that is already there.
If the stories on the site were full of pictures, illustrations etc, then a word count would probably be of some benefit.
As far as I know images are not included in the size number, only text.
I would really appreciate it if the description showed the word count of the story in addition to the other information such as update date, score, etc.
Why..??
Is there some defined word count that mystically defines a story as utter trash or superlative??
Is a word count really needed as a guide to story size when the file size is already available..??
Scores are only really useful if one desires to follow the herd. For those with a more specific focus, perhaps a less popular fetish, scores are not as helpful, by no means useless, but often tainted by those of the "one bomb" persuasion.
Whilst I would agree that the only stupid question is the one unasked, it seems that a request for every story to have an accurate word count is unjustifiable, not to mention hugely time consuming for zero real gain.
Or maybe I'm wrong and you are offering to word count all 47,818 stories currently on the database..?? I'm sure Lazeez would accept your offering, once completed, though he might request an independent count, in the interests of accuracy. Do you have a like minded friend..??
:)
Word count has been done in the database and kept up to date for few months now. I implemented it when I updated the story size algorithm to be as accurate as possible.
I hadn't passed it over all the stories, so it was displayed only for new stories and newly updated serials. I did the rest as a batch overnight and now it should be displayed for all stories.
It's displayed in the 'More Info' pages on the site. Right under the size-by-character-count.
ETA: Now that I updated all stories records on all the sites with the word count, I added the display to the various themes on the site. The classic one has it under the description.
Thanks for this!
I just noticed that, in the lists displayed off the front page (e.g. https://storiesonline.net/list/2/top_50_serials_by_rating_in_the_last_30_days) the listings merely say 'words' with no number. As far as I can tell, this is true for all lists (I didn't try them all, but quite a few).
Not a big issue for me but I figured you'd want to know.
Thanks again!
As far as I can tell, this is true for all lists
It's one script that generates all those lists. Fixed. There were few places that weren't fetching the word count from the database along with all the other data.
wc -w
I searched on line for wc -w and found 180 entries, but the only interesting one was:
"Wc Asapp " The closest toilet just one tap away.www.wcasapp.com
Designed for people suffering from frequent diarrhea due to a chronic bowel inflammation."
On line searching is often a fiasco. Fee Ask Co. Kind of like Google, they charge a Fee, you Ask for information and it is a Company.