Bike can open txt files but cannot save files as txt when created with bike? Is it an issue that I am using the trial version?
When I make the choice in the preferences the file will still be saved in html.
Assuming thereās not a bug, Bike should be able to save file in txt trial or no trial. I just tested and it seems to be working for me.
Also when Bike is in ātrialā it should have all features enabled. Once trial period ends Bike should continue to work, but rich text and AppleScript features will be disabled.
This might be it. When you change the preference it changes the default document type for ānewā documents. So existing documents that are HTML (.bike) will still be .bike. Can you maybe send me screenshot of your preferences setting?
I think I understood my problem: Bike doesnāt allow text formating when in *.txt? I expected that it would just make use of markdown.
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Not sure whether these look relevant to your work-flow:
BIKE Outliner :: Save As Markdown - Macro Library - Keyboard Maestro Discourse
BIKE Outliner :: Copy as Markdown - Macro Library - Keyboard Maestro Discourse
Yes, thatās correct. If you have rich text formatting you can only save as .bike right now. I do want to eventually support rich text > markdown, but thatās not supported now.
Using version 1.42 (trial version) on macOS 12.6.
On this page of the website is a picture showing a save as dialog with an option for file format.
Also there is this text on the page:
To use a custom file extension
- Type the file extension after the file name in the āSave Asā text field in the document save panel.
Using Save As or just the Save dialog there is option to choose the file format. Also if change the extension of the file from bike to opml or html, a window appears indicating that it will be, in effect, saved as in the bike format.
Attached are couple a screenshots, but I have recorded a screen video to show precisely what is occurring. It does appear possible to attach a video so it can be found here.
Is what is shown on the video correct?
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@vwbike Iāve moved your post to this new topic since talking about the same things.
The Trial cannot save file in txt?
No, this isnāt a limitation of the trial.
The problem is that your document has rich text formatting (or an embedded link) and when thatās the case then Bike can only save using .bike file format. I need to update users guide, or figure out a better UI for this.
There is a note about limited file format options at the top of the save as dialogue, but itās easy to miss.
To save as text you can:
- Create a new document
- Save with Text format
- Copy text from original document and paste into new document (rich text formatting will be removed on paste)
or:
- Duplicate existing document
- Select all and choose Format > Clear Formatting
- Remove any rich text links (places where added a link ābehindā some text). Plain text document can include detected links such as when you type
www.hogbaysoftware.com.
Iām thinking about ways to make the UI better.
I think the Apple recommended way might be what they do in Text Editā¦ add a special toggle command Format > Make Plain Text / Make Rich Text. And once you do that then when you save youāll get a different set of saving options.
Unfortunately that seems almost as hard to discover as what Iām currently doing. Instead I think I might make the save dilogue look like this when you save AND your document has text formatting attributes:
You wonāt get an explicit alert telling you that your file format choice will loose formatting attributes, but itās still pretty clear I think. Seem OK?
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And I guess the other path that may be familiar to some users is:
File > Export... ā„āE
Not sure whether that feels like a good fit here ā¦
(See, for example OmniOutliner)
Iām avoiding āExportā because I think that normally has connotation that the file is leaving the app, becomes unreadable/uneditable. For Bike all supported file formats remain readable/editable. This is a bit uncommon and why I think thereās not a more standardized UI.
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I can see that, and it does make sense.
(Omni do, FWIW, include OPML (one of the formats natively opened and saved by their editor) in their File > Export menu, but I agree that it probably seems more intuitive to think of it as a route reserved for formats that are written but not read)
Thank you for the responses, your proposed solution would work best. I can think of a use where I make the outline in .bike format, and then if I wished to then create a mind map I could then save as an .opml file. Being able to specify the format in the way you suggest is easier then copying text into a new file and saving from their.
See this thread:
The present design (soon to be adjusted, I think) aims to protect you from accidentally losing formatting by converting a rich format to a plain format.
The simplest approach in the meanwhile is to:
- Create a new blank TXT document, and
- copy and paste from the existing
.bike
document into the new.txtdocument.
(When you copy material from Bike, the clipboard contains all Bike formats, + regular public.html, and the receiving application chooses between them)
Awesome. Then you app is an a definite buy. As a semi-power user Iād really liked the behavior of an app that gives me a consistent user experience within the app while the app manages varying syntaxes from me. 
Regarding your idea to handle the format within the UI: I like it.
Iāve been trying to convert an existing .bike document to .opml using command+shift+option+S, but the file type selector doesnāt seem to appear sometimes. Not sure if this is a bug in the current beta 1.4.2 (85) or maybe something I messed up somehow.
@kimonostereo Iāve moved your post to this thread with similar questions. The steps to save as .txt (or .opml) can be found in this post:
Iām working to make this easier for the next release right now.
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Please try out Bike 1.5 (86) Preview. Iāve changed the Save dialogue so you can always choose any of Bikeās supported formats, and added warnings when youāve selected a format that doesnāt support all Bike features.
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Yay! Thank you for this change!
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Also thank you for making the change.
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